Anyone Can Get The Canada Emergency Relief Benefit But You Might Have To Pay It Back
Money is flowing. The government has been very busy making sure people get what they need. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit has already received a huge volume of applications. While anyone can apply, you might end up having to pay the amount back.
According to a report from the Toronto Star, anyone who applies for the CERB will receive it, regardless of whether they would qualify or not.
However, that doesn't mean they won't be checked up on later regarding their employment and income status.
"Come tax time next year the (government) would be able to verify all the eligibility criteria," a spokesperson for the Federal Minister of Employment told the Star.
Currently, all applications for the CERB are being automatically approved in order to get payments out as soon as possible.
The government avoided building in measures to verify a person's income or eligibility, as this would've slowed the process down way too much, causing payments to go out months later, according to Global News.
The Minister of Employment, Carla Qualtrough, said that she wasn't worried about high levels of fraud in the system, however.
"People are more concerned about being overly honest in Canada," she said, "fraud levels just aren’t high and we know this from other government programs."
If you did apply for the CERB without being eligible, then the government might be calling on you next year around tax time.
However, there won't be any fines or penalties to pay if you received the benefit without being eligible, according to the Huffington Post. You'll just have to pay back however much you received in error.
Canadians were already sharing their experiences with CERB on Twitter, expressing both gratitude at receiving the money, as well as confusion at the amount being deposited into their accounts.