The CRA is sitting on over $1.7B in uncashed cheques — Here's how to check if any are yours

Millions of Canadians currently have free money just sitting in the government's coffers, and this little-known CRA hack could help you uncover unclaimed payments you didn't know were yours.

Every year, the Canada Revenue Agency sends out millions of payments — things like tax refunds, benefit payments and credits. But not all those cheques get cashed.

In fact, the CRA says there are currently over 10 million uncashed cheques still waiting to be claimed, totalling more than $1.75 billion.

That means a lot of Canadians are missing out on money that rightfully belongs to them, with amounts averaging around $170 per cheque.

Whether it was misplaced around the house, lost in the mail, sent to an old address, or even thrown out by mistake, there are plenty of ways a cheque could have slipped through the cracks without you realizing.

And even if you've been using direct deposit for years, the CRA might still be holding on to old government payments that were issued as cheques before you switched, since they aren't automatically deposited when you enrol.

But here's the good news: Because government-issued cheques never expire, you can still cash them, even if they're decades old.

READ ALSO: 8 government benefit payments you can get from the CRA & Service Canada in January 2026

So, how do you know if the CRA owes you money?

There's a handy feature inside your CRA My Account online called "Uncashed cheques" that makes it easy to find out. It's not super well known, but for most individuals, it's the fastest way to see if there's cash with your name on it.

You'll find it in the right-hand sidebar on the main Overview page right after logging in.

If there's money waiting, you can download a pre-filled form to request a replacement payment, either as a direct deposit or a new cheque in the mail.

The online option works for personal payments that are over six months old. That includes things like tax refunds, GST/HST Credit payments and child benefits — even certain provincial programs like the Ontario Trillium Benefit, Alberta Child Benefit or B.C. Climate Action Tax Credit.

If you're not registered online, or you're looking for business or trust cheques or payments under six months old, you'll need to call the CRA directly. They'll confirm if you're owed anything and mail you the same form if you are.

Once you have the form, just fill out the rest by hand, sign it and send it in. You can upload it online or mail it to the Sudbury tax centre.

Then, all you have to do is wait — processing might take up to 12 weeks, especially during busy times.

Keep in mind that if you owe money to the CRA, they may take that out of the total before sending you the rest. But as long as you don't, that cash is all yours.

It only takes a few minutes to check, and there's nothing to lose. So if you've ever received a CRA payment — even years ago — it might be worth a quick look. You never know what you might find!

If you found an old cheque from the CRA, what would you do with it?

READ NEXT: Here are all the benefit payments Canadians can get from the CRA & Service Canada in 2026