A CERB Repayment Warning Will Be Sent To 'Thousands' More Canadians This Week

The Canada Revenue Agency is getting in touch with "thousands" more Canadians to verify their eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and warn them about possible CERB repayments.

In a statement shared with Narcity on January 27, a spokesperson confirmed that letters have been sent to people who may have claimed the benefit in 2020 without actually being eligible.

"The CRA has begun to issue letters to some benefit recipients notifying them that the CRA is requesting additional information to support their Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) application," the agency said.

"The current phase is limited to individuals who are believed to have earned more than $1000 during the periods in which they claimed CERB."

The notices ask the individual to verify they were eligible for the $500-per-week CERB and warn that repayments may be required if they are found to have received the money without qualifying for it.

How to confirm eligibility

At this point, nobody is being asked to pay back the money instantly. Instead, recipients are being urged to share some information to confirm whether or not they were eligible.

They may be asked to provide things like bank statements, pay stubs, letters from their employers confirming income or an amended T4.

"If a recipient is having difficulty obtaining the requested information, the CRA will work with the individual to address their specific circumstances," the federal agency told Narcity.

The CRA says it will work on a flexible repayment plan for those who do have to repay money and promised that no interest will be charged.

It says the agency "recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for many Canadians, and remains committed to being compassionate, flexible, and supportive during this challenging time."

However, it does warn that people who don't respond will not be offered the same opportunities.

More letters to come

The feds did not verify eligibility when the CERB was first rolled out in 2020, as officials wanted to get payments to Canadians as soon as possible. However, they did promise to follow up on applications, which they have now started to do.

In November 2021, over 441,000 letters were sent to Canadians asking them to confirm whether they met CERB eligibility rules.

A report from CTV News suggests that "a few thousand" people will receive a letter from Thursday, with more to come in the near future.

"The few letters that will go out this week, it's the beginning," CRA official Marc Lemieux said.

He revealed that hundreds of thousands of letters are eventually expected to be sent to Canadians.