TORONTO The CRA quietly updated its website more than two weeks after Canadians started applying for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to include a critical detail that was left out when applications opened in early April. Some CERB recipients say the omission is part of a larger series of mistakes and mixed messages from the CRA and the federal government in the early rollout of the benefit, and theyâre now on the hook to repay every dollar. Some self-employed Canadians have received letters asking them to repay up to $14,000 by Dec. 31 because they never qualified for the CERB. In many of these cases, recipients made more than $5,000 gross income in 2019 but less than $5,000 net income, which is calculated after expenses.
As anxieties grow over CERB notices, Qualtrough says no requirement to repay now - Canada News
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The CRA has sent out more than 441,000 letters to CERB recipients in recent weeks asking them to verify they met eligibility rules for the payments.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough said the notices are an attempt to verify information and avoid making tax time next year overly complicated.
She said no one who can’t pay the money back immediately will be forced to do so. The Dec. 31 repayment requests that some have received are suggestions designed to ensure accurate tax receipts are issued for this calendar year and don’t affect benefits and tax credits recipients may receive or claim next year.
The letter that John Cosgrove received in late November from the Canada Revenue Agency wasn t entirely clear, but he knew something was amiss.
Cosgrove, like nearly nine million Canadians, had applied for and received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while it was available between mid-March and late September as the economy slowed and jobs were lost because of COVID-19.
The CRA wasn t sure if the self-employed artist met the earnings criteria needed to receive the $500-a-week CERB. If not, the letter suggested he may have to repay $12,900 before the end of 2020.
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Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough responds to a question during a news conference Thursday, August 20, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld December 15, 2020 - 1:38 PM
OTTAWA - The letter that John Cosgrove received in late November from the Canada Revenue Agency wasn t entirely clear, but he knew something was amiss.
Cosgrove, like nearly nine million Canadians, had applied for and received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while it was available between mid-March and late September as the economy slowed and jobs were lost because of COVID-19.
The CRA wasn t sure if the self-employed artist met the earnings criteria needed to receive the $500-a-week CERB. If not, the letter suggested he may have to repay $12,900 before the end of 2020.
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