Email notifications will be directed to recipients of the Canada Child Benefit and related provincial and territorial programs, as well as recipients of GST/HST credits and the Alberta Energy Tax Refund. The CRA said it plans to send about 25,000 e-mails in August, another 25,000 in November and another 25,000 through May 2023. But even without receiving an e-mail notification, the agency said a taxpayer can check if they have a check by logging into My Account, a secure portal on its website to check if they have an uncashed check within six months. He added that agents can also view uncashed checks of their customers. Each year, the CRA said it issues millions of payments to Canadian taxpayers in the form of refund benefits. These payments are issued either by direct deposit or by check. “Over time, payments can remain undeliverable for a variety of reasons, such as the taxpayer misplacing the check or even a change of address that prevented delivery,” the agency said in a statement. The CRA said that since the email notification initiative first began in February 2020, approximately two million uncashed checks worth $802 million have been cashed through May 31, 2022. The average amount per uncashed check is $158, with some dating back to 1998, the agency said. As of May 2022, there were an estimated 8.9 million uncashed checks with CRA. As of May 2019, approximately five million Canadians had approximately 7.6 million uncashed cheques. “Since government checks never expire or become stale, the CRA cannot cancel the original check and reissue a new one unless requested by the taxpayer,” the statement said. “These upcoming electronic notices will encourage taxpayers to cash the checks in their possession.” The agency said taxpayers can sign up for the direct deposit option on its website to receive payments directly into their bank accounts. Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox morning or night. Sign up today.
