Asked to repay CERB? Talk to us first.

Did you receive CERB during the pandemic? Have you gotten a letter from the CRA saying you need to pay it back? Unfortunately, it's likely not a scam, but don't start transferring money back just yet.

An unexpected bill for a few thousand dollars is not something anyone wants to receive, so you should always reach out to your bookkeeper at Onyx first to ensure it's not an error in your filing. There are also instances of people who applied for EI who received CERB instead and now may be receiving requests for repayment. We'll audit your previous tax filings and ensure that you didn't miss anything that resulted in the request for repayment.

To break down the eligibility into simple terms, the CRA required that you had to have evidence that you earned at least $5,000 of either employment income or self employment income in the prior year. That could be 2019, 2020, 2021, or the 12 month period prior to applying. And you also have to have been unable to work for at least 50 per cent of a normal work week.

The CRA is also open to communication about the issue; don't ignore the letter or put it off for months. If you ignore requests from the CRA, they have the right to garnish paycheques and other government benefits you may be receiving. If it turns out that you are required to repay your CERB, the CRA is not charging interest on payments and are open to payment plans. So, be sure that you don't take out a high interest loan to pay this back if you don't need to.

Need help making sense of it all? We're here for you. Grab that CERB letter and book an appointment with us to work through it and set up a plan. We'll also help you get on track for an accurate 2022 tax filing. Onyx is here to help!