Toronto 
Were you eligible for tax refunds, Canada Child benefit, other Provincial/Territorial programs, GST/HST Credit and Alberta Energy Tax Refund (AETR), but never received these refund or benefit cheques?
The Canada Revenue Agency says it has approximately $1.4 billion in uncashed cheques as of May 2022, some dating as far back as 1998.
An estimated 8.9 million cheques issued either by direct deposit or by cheque remain uncashed for various reasons, such as the taxpayer changing address leading to non-delivery or misplacement of cheques.
The average amount per uncashed cheque is $158.
Over the next few months, the CRA will be notifying those who have uncashed cheques through email.
As per the news release, approximately 25,000 e-notifications will be issued this month, another 25,000 in November 2022, followed by the next 25,000 in May 2023.
How to check for unclaimed cheques:
All Canadian Taxpayers with a CRA My Account, should log in to the account online, to check whether they have unclaimed cash from CRA.
Once logged in to the account, go to the menu option, “Uncashed Cheques” under “Related Services”. Any uncashed cheques will appear there.
You can also check CRA My Account for uncashed cheques regardless of whether you received a notification.
If you have an unclaimed amount, you will have to submit the displayed form online in My Account. You can also sign up for direct deposit to get any payment quickly and directly into your bank account.
If you have not signed up for My Account or email notifications, you can find out if you have any uncashed cheques by calling 1-800-959-8281.
