Since 2022, over $2 billion in paper cheques have been issued out to Canadians, but have yet to be claimed. According to the latest data from Public Services and Procurement Canada, there are four million of these cheques just waiting around to be cashed— and one (or more) of them could be yours.
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This means you could potentially be forgetting about a chunk of cash that you could put toward groceries, gas, or any other expenses. As the cost of living continues to surge throughout the country, it doesn’t hurt to check if some of those rebates or cheques are yours.
Uncashed Cheques In Canada
Here’s a breakdown of which rebates and credits have yet to be claimed:
- Canada Child Benefit: more than 130,500 paper cheques have not been cashed, valued at nearly $43 million.
- GST/HST credits: almost 850,000 uncashed cheques, valued at over $118 million.
- GST rebates for businesses that overpaid: 4,500 cheques, totalling more than $25 million.
- Canada Carbon Rebate: over 725,000 uncashed cheques, with a total value of over $141 million.
- T1 refunds: over 450,000 cheques that have not been cashed, totalled to nearly $392 million.
How to Check and Claim Your Cheques
If you think you have an unclaimed cheque (or if you want to know if you have one), there’s an easy way to figure that out.
You can either check your online CRA account or call the agency directly. The Government of Canada notes that federal government cheques never expire, so you’re never in danger of losing out on money. You’ll only ever be late to claiming them if you don’t get them in the first place.
Generally, most people have direct deposit set up for their government benefits, rebates, and other payments. But many people still use paper cheques, which can sometimes lead to unclaimed cash.
