CRA announces details of refund of CERB repayments to self-employed taxpayers

In 2020, some self-employed Canadians received Canada Emergency Relief Benefits (CERB) to which they were not entitled, as the result of erroneous information provided by the federal government, and those individuals were later required to repay such CERB amounts received.

In February 2021, it was announced that relief from that repayment requirement would be provided for qualifying self-employed individuals, and those who had already repaid would have those funds refunded to them.

The federal government has announced details of that refund program. Self-employed workers who meet the applicable criteria can request a reimbursement of their payments by completing the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) CERB Reimbursement Application for Self-Employed Individuals form and submitting it to the CRA electronically or by mail. Reimbursement should be received within about 90 days from the application date.

Details of the repayment program, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the CRA website here.

The information presented is only of a general nature, may omit many details and special rules, is current only as of its published date, and accordingly cannot be regarded as legal or tax advice. Please contact our office for more information on this subject and how it pertains to your specific tax or financial situation.