CRA says it has $1.4 billion in uncashed cheques

OTTAWA - The Canada Revenue Agency says it will be sending e-notifications about uncashed cheques to 25,000 Canadians this month.

The federal agency says it has approximately $1.4 billion worth of uncashed cheques in its coffers that have accumulated over the years, with some dating back to 1998.

Each year, the CRA issues millions of payments in the form of benefits and refunds, but some cheques remain uncashed for various reasons, including misplacing a cheque or changing addresses.

Another 25,000 Canadians will receive e-notifications in November, followed by 25,000 more in May 2023.

The CRA launched a campaign in February 2020 to get Canadians to cash their cheques and says it has so far returned more than $800 million back to taxpayers.

The CRA says Canadians can check if they have uncashed payments by logging in to or signing up for an online CRA account.