Tax agency says more than $10 billion in pandemic benefits must be repaid

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) headquarters is pictured in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency says it’s owed $10.35 billion in COVID-19 benefits.

Nina Ioussoupova, a spokesperson for the agency, says that as of Nov. 30, it had disbursed $83.5 billion in COVID benefits to Canadians, including $45.3 billion for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, the financial support program known as CERB.

Ioussoupova says the CRA began sending recovery letters to individuals with debts related to COVID-19 benefits in 2023.

Those debts, she says, arose from overpayments or from individuals who received benefits without being eligible.

Ioussoupova says that as of Nov. 30, close to 1.4 million people have repaid approximately $3.3 billion in debts related to individual COVID-19 benefits.

Ioussoupova says the CRA takes “firm and responsible” measures against those who seek to avoid paying outstanding amounts and “may take legal action to recover the debt.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 31, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press