Over 7.5 million Ontarians have received $200 cheques. Here is how you can track yours

Person holds open wallet with several notes of Canadian cash. (Pexels)

The Ontario government has begun sending out $200 rebate cheques, with over seven million already issued as of this week, officials tell CTV News.

The timely rebates comes as Ontario embarks on a 28-day election campaign that wasn’t scheduled to happen until June 2026. Now, with Ontarians heading to the polls on Feb. 27., they’ll be voting with a little extra money in their pocket that the Ford government claims is intended to help offset the rising cost of living. Opposition parties, however, criticized the cheques as a pre-election ploy when they were first announced back in October.

“The taxpayer rebate will provide $3 billion in support for about 12.5 million adults in Ontario and 2.5 million children,” said Colin Blachar, a spokesperson for the Ontario government.

The payments began rolling out on Jan. 17., and as of Jan. 28., over 7.5 million rebates have been issued “representing approximately half the payments for the program,” the Ministry of Finance confirmed to CTV News on Wednesday.

If you’re still waiting to receive your funds, here’s a breakdown of what how you can track its status:

How do I check my rebate status?

To view your status of your rebate, Blachar says residents should visit Ontario.ca/TaxpayerRebate.

The portal allows residents to see exactly when their cheque was mailed and whether it has already been delivered. It also provides details on payment amounts for adults and children, as well as mailing address information, he adds.

You can also “change your mailing address” if you have recently moved within Ontario.

Here is a direct link to check your status.

Who qualifies for the rebate?

The cheques are only being sent out to eligible Ontario residents. That includes people who were residents of Ontario and were at least 18 years old at the end of 2023.

To qualify, you must also have filed your 2023 income tax return by the end of last year. Those who were bankrupt or incarcerated in 2024 are not eligible.

Why is it taking so long? Who is priority?

Blachar says, “Cheques are being mailed out according to when you filed your taxes.”

For those concerned about missing or stolen cheques, Blachar advises contacting Service Ontario immediately for assistance.

Have there been any issues with cashing the cheques?

Rumors have been circulating in recent days that some taxpayers who recently received their rebate from the government had their cheque bounce.

Both RBC and TD bank have since confirmed the inconvenience to CTV News Toronto, with the former issuing an an apology.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience it’s caused,” the bank said.

RBC added that, “on very rare occasions,” its authentication protocols may result in cheques being returned, when they should have been processed, which is what happened in this case with a “handful” of rebates. Meanwhile, TD said a “small subset” of its customers had been affected.

RBC and TD both confirmed that those impacted by the inconvenience have now received their $200 and any fees associated with cheques not clearing have been credited.

Anyone experiencing an issue cashing their cheque is asked to contact the provincial hotline at 1-833-351-0409.

With files from CP24’s Joshua Freeman and CTV Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras.