$2 Billion in federal cheques remain uncashed across Canada

(Horizon Weekly / OTTAWA) — Newly tabled federal documents reveal that Canadians are sitting on more than $2 billion in uncashed government cheques, with nearly 3.9 million paper payments mailed out over the past four fiscal years never deposited by recipients.

The uncashed cheques, issued by the Canada Revenue Agency and other federal departments, include tax refunds, benefits and rebate payments, with some dating back several years. Most of these payments, including tax refunds, child benefits and carbon rebate cheques, do not expire.

According to the data, more than $141 million in Canada Carbon Rebate cheques and roughly $42.8 million in Canada Child Benefit cheques were never cashed, despite being mailed to eligible households.

The figures come from a response to a question put to the House of Commons by a Conservative MP, and are part of a broader push by Parliament to understand gaps in federal benefit distribution. Though Ottawa increasingly prefers direct deposit, a significant number of payments are still issued by paper cheque, costing taxpayers roughly $1.80 per item.

Canadians who believe they may have unclaimed funds can check their status through the CRA’s “My Account” portal or by contacting the agency by phone. Because government-issued cheques never expire, payments can be reissued if they were lost, misplaced or simply overlooked.