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Validating your application

Status: All benefits are closed

If you received or applied for any COVID-19 benefits, the CRA may ask you to provide more information to validate your application.

On this page

When to call the CRA

If you are contacted by the CRA to validate your application, you must call the toll-free number provided. We may request information to support your application for any of the CRA-administered COVID-19 benefits.

Review the eligibility criteria for:

Get ready to call

Before you call, have the following information on hand:

  • Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • Full name and date of birth
  • A copy of a government issued identification such as a license or passport
  • Access to your CRA My Account, if applicable, or an assessed return, notice of assessment or reassessment, or other tax document

The CRA may ask you to:

  • confirm the personal information we have on file
  • verify that you meet the eligibility criteria
  • review your account activity if we detect any suspicious behaviour

Documents you may need to provide

To complete our validation, we may ask you to provide some additional documents based on your situation. The CRA may verify the authenticity of any documents you provide.

We may ask for one or more of the following documents:

If you were an employee

You may be asked to provide:

  • Recent pay slips
  • Employer name and address
  • Employment verification letter, including salary, if accessible online
  • Record of Employment
  • Bank statements showing name, address, and payroll deposit
  • Other readily available and relevant information

If you received CRCB, you may also be asked to provide:

If you were self-employed

You may be asked to provide:

  • Invoice for services rendered that includes:
    • the service date
    • who the service was for
    • the name of the individual or company
  • Receipt of payment for the service or services provided (a statement of account or bill of sale showing a payment and the remaining balance owed)
  • Documents showing income earned from a "trade or business" as a sole proprietor, an independent contractor, or a partnership
  • Any other document that will confirm you earned $5,000 in employment or self-employment income
  • Other readily available and relevant information

If you received CRCB, you may also be asked to provide:

If you received provincial or federal benefits

You may be asked to provide:

  • Statement of benefits
  • Bank statements showing, name, address, and benefit deposit
  • Other readily available and relevant information

If you received CRCB, you may also be asked to provide:

You must submit your validation documents to the CRA within the time period discussed or as shown on your notification.

How to submit your validation documents

Online
Submit your documents through CRA My Account
  1. Log in to your CRA My Account
  2. Select "Submit documents" (in left navigation)
  3. Enter your case or reference number
  4. Select "Submit supporting documents for COVID-19 support payments"
  5. Enter a short description about your submission and attach your files
By fax
Send your documents by fax
  1. Include a cover sheet with your full name, SIN, case or reference number (if available), a daytime phone number, and the number of pages you're faxing
  2. Label the cover sheet "Supporting documents for COVID-19 support payments"
  3. Fax your documents to:
    • 1-833-325-0555 if you've been asked to validate your income
    • 1-833-442-0368 if you've been asked to confirm your identity

How long it takes

Validation takes up to 8 weeks from the date we receive all of your additional information.

We will contact you once the validation is complete.

If your application is denied

If your application is denied and you do not agree with the decision, you may ask to have your application reviewed again.

Your request for a second review must include the following:

  • The reasons why you disagree with the decision (such as, not all of the information was considered, certain facts or details were missing, or misinterpreted)
  • Any relevant new documents, new facts, or correspondence

To maintain impartiality and transparency, the second review will not be done by the same CRA official who did the first review.

Request a second review

The process to request a second review is different depending on your situation.

For double COVID-19 benefit payments received for the same period

If you received 2 COVID-19 benefit payments for the same benefit period from Service Canada or the CRA, you can submit your review request by mail or fax:

By mail or fax
Send your request by mail or fax for double CERB payments from both Service Canada and the CRA

For English language requests:
CERB/CRB Eligibility and Entitlement
Winnipeg Tax Centre
Post Office Box 14001, Station Main
Winnipeg MB R3C 3M3
Fax: 1-204-984-3528

For French language requests:

Rajustements de PCU/PCRE
Centre fiscal de Jonquière
2251 boulevard René-Lévesque
Jonquière QC G7S 5J2
fax : 1-833-243-6938

For all other COVID-19 benefit payments

These reviews can be submitted online, by mail, or by fax:

Online
Submit your request the fastest way, online

Sign in to your CRA My Account Register

Hours of service for CRA My Account

By fax
Send your request by fax
  1. Include a cover sheet with your full name, SIN, case or reference number (if available), a daytime phone number, and the number of pages you're faxing
  2. Label the cover sheet: "Second review for COVID-19 support payments"
  3. Fax your documents to 1-833-325-0555
By mail
Send your request by mail for COVID-19 benefit payments from the CRA

Sudbury Tax Centre
Post Office Box 20000, Station A
Sudbury ON P3A 5C1

If the second review is denied

If you disagree with the result of the second review, you may apply to the Federal Court for a judicial review of the CRA decision within 30 days of the date you received the second review decision.

If you need to repay COVID-19 benefits

If you received benefit payments that you were not eligible for, you will need to return the full amount you received.

For details: Repay COVID-19 benefits

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