Validation of applications
Status: Closed
The CESB closed to retroactive applications on September 30, 2020. You can no longer apply for this benefit.
The CRA is validating applications in order to maintain public confidence in Canada’s tax system and ensure that payments are available for people who need them most.
We may need some more information before processing your application.
If you need to validate your application
If you receive a notice asking you to validate your application, you must call the toll-free number provided in the notice.
We may ask you to call us for any of the following reasons:
- 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
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
To complete our validation, we may also ask you to provide some additional documents as they apply to your situation.
We may ask for the following documents
- Recent pay slips
- Employer name and address
- Record of Employment
- Statement of benefits
- Invoice for services rendered
- Receipt of payment for the service(s) provided
- Other readily available and relevant information
Reviewing your eligibility
We will review the information we have in our records and consider the supporting documents that you provide to establish your eligibility.
We may contact third parties, including the document issuing authorities, to authenticate the contents of the supporting documents you provide.
It can take 2 to 3 weeks to process your file from the date we receive your complete response. We will contact you once the validation is complete.
If you received a CESB payment that you are not eligible for, we will contact you to make arrangements to repay any amounts you may owe. Canadians can also report suspected CESB misuse through the CRA’s Leads program.
What you can do 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
- Online
- By fax
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Send your request by fax
- Include a cover sheet with your full name, a daytime phone number, and the number of pages you’re faxing
- Label the cover sheet: “Second review for COVID-19 support payments”
- Fax your documents to 1-833-325-0555
- By mail
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Send your request by mail
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.
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