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- 13.02.2026
Uncashed Cheques and Rebates Cost Canadians Over $2 billion – Are You Affected?
Canadians have billions in uncashed cheques, rebates. Are you one of them?
More than four million uncashed governmental cheques have been reported in Canada, amounting to a staggering value of over $2 billion.
The data was provided by Public Services and Procurement Canada, released following a query from Conservative MP, Adam Chambers.
The uncashed cheques are predominantly from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and this situation is concerning considering the rising cost of living in Canada.
Why this matters: A substantial number of Canadians could be missing out on unutilised funds due to these uncashed cheques.
Since 2022, over 725,000 Canada Carbon Rebate cheques have gone uncashed, equalling a value of over $141 million.
In addition to the rebates, uncashed GST/HST tax credits worth more than $118 million, meant to assist qualifying low-income Canadians, have been highlighted by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
More than $43 million in Canada Child Benefit cheques were also reported as uncashed in the government’s review.
The report includes uncashed income tax refunds associated with T1 tax return filings from the CRA.
Uncashed GST rebates cheques, distinct from the GST credit, amount to over $25 million.
In Canada, federal government cheques never expire. The public should be aware that they can check for personal uncashed cheques using various available methods.
The government has expressed a preference for direct deposit over paper cheques due to its increased efficiency.
Direct deposit benefits, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada, include less reliance on manual intervention and a faster way to receive money.
The shift towards direct deposit is being promoted, and the onus is on respective departments or agencies to facilitate this transition away from cheques.
Prior proposals included offering prepaid cards as an alternative to cheques, but this was not well-received and was found to be less cost-effective.
It is important to note, the cost of issuing a single paper cheque is $1.84.
