By Canadian Press

CRA watchdog finds agency taking weeks to process some claims for recovery benefits

May 7, 2021 | 9:10 AM

OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency is being taken to task by a federal watchdog for not being as up front as it should be over how long it might take to process applications for pandemic aid.

The $500-a-week Canada Recovery Benefit is paid out by the agency to qualifying workers who have earned at least $5,000 in the preceding 12 months.

In most cases, the application process is quick, but in others, the agency has to do additional digging to verify eligibility.

The taxpayers’ ombudsperson says his office has received complaints that CRA call-centre agents can’t offer a timeline for when verification work will be done, leaving thousands in financial hardship.

Francois Boileau says taxpayers should be able to have more details on how long it will take the agency to verify documents so they can plan how to cover their bills like rent. 

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He says complaints to his office have said the agency can take up to 10 weeks to finish the process before issuing a payment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2021.

The Canadian Press