Self-employed individuals whose net self-employment income was less than $5,000 will not be required to repay CERB, as long as their gross self-employment income was at least $5,000 (in 2019 or the previous 12 months preceding the application) and they met all other eligibility criteria.
On May 12, 2021, a remission order that would allow this relief was released. For the debt to be remitted, individuals will need to file their 2019 and 2020 tax returns before December 31, 2022. The explanatory notes also indicated that CRA estimates approximately 30,000 individuals will benefit from this remission order.
Individuals who have already repaid CERB due to their net income being less than $5,000 (but meeting all other eligibility criteria) will need to apply by completing Form T180 to get reimbursed for their repayment. Eligible applicants can expect reimbursements within about 90 days of submitting their applications. It is estimated that approximately 6,500 individuals could receive this type of reimbursement. CRA has also noted that, if a taxpayer is reimbursed for their CERB payment repaid in 2020, CRA may reassess their 2020 tax return.
ACTION ITEM: If you repaid CERB for the above reasons, make sure to apply to have the amount reimbursed.
