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How Long Will it Take to Get a Refund?
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says it takes about 2 weeks to process returns filed using NetFile, EFile, or Telefile, but they do not start processing returns until mid-February. For paper tax returns, CRA says it takes about 4 weeks to process returns filed before April 15, and about 6 weeks for returns filed after April 15.
Uncashed Tax Refund Cheques
CRA indicates that there are approximately $1 billion in tax cheques that have not been cashed. These cheques apparently never become stale-dated. As of May 19, an estimated 7.6 million cheques were uncashed, dating back to 1998. You can now check in CRA's My Account to see if you have any uncashed cheques - you may be surprised! If you have uncashed cheques, from My Account you can request that the cheques be reissued.
See the CRA information New online feature helps you see your uncashed tax cheques.
How Can I Check the Status of My Tax Return?
To check with CRA on the status of your tax return, you need the following information:
 | your social insurance number |
| your date of birth |
| the Total Income amount that you calculated and entered on line 150 of your tax return for the current year or the past year (use the past year if you aren't sure if CRA has received your current year tax return). |
The methods to check on the status of your return or your refund are:
| using the MyCRA app
on your mobile device, such as a smartphone or
tablet, and there is also a "web" link if you don't have a
smartphone or tablet. With this service, you can get information about your
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| online through the Quick Access e-service - no longer available as of early 2015 - you must use My Account | ||||||
| online through the CRA My Account, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To use the My Account service, you will need a Government of Canada epass, or you can log in using your web banking account with your financial institution. The My Account web page has a link to the online registration process. | ||||||
| by phoning the automated Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS), which is available from mid-February till December 31. | ||||||
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by phoning the refund enquiries line.
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Will I Get Interest on My Refund?
CRA will pay compound daily interest on your refund, with the interest calculation starting on the latest of the following three dates:
| May 31st following the tax year for which the return was filed |
| the 31st day after you file your return, or |
| the day after you overpaid your taxes. |
Direct Deposit to Your Bank Account - Mandatory
By April 2016, the federal government phased out all government cheques in favour of direct deposits. This includes:
| your personal income tax refund |
| GST/HST tax credit |
| Canada Child Benefit (CCB) |
| advance payment of Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) |
You can set up direct deposit to your bank account online through the CRA My Account, or through your financial institution.
If you do not wish to use the My Account online service to set up the direct deposit, you can do so by telephone, in person, or you can complete and submit a Canada Direct Deposit Enrolment Form (pdf) and mail it to CRA. See Direct deposit for individuals with a Canadian bank account. This form applies to:
| payments received from CRA
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| payments received from Service Canada
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For more information, see the CRA web page on Direct Deposit.
Revised: September 20, 2024