Ineligible self-employed Canadians who received CERB due to 'unclear' information won't be forced to repay

OTTAWA – Self-employed Canadians who claimed up to $14,000 in Canada Emergency Response Benefits despite being ineligible will not have to repay the money, National Post has learned.

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough is set to make the announcement — which marks a 180-degree flip of the government’s previous position — as early as Tuesday, according to sources with knowledge of the file.

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At issue was some CERB recipients who applied based on “unclear” eligibility information from the Canada Revenue Agency.

Now, self-employed Canadians who applied and received up to $14,000 in CERB payments in 2020 despite not meeting net income eligibility criteria will not be forced to repay the money.

Furthermore, those ineligible self-employed recipients who have already repaid some or all of the amount to CRA will most likely be able to contact the agency to reclaim it once again — so long as they meet all of the program’s other eligibility criteria — sources said, adding that some final details were still being ironed out as of Monday evening.