How to return paid GST to CRA

[redBlue 1]

I've recently got paid by CRA for GST directly to my bank account and I'm already non-resident of CA.I haven't notified CRA regards to the change.

I know I need to return it and I need to know what the process is ..

Hope someone had to do it in the past and can help me with that?

Thnx in advance.

[Sam and Ben 2]

I simply called the number that was listed on the form and told them of my situation. They gave me the address for sending back the cheque they sent me (or in your case, likely writing them a cheque).

I did inform them of my change of address long before I moved and they still send out my next refund, so that likely wouldn't have prevented the problem for you, unfortunately.

Anyhow, just give 'em a call and they'll give you the address they'll want it back at. Then it takes a couple of months for them to log it into the system and send you a confirmation in the mail of the return.

[redBlue 1]

I simply called the number that was listed on the form and told them of my situation. They gave me the address for sending back the cheque they sent me (or in your case, likely writing them a cheque).

I did inform them of my change of address long before I moved and they still send out my next refund, so that likely wouldn't have prevented the problem for you, unfortunately.

Anyhow, just give 'em a call and they'll give you the address they'll want it back at. Then it takes a couple of months for them to log it into the system and send you a confirmation in the mail of the return.

thnx

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I've recently got paid by CRA for GST directly to my bank account and I'm already non-resident of CA.I haven't notified CRA regards to the change.

I know I need to return it and I need to know what the process is ..

Hope someone had to do it in the past and can help me with that?

Thnx in advance.

Same situation as you - phone the number and let them know you are no longer qualified for it - although they were sending correspondance to my US address, it never clicked with them that I was no longer qualiied to receive it. You'd think they have some edits / checks in place.

They will tell you where to send the money back. Your choice is basically an international money order(which will be in US funds...so you'll have to do the exchange)from the Post office or banks here. I don't know how easily CRA will cash a US cheque, but you can try. Money orders always work though.

Get that departing tax return filed - that will trickle down to the other departments like GSt and CCTC if you get that.

And don't worry - they'll hit you up for anything you owe Always!

[ashenflowers 5]

I had this 'problem' as well. Just moving to the U.S. doesn't automatically make you a non-resident of Canada. There's an extensive questionnaire you can fill out to determine your eligibility and status (if you ever plan to move back to Canada, or have sufficient ties remaining in Canada). Anyways, I haven't yet called to get them to stop giving me GST, cause quite frankly, until EI comes in I need that $... haha So I plan to call them next month and get it sorted out.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

A week or so after I moved I called CRA to inform them of the move. They confirmed I would no longer be eligible for GST and noted the file. Then a month later they sent the check to my US address. So I called again, and gave them the same information, again, and was told to send the check back. So what happens a few months later? They send the check again, to my US address. So I call again, send the check back again, and about 2 months later they send me a bill saying I owed them for 2 GST checks I received They are seriously very poor at communication or something. I called to complain and they apologized and said it was a mistake. Good thing because there was no way I was going to pay that.

[Kimbear 53]

So i thought when you got gst it was for last years..ie: 2009 tax return is what we just did. So the money for gst that i spent last year..i'm not allowed to keep ? that totally sucks..i figured since i moved to usa in 2010 it would be the tax return for 2010 that i would not be allowed to keep...sigh..this means i have to return the cheque i just got in my bank..doens't it? damn it.

[Sam and Ben 2]

Kimbear, you're exactly right: our returns are for the previous tax year. However, despite the fact that we lived there during the previous tax year, they still deem us an ineligible to receive any of it when we move, which bites.

[TimandJoyce 1]

A week or so after I moved I called CRA to inform them of the move. They confirmed I would no longer be eligible for GST and noted the file. Then a month later they sent the check to my US address. So I called again, and gave them the same information, again, and was told to send the check back. So what happens a few months later? They send the check again, to my US address. So I call again, send the check back again, and about 2 months later they send me a bill saying I owed them for 2 GST checks I received They are seriously very poor at communication or something. I called to complain and they apologized and said it was a mistake. Good thing because there was no way I was going to pay that.

Wow Huggles! That's crazy! Just goes to show that not everyone's on the same page, (or connected to the same computer)

I called too before I moved, and the woman said it would all be taken care of....HA! We both agreed that last July's was rightfully mine..(didn't move until August) but October's wouldn't be...but guess what??? I got a deposit. I was really busy to do much about it then, and called CRA quite sometime later for something and mentioned it to him, and he said (apparently reading from something) that it was based on 2008's income...blah, blah, blah...(kinda like what Kimbear stated). Anyway...didn't get anything for January or April, so they caught up there. I guess I'll just see what happens, after all.... I DID tell them...

[antda 13]

(I posted this before on VJ, but I thought this would help you here too....)

Hi Everyone and RedBlue,

A similar thing happened to me too, in regards to my GST refund, but in an even worst situation:

I had told the government I had already moved to the USA (and even filed my last tax return indicating such). However, they then sent me a "bill" for an "overpayment" for my last GST rebate cheque, which was sent to my last known Canadian address. Someone else was picking up the mail for me there, while I was living here in the USA, and I had told them to "return to sender" this cheque back to the government, as I know that as a permanent resident of the USA it would be illegal and dishonest for me to cash in such. They did send it back to the government, but apparently the government "claimed" that they never got it back.

So after a game of "telephone tag" with Revenue Canada about my "bill", I explained to them my situation and told them I now live in the USA and am not entitled to GST rebates anymore. A couple of weeks later, I then get another GST cheque in the mail to my US address (maybe they thought I was going back to Canada or something) and another "bill" stating that I owe them a payment too. So once again, I play "telephone tag", and somehow got transferred from to someone in Quebec..lol...I again explained the situation, and told them to check their computer system again for that former returned cheque and about this recent cheque. And sure enough, it indicated that the "return to sender" cheque was indeed sent back, but was not entered in their system correctly. They then corrected the error, and I told them I would "return to sender" the other recent cheque that I got in the USA (which I did do). And a few weeks later, I got an "official" statement saying I didn't owe them any money anymore, and that they received both of my "return to sender" GST cheques.

Lesson learned: Never ever deal with "Revenue Canada" and "GST cheques" again!

So if you get a GST cheque in the mail, and if you are a permanent resident of the USA, then yes, you should "return to sender" those cheques back to the government (and hopefully they won't give you any trouble for it). Do not cash in those cheques, if you are not entitled to such!

You can send it back "return to sender" by placing the opened envelope, cheque, and a note explaining your situation, into another larger envelope and "sending it back" that way. Lol...this would require postage on your part, but for all it's worth, it's way better than getting in trouble with Revnue Canada for keeping/cashing in a cheque that you're not supposed to have.

By the way, to save you and everyone else a lot of "telephone tag" time and extra "bills", here is the exact "redirected" contact information (which I had to dig up my old Canadian taxes paperwork to re-find for all you VJers), that I used to get my GST rebate situation finally sorted out with Revenue Canada (lol...yeah, it's located in n Quebec too, for all you bi-lingual folks...). Be sure too, to have your Social Insurance Number handy when contacting them.

Canada Revenue Agency

Schawinigan-Sud, Quebec,

G9N 7S6, Canada

Tel: 1-800-959-1953

Hope this helps. Good luck to everyone who contacts them in regards to your GST rebate cheques.

Ant (No more GST Cheques! No more "Bills"! No more Revenue Canada!...)

P.S. And for humour's sake ...here is part of the letter/note that I wrote to Revenue Canada, when I "returned to sender" the GST cheques that they mistakenly sent me:

"I have never cashed any cheques that I was not eligible for, so please do not send me any more cheques, or any other information indicating that I owe you money!" Lol...And I haven't heard back from the since.....

Ant

I've recently got paid by CRA for GST directly to my bank account and I'm already non-resident of CA.I haven't notified CRA regards to the change.

I know I need to return it and I need to know what the process is ..

Hope someone had to do it in the past and can help me with that?

Thnx in advance.

Edited July 16, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA