Community Articles
General News · 20th December 2022
Ester
As you may have heard, the government of Canada is helping Canadians (renters) with a one time tax-free payment of $500 to applicants with an adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, and $35,000 or less for families. (You have to apply)
When the government announces things like that, they are usually followed up by a lot of scams via email, text message and phone calls. (I just received one on my phone and then received a phone call from a senior asking if this was a scam, she received one too, from a different #)
A few tips:
Never click on anything you receive in an email or text message, just go to the source of the benefit/alert and find it on that specific website: your bank, the cra, service bc etc.
No one from the government will ever call you to help you apply. Yes, you read that right. No one is going to call you and help you with the application. Same as the bank, they don't call and ask for personal info, credit card number, a confirmation of the last 4 digits of your bank card or your date of birth, social security info etc.
Ok, back to the $500:
You can read more about the supplement here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/news/2022/12/the-application-portal-for-the-one-time-top-up-to-the-canada-housing-benefit-is-now-open.html
Quick facts
The one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit provides support to lower-income renters who are struggling with the cost of rent. This benefit consists of a tax-free payment of $500 to applicants with an adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, and $35,000 or less for families.
Taxpayers can also securely access CRA My Account from their My Service Canada Account without having to sign in again or revalidate their identity. The link will take them directly to CRA My Account within a single secure session.
When applicants sign up for a CRA My Account, they can still access limited services in My Account to apply for the benefit and do not need to wait for their security code in the mail.
The CRA will use its full suite of existing compliance tools to verify an applicant’s identity and eligibility, including an up-front verification of the applicant's income, age, and residency.
Lastly, if I still have your attention: Please stop playing the games/share info on social media where they ask Maiden names, favourite colours and the last place you went on holidays. It's the perfect opportunity for them to take that info, call you and say that your bank card was compromised. Most people say they would never do that, but fact is: many people still get scammed out of money, especially seniors. So be aware, and don't click on anything you receive. Instead, apply for the $500 and tell your friends that rent about it, so they can apply too.
When the government announces things like that, they are usually followed up by a lot of scams via email, text message and phone calls. (I just received one on my phone and then received a phone call from a senior asking if this was a scam, she received one too, from a different #)
A few tips:
Never click on anything you receive in an email or text message, just go to the source of the benefit/alert and find it on that specific website: your bank, the cra, service bc etc.
No one from the government will ever call you to help you apply. Yes, you read that right. No one is going to call you and help you with the application. Same as the bank, they don't call and ask for personal info, credit card number, a confirmation of the last 4 digits of your bank card or your date of birth, social security info etc.
Ok, back to the $500:
You can read more about the supplement here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/news/2022/12/the-application-portal-for-the-one-time-top-up-to-the-canada-housing-benefit-is-now-open.html
Quick facts
The one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit provides support to lower-income renters who are struggling with the cost of rent. This benefit consists of a tax-free payment of $500 to applicants with an adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, and $35,000 or less for families.
Taxpayers can also securely access CRA My Account from their My Service Canada Account without having to sign in again or revalidate their identity. The link will take them directly to CRA My Account within a single secure session.
When applicants sign up for a CRA My Account, they can still access limited services in My Account to apply for the benefit and do not need to wait for their security code in the mail.
The CRA will use its full suite of existing compliance tools to verify an applicant’s identity and eligibility, including an up-front verification of the applicant's income, age, and residency.
Lastly, if I still have your attention: Please stop playing the games/share info on social media where they ask Maiden names, favourite colours and the last place you went on holidays. It's the perfect opportunity for them to take that info, call you and say that your bank card was compromised. Most people say they would never do that, but fact is: many people still get scammed out of money, especially seniors. So be aware, and don't click on anything you receive. Instead, apply for the $500 and tell your friends that rent about it, so they can apply too.