Asked
Husband and wife filed personal taxes together end of April. Husband works a lot. Wife basically makes nothing.
Wife got her notice of assessment back right away saying nothing was owed as it should.
Husband is waiting on a 50k tax refund.
CRA is holding the money.
Husband called CRA and they said they have until August 13th to refund the money. That nothing is wrong on our part. They just have more time and we needed to wait longer.
Is this normal!?!?!?
Clint’s answer
It's not common, but it happens. They will pay interest on refunds if you're filed on time and they take an exceedingly long time to grant you your money back. After all, they have had it since 2024.
Of course you'll have to pay taxes on that interest income.
Have they stated a reason why? Usually they give you some sort of clue, and generally people know why because a $50,000 refund is not typical.
If there are large deductions, then they may be wanting proof, and if you were over taxed by that amount, you're an anomaly and they might want to verify it is correct.
June 23
From Ask Clint: real questions from a Canadian public finance forum, answered by Clint Cole. Names are changed. This is general information, not advice for your situation, and rules and dollar figures may have changed since Clint answered. Terms