After Returning Mistaken $24,000 Tax Refund, Man Says CRA Locked His Account and Delayed Real Refunds
A Thunder Bay, Ontario, man says he is still waiting for his tax refunds more than a year after a mistaken deposit of over $24,000 appeared in his bank account.
Alex Pilon, 35, said the payment was clearly an error because he had not yet filed his tax return when the money arrived.
Unexpected $24,274 Tax Refund Appears
In March of last year, Pilon noticed $24,274.26 deposited into his bank account with the label “Tax Refund – Canada.”
Since he had not filed his taxes yet, he contacted the Canada Revenue Agency and returned the full amount within a few days.
Pilon said he believed someone may have entered the wrong social insurance number, although he also wondered whether fraud could have been involved.
CRA Account Access Lost After Returning Money
Soon after returning the money, Pilon lost access to his CRA account.
Now, about a year and a half later, he says he still has not received his actual refunds.
He expected $1,530.51 for 2024 and $1,380.99 for 2025.
He also says he was owed a GST/HST credit of $412.19, which he has not received.
Long Waits and Repeated Calls
Pilon said he has spent many hours calling CRA agents and waiting on hold, but the issue remains unresolved.
The CRA declined to comment directly on his case, citing privacy rules.
However, CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch told CBC News by email that the agency is committed to resolving reported incidents.
CRA Facing Wider Service Problems
Pilon’s situation is not isolated.
The CRA has continued to face complaints over long delays and service issues, despite a federal government 100-day plan launched last fall to improve service and add more call centre workers.
Many Canadians continue to report difficulty reaching the agency and getting tax issues resolved.
Tax Watchdog Reports Rise in Complaints
Canada’s tax watchdog, the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, recently published a critical report on CRA service problems.
The report noted a 27% increase in complaints received by the CRA, with more than 3,500 complaints recorded in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson François Boileau said it is unacceptable for Canadians to wait years for the CRA to address their problems.
He said each complaint represents a person or family waiting for something important.
CRA Workers Under Pressure
The Union of Taxation Employees, which represents CRA workers, said the agency hired about 2,500 temporary employees for the busy tax season.
However, union national president Marc Brière said many of those workers were placed in call centres, while the bigger bottleneck remained in tax return processing.
He said employees in taxation centres are short-staffed, working overtime and struggling with delays.
The union wants the CRA and federal government to hire more permanent staff to reduce backlogs and improve service.
Refund and Adjustment Delays
Brière said a tax refund usually takes up to eight weeks after filing.
Adjustment claims normally take up to 20 weeks, but he said some are now taking more than 50 weeks.
He called the delays unacceptable.
Finance Minister’s Office Says CRA Has Taken Steps
The office of Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who is responsible for the CRA, told CBC News that the agency has already taken concrete steps to improve service.
The statement pointed to increased responsiveness under the 100-day improvement plan.
It also said the agency would continue working to improve service standards, strengthen transparency and cooperate with the taxpayers’ ombudsperson.
Watchdog Launches Investigation
Last month, the taxpayers’ watchdog began an investigation into the options available to Canadians who experience problems with the CRA.
Boileau said he hopes the investigation will help explain why so many delays continue to happen.
Pilon Feels Frustrated and Powerless
While waiting for his money, Pilon said he feels frustrated and powerless.
He said citizens have limited options when the CRA holds up payments.
He also questioned whether taxpayers should receive interest when the agency is late, especially since the CRA can charge penalties and interest when taxpayers miss deadlines.
Local MP’s Office Involved
Pilon contacted his local MP, Marcus Powlowski, hoping the office could help speed up his refunds.
He said he was first told he might receive payment on March 20, then later on May 20.
After that, he said he was told no timeline could be provided because the case remained under review.
Pilon said he recently bought a home and could use the money, but stressed that the refunds belong to him.
William Fassett, Powlowski’s chief of staff, did not give details about what steps the MP’s office had taken but said they were in close contact with Pilon and actively following up.
Alex Pilon’s case highlights ongoing concerns about CRA delays, service backlogs and taxpayer frustration. After returning a mistaken $24,274 deposit, he says he is still waiting for his own refunds and GST/HST credit.
While the CRA says it is working to improve service, tax officials, workers and the ombudsperson all acknowledge that delays remain a serious problem for many Canadians.
