Request a recoverable advance for government benefits

Employees who have experienced a temporary decrease in taxable government benefits due to Phoenix Pay System errors (i.e. overpayments), can submit a request for a recoverable advance.

You are eligible for a recoverable advance if you received an overpayment in 2016, 2017 or 2018 and:

  • the amount of your provincial/territorial or federal benefits was reduced because your employment income was overstated;
  • you have reported your overpayment to the Public Service Pay Centre;
  • you have not yet received your amended tax slip to correct the overstated employment income;
  • you have filed your income tax return for the year which you were overpaid with the Canada Revenue Agency or with Revenu Québec.

To claim a recoverable advance for government benefits you must:

  1. Prepare the claim using TBS's claim form (PDF, 226 KB) and ensure to complete, sign and date all mandatory fields on the form;
  2. Attach all supporting documentation related to your federal and provincial/territorial benefits and credits, such as the Canada child benefit statement or the notice of determination for the GST/HST credit;
  3. Indicate the case number of the reported overpayment and the amount (Section 2 of the claim form);
  4. Indicate whether there is a significant change in your personal situation that may affect your entitlements to income-tested social benefits (Section 3 of the claim form);
  5. Sign the claim form certifying and consenting to the disclosure of your personal information to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Claims Office and to Public Services and Procurement Canada (Section 6 of the claim form);
  6. Submit the claim with all supporting documents via email to Departmental Claims Officers (DCO).

Advances are repayable once your tax slips have been correctly amended and the Canada Revenue Agency and/or Revenu Québec have reassessed your income tax return and recalculated your government benefit entitlement. It is your responsibility to inform the Departmental Claims Officers (DCO) once you have received notification from the Canada Revenue Agency or Revenu Québec that your government benefits have been reassessed and recalculated.

Please note that all emails will be handled in confidentiality. For privacy and security reasons, all claim requests should be submitted through your departmental Outlook email account . Internet email exchange is not a secure mechanism as the confidentiality and integrity of the email cannot be guaranteed. The email can be intercepted and the contents revealed.

For further guidance on how to complete and submit your claim, please refer to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website.

For additional assistance, contact a Departmental Claims Officer (DCO):

  • Christella Nzohabonayo
    Telephone: 343-572-6714
  • Marie-Ève Charlebois-Lemieux
    Telephone: 873-455-1371
  • Mélanie Charbonneau
    Telephone: 343-552-9035