Ottawa Wrote Off $4.5 Billion in COVID Benefit Repayments in 2026: Auditor General
Auditor General Karen Hogan says the federal government wrote off billions in COVID-19 benefit overpayments during the last fiscal year, removing the amounts from its accounts as money it does not expect to recover. The Office of the Auditor General said in a Nov. 6 update on its 2025-26 financial audits that Ottawa wrote off [...]
TL;DR
- The federal government wrote off $4.5 billion in COVID-19 benefit overpayments.
- This amount was removed from accounts as money not expected to be recovered.
- The write-off is a significant increase from $26 million in the previous fiscal year.
- The information was part of a Nov. 6 update on 2025-26 financial audits by the Office of the Auditor General.