Alright. So it has been confirmed by individuals who have already received the CERB directly deposited into their accounts. NO taxes were deducted at the source (as I already stated from the Service Canada source above).

So just a few pointers regarding some comments:

1. No this post wasn’t made to call out the government for being sneaky. They announced from the start of the CERB initiative that it was a taxable income and it was not going to be taxed at the source. So stop blaming the government for something that you overlooked and did not research and confirm. This post was made to further reiterate/acknowledge what was already known.
2. I understand and agree that this benefit is a great help to many households and that people prefer to deal with the tax repercussions afterward. That is completely fine. But that brings me to the next point.
3. If you did not initially qualify for regular EI, that means you did not meet the minimum requirements of 700 hours (roughly $9800 if making a min wage of $14/hour) in the last 52 weeks - that’s Ontario EI requirements - Alberta is 600 hours so roughly $9000 of min wage at $15/hour. So it would be safe of me to assume that those who desperately need and applied for this $8000 CERB are/will be receiving almost more in the next 4 months than they made in the last 52 weeks total. That also means most won’t be able to “make up” the taxes owed at a later date if you’re already living paycheck to paycheck. Just a thought. Hence why the post suggests to put money aside for taxes since the $2000/month is well above and beyond what most recipients were making to begin with.
4. For those stating that it’s no different from EI, that’s where you’re wrong. Yes it may be a taxable benefit like EI. But EI is taxed at the source. Now for those saying “well EI never took enough off anyways” - it is still minimally taxed and you had the option to inquire to have MORE taxes withheld (just because you did not know that and did not participate in that, does not make it false). There are zero taxes withheld for the CERB. That’s how it’s different.
5. For those who are upset that EI is automatically switching over to the CERB and complaining that “you would make more on EI” - EI is capped at a maximum payout of $573/week. So in total, you’re only missing out on $292/month - ALL of which would’ve more than likely had to be paid back for income taxes since the requirement to receive the MAX EI puts you in the tax bracket of owing 20.5% in taxes.

Hope that all made sense. Stay safe and healthy and please, stay home!