More than a third of Alberta workers received CERB in 2020. Statistics Canada put the figure at 34.8 per cent, one of the highest rates in the country, in a year when Alberta's total hours worked fell by at least 14.4 per cent.
That same year, hackers used stolen usernames and passwords to break into Government of Canada online accounts and, in some cases, file fraudulent CERB claims under other people's names.
Claims in the resulting class action settlement opened August 4, 2026. They close February 3, 2027.
Being a class member doesn't mean you get paid
This is the part most coverage skips, and it's the part that determines whether filing is worth your afternoon.
The class is broad. It covers anyone whose personal or financial information in a Government of Canada online account was disclosed to a third party without authorization between March 1 and December 31, 2020.
Payment is narrow. The Federal Court-authorized notice states the settlement only compensates two groups.
Group one: class members whose accounts were subject to unauthorized access during the credential stuffing attacks between June 26 and August 18, 2020. Several outlets have published a wider window than this. The court notice defines the breach period as June 26 to August 18.
Group two: class members whose information was accessed by an unauthorized third party using a Represent a Client account between October 8 and November 25, 2020.
That second group is barely being reported anywhere. Represent a Client is the CRA portal accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers use to access their clients' files. If your accountant's access was compromised that fall, you may qualify without having been near the summer attacks.
A Government of Canada online account here means a CRA account, a My Service Canada account, or another federal account accessed through GCKey.
What each category pays
Access claims. For information that was accessed but not used fraudulently. Compensation for loss of time and inconvenience at $20 an hour, up to four hours. Maximum $80.
Fraud claims. For information that was accessed and used fraudulently, including fraudulent CERB, CESB or EI applications, or diverted benefits. Same $20 an hour, up to 10 hours. Maximum $200.
Special Compensation Fund. Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses up to $5,000. The notice lists unreimbursed fraud losses or charges, professional or other fees relating to identity theft, and fees or penalties from credit freezes.
The $5,280 figure in the headlines is all three stacked at maximum. It's a ceiling, not a forecast, and payment amounts may be reduced depending on how many claims get approved.
How to check whether you qualify
The eligibility checker at breachsettlementcanada.kpmg.ca has been live since January 15, 2026, months before the claims portal opened.
If KPMG contacted you by email or mail with a personal identification number, you may be eligible to apply.
If they didn't, check anyway. The portal asks for your last name, the last three digits of your Social Insurance Number, and the email address associated with your government account.
That last field catches people out. If you've changed the email on your CRA account since 2020, you need the one that was on it then.
Filing
Claims go in online at breachsettlementcanada.kpmg.ca. Select "Apply for Compensation" and register with an email address.
You'll need your name, phone number, address and SIN, plus your personal identification number if one was issued.
You'll also need to document hours spent dealing with the breach, including time on the phone with government officials, law enforcement or credit agencies. That's what the $20 hourly rate is measured against.
Only the Special Compensation Fund requires supporting documents. Access and fraud claims don't.
Payment comes by e-transfer or cheque, and e-transfer is faster. Online submissions process faster than mailed paper forms, though a paper form is available.
If you're claiming the $5,000 category, start pulling records now rather than in January. Receipts, bank statements, invoices from an identity theft service or credit bureau correspondence from six years ago take time to find.
If a fraudulent CERB claim is still on your Alberta tax file
A lot of Albertans spent 2021 and 2022 untangling CERB problems with the CRA, some from their own applications and some from claims filed in their names by someone else.
If yours is still unresolved, the settlement claim and the CRA file are separate processes. Filing here won't fix a tax problem, and fixing a tax problem won't file your claim.
But the hours you spent on the CRA side, on hold, in letters, chasing verification, are exactly what the fraud claim category compensates. Count them.
What the case was about
Lead plaintiff Todd Sweet alleged the Government of Canada failed to safeguard confidential personal and financial information accessed through federal online portals, and that inadequate safeguards let bad actors into accounts, view confidential information, and in some cases apply for CERB.
The Federal Court certified the class action on August 25, 2022, and approved the settlement on May 5, 2026. The government agreed to pay $8,760,500.90.
The Government of Canada denies the allegations and denies doing anything wrong. The notice states the settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and not an admission of liability, wrongdoing or fault.
Class counsel is Rice Parsons Leoni & Elliott LLP, formerly Rice Harbut Elliott LLP. The court approved legal fees of 33.33 per cent of net settlement proceeds plus disbursements, taxes and administration expenses, along with honoraria of $5,000 for Sweet and $1,500 each for Anne Campeau and Tanis Seminoff.
Unclaimed money doesn't go back to the federal government. It's been allocated to privacy research through the Privacy and Access Council of Canada.
The opt-out window closed in February
The opt-out deadline was February 20, 2026. If you didn't opt out, you're bound by the settlement and can't sue the government separately over this breach.
That holds whether or not you file a claim, which is an argument for filing.
Deadlines and contacts
Claims close February 3, 2027. Claims after that may not be eligible.
Claims administrator: breachsettlementcanada.kpmg.ca, breachsettlementcanada@kpmg.ca, toll-free 1-833-724-6160.
By mail: KPMG, 600 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Suite 1500, Tour KPMG, Montréal, Quebec H3A 0A3, Attention: Canada Privacy Breach Class Action Administrator.
Class counsel: Rice Parsons Leoni & Elliott LLP, classactions@rplelaw.com.
Sources
Notice of Settlement Approval: Sweet v. His Majesty the King, Federal Court File No. T-982-20 — Government of Canada
Sweet v HMK Class-Action Suit — Government of Canada
Government of Canada Privacy Breach Class Action Settlement — KPMG, claims administrator
Workers receiving payments from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit program in 2020 — Statistics Canada
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