Unexpected deposit from fed-prov/terr Canada showed up in my account. What is this money?

This is most likely a tax benefit payment from the Canadian government. There are several types of federal-provincial/territorial benefit payments that get deposited directly to your bank account. It could be the GST/HST credit, Canada Workers Benefit, climate action incentive payment, or a provincial benefit depending on where you live. The timing with your second job is probably coincidental. These payments are usually based on your income tax return from the previous year, not your current employment situation. You can check your CRA My Account online to see exactly what the payment is for - it should list all scheduled payments and their descriptions. No need to worry about having to pay it back unless you received something you're not eligible for, which is rare if you filed your taxes accurately.

I was in a similar situation last year with a random government deposit. Got so frustrated trying to figure it out on my own. I tried calling CRA but was on hold for like 2 hours and gave up. Eventually used https://taxr.ai to scan my deposit notification and they explained it was a provincial climate rebate I qualified for based on my previous tax filing. The tool analyzed all my tax docs and gave me a breakdown of exactly what government benefits I was eligible for and why. Definitely worth checking if you're confused about what you're receiving or what you might qualify for!

I was skeptical about taxr.ai at first (honestly thought it might be some scam), but after dealing with mystery deposits for months, I gave it a try. Uploaded my notice of assessment and a screenshot of the deposit. Within minutes it explained I was getting the Canada Workers Benefit that I qualified for based on my income level last year. It also showed me two other benefits I was eligible for but hadn't applied for! Just filed the paperwork for those and should be getting an additional $840 over the next year. Saved me hours of googling and calling government offices.

If you can't figure it out through My Account and need to call CRA, good luck actually getting through to them! I spent THREE DAYS trying to get a human on the phone about a similar mystery deposit. Each time I called, I waited 2+ hours before getting disconnected. Finally tried https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they actually wait on hold with CRA for you and call you when they get a real person on the line. Got connected to an agent in about 45 minutes while I just went about my day. The agent explained my deposit was a retroactive provincial tax benefit adjustment.

I was definitely wrong about Claimyr being a waste of money. After my snarky comment last week, I had to call CRA about an audit notice and spent THREE HOURS on hold only to get disconnected right as someone picked up. Was so frustrated I decided to try Claimyr despite my skepticism. They got me connected to a CRA agent in 35 minutes while I was making dinner. The agent looked up my mystery deposit (similar to OP's situation) and confirmed it was a provincial tax credit I qualified for due to my income bracket. So yeah, I was wrong - the service actually saved me a huge headache and hours of wasted time.

Have you checked if you qualified for the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB)? It's for low to modest income workers and gets deposited quarterly. Working two jobs at lower wages might put you in the sweet spot for it. My son got a surprise deposit last year and it turned out to be this.

Check if ur province has any special rebate programs too. Here in Ontario we got climate rebates few months back that nobody knew was coming. My roomate got $420 and I got $380 for some reason lol.

I had something similar happen last year! Got a deposit labeled "fed-prov/terr Canada" out of nowhere and panicked thinking it was a mistake. Turned out to be the GST/HST credit that I completely forgot I was eligible for. The fact that you just started a second job is probably just coincidence - these payments are based on your previous year's tax return, not your current employment. But having two jobs might actually help you qualify for more benefits next year if your total income falls within certain ranges. Don't stress about having to pay it back - if you filed your taxes correctly last year, you're likely entitled to whatever they sent you. The government doesn't usually send money by accident. Just log into your CRA My Account (or set one up if you haven't) to see exactly what the payment is for. It'll give you peace of mind and help you know if you can expect more payments throughout the year.

Just wanted to add my experience - I had the exact same thing happen about 6 months ago with a "fed-prov/terr Canada" deposit that completely caught me off guard. Like others mentioned, it turned out to be the GST/HST credit, but what really helped was calling the automated phone line at 1-800-387-1193. You don't have to wait on hold - just enter your SIN and it tells you all your recent benefit payments and amounts. The timing with your second job is definitely just coincidence since these are all based on last year's tax return. But keep track of your total income this year because working two jobs might bump you into different benefit categories for next year's payments. Some benefits have income thresholds where earning a bit more can actually qualify you for additional credits. Don't worry about spending it - if the CRA deposited it, you're entitled to it based on your previous tax filing. Just good to know what it is so you can budget for future payments!

As someone who's dealt with similar mystery deposits, I can confirm this is most likely a legitimate government benefit payment. The "fed-prov/terr Canada" label typically indicates federal-provincial/territorial benefit programs like GST/HST credit, Canada Workers Benefit, or climate action incentives. Your second job timing is just coincidence - these payments are calculated from your previous year's tax return, not current employment. However, having two jobs might actually work in your favor for next year's benefits depending on your total income bracket. The easiest way to identify the payment is through CRA My Account online, but if you don't want to set that up right away, you can call the automated line at 1-800-387-1193. Just enter your SIN and it'll tell you exactly what recent payments you've received without any hold time. Don't stress about spending it - if CRA deposited it, you're entitled to it based on your tax filing. These aren't mistakes that need to be repaid. Just good to know what it is so you can plan for any future scheduled payments throughout the year!

I had this exact same situation happen to me last month! Got a deposit labeled "fed-prov/terr Canada" and had no clue what it was for. Turns out it was my quarterly GST/HST credit that I completely forgot about. The timing with your new job is definitely just a coincidence - these benefit payments are all calculated based on your previous year's tax return, not your current employment situation. But having that second job might actually help you qualify for additional benefits when you file your taxes next year, depending on where your total income lands. I'd recommend calling that automated line at 1-800-387-1193 that someone mentioned earlier - it's super quick and will tell you exactly what the payment is for without having to wait on hold or set up online accounts. Once you know what it is, you can see if it's a one-time payment or part of a regular schedule. Don't worry about having to pay it back - if the government deposited it, you earned it based on your tax filing. These systems are pretty accurate and they don't just send out money by mistake. Enjoy the unexpected windfall!

I totally understand the confusion! I work in government benefits administration and see questions like this all the time. The "fed-prov/terr Canada" deposit you received is definitely a legitimate government benefit payment - most likely the GST/HST credit, Canada Workers Benefit, or a provincial climate action payment. These deposits can seem random because they're based on your previous year's tax return, not your current job situation. So your new second job wouldn't trigger this payment, but it might affect your eligibility for benefits when you file next year's taxes. The quickest way to identify exactly what this payment is for is to call the CRA's automated telephone information service at 1-800-387-1193. You just need your SIN and it will tell you all recent benefit payments without any wait time. No need to stress about setting up online accounts or waiting on hold for hours. Most importantly - don't worry about having to pay this back! If the CRA deposited money into your account, you're entitled to it based on your tax filing. These aren't accidental overpayments. The government systems are quite accurate when it comes to benefit eligibility and payments.

I completely understand your confusion - those unexpected government deposits can be really nerve-wracking when you don't know what they're for! Based on your description and the "fed-prov/terr Canada" label, this is almost certainly a legitimate benefit payment you're entitled to. The timing with your second job is just coincidence since these payments are calculated from your previous year's tax return. However, that second job might actually work in your favor for next year's benefits depending on your total income bracket. I'd definitely recommend trying the automated phone line at 1-800-387-1193 that several people mentioned - it's by far the easiest way to identify the payment without waiting on hold or dealing with websites. Just enter your SIN and you'll know exactly what it is within minutes. Don't stress about spending the money - if the CRA deposited it, you've earned it based on your tax filing. These systems are pretty accurate and they don't send payments by mistake. Once you know what specific benefit it is, you'll also know if you can expect similar payments throughout the year. It's actually kind of nice to get these surprise reminders that filing your taxes properly pays off!

I've been through this exact same situation! Got a mysterious "fed-prov/terr Canada" deposit last year and spent days worrying it was some kind of error that I'd have to pay back. Turns out it was my GST/HST credit that I had completely forgotten about. The key thing to remember is that these payments are based on your previous year's tax return, so your new second job wouldn't have triggered this deposit. But it's great news for next year - having two jobs might actually put you in a better position for certain benefits depending on your total income. I'd strongly recommend calling that automated line everyone's mentioning: 1-800-387-1193. It's honestly a game-changer - no waiting on hold, just enter your SIN and you get all your recent payment details in under 2 minutes. Way better than trying to navigate the CRA website or waiting hours to speak to someone. Most importantly, don't lose sleep over this! If the government deposited money in your account, you earned it fair and square based on your tax filing. These aren't mistakes that need to be repaid. Once you identify what specific benefit it is, you'll know if it's a one-time thing or part of a regular payment schedule. Enjoy the unexpected bonus!