Canadian woman says after CRA mistakenly declared her dead, she has been 'resurrected'

Edmonton Journal

04-07-2025

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'So I called them and they said, 'You're deceased.' I said, 'You're talking to me! Deceased, what are you saying? You have to change that.' And they said, 'Well, there's a process. You have to prove that you're alive,'' she told CTV News.
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She provided Service Canada with documents in person that confirmed her identity, as well as a letter from her doctor. She said she was told that, even though she had just retired, she may not receive Canada Pension Plan payments while she was declared dead.
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She said she also had to apply for a new social insurance number because her old one had been deactivated.
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On Monday, the CRA and Service Canada called Miller to tell her the issue was resolved. She told CTV News she was 'resurrected.' She expects to receive pension payments by the end of this month.
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'In situations where it is determined that an error was made, the process is to simply remove the date of death from the taxpayer's file and the taxpayer's CRA account is restored,' per the CRA's statement.
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'This also reverses any letters or changes to taxes or benefits, which were issued in error. The reversal is immediate, though it can sometimes take a few weeks for letters to be re-issued and adjustments to be recalculated.'