1. Public Works and Government Services Canada have announced a cheque standardization initiative, reducing the number of cheque formats used by the Government of Canada (GoC) to one standard format, effective February 28, 2015. The new standardized 8 ½" x 7" cheque will no longer include a stub.

2. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issues cheques for both commercial and non-commercial refunds.

3. Previously, cheque stubs were used by the GoC to provide payment details and share information on its programs. For refunds issued by the CBSA, the corresponding claim number(s) were indicated on the cheque stub, as a reference to the payment issued. This information will no longer be contained on the cheques. Instead, cheques will now indicate only "CBSA Customs Casual Refund" for non-commercial refunds, and "CBSA Commercial Refund" for commercial refunds. The telephone number of the CBSA Border Information Service, 1-800-461-9999, will now be included on the back of the cheques for any inquiries relating to the issued payments.

4. Recipients of non-commercial refund cheques who wish to obtain the specific details relating to a payment they have received are to call the CBSA Border Information Service where they will be directed, based on their postal code, to the corresponding Casual Refund Centre that processed their claim.

5. Commercial importers and their brokers will continue to receive the Detailed Adjustment Statement (DAS) in the mail once their adjustment has been processed, indicating the total amount of the refund granted, and the cheque will follow. With the new standardized cheque format, there could be instances where commercial importers or their customs brokers will receive a cheque where the amount does not match the amount indicated on the DAS received in the mail. This could be due to one cheque having been issued for multiple adjustment refunds that were batched together. Importers or brokers wishing to reconcile a payment to the corresponding adjustment may contact the CBSA Border Information Service in order to obtain the specific details previously showing on the cheque stub (i.e. transaction number(s), the corresponding principal amounts(s) and the applicable amount(s) of interest).

6. The CBSA recognizes that this initiative may result in challenges for our commercial clients with regard to reconciliation of payments with corresponding adjustment requests. Calling the CBSA Border Information Service is an interim measure until a long term, more efficient solution to aid importers, brokers and the CBSA can be implemented.

This customs notice is available on the CBSA website.