OTB Notice From the CRA, Explained
An OTB notice is the Canada Revenue Agency telling you what your Ontario Trillium Benefit entitlement is. In almost every case it is money coming to you, not a demand — but it arrives separately from your notice of assessment, which is why it catches people out.
Why the notice landed
A notice is triggered by one of a handful of specific events. Find yours below.
Your return was assessed and you qualify
The routine case. Once the CRA finishes assessing your 2025 return it calculates your Ontario Trillium Benefit entitlement and writes to tell you the amount and how it will be paid. Nothing is owed and no reply is needed.
Your entitlement is being paid as one lump sum
Entitlements of $500 or less are not spread over 12 months — they are issued once, in the first payment month of the benefit year (July 10, 2026 for July 2026 – June 2027). The notice explains this so the single deposit is not mistaken for a partial payment.
Your election to defer was revoked
If you chose to take the whole entitlement in one payment on June 10, 2027 and then moved out of Ontario, went bankrupt, or were incarcerated for 90 days or more, the CRA cancels the election and issues a notice explaining it. Any amount already accrued is released at the same time.
Your entitlement changed or was recalculated
Reassessing your return, a change in marital status, or a corrected address can all change the figure. The notice states the revised entitlement and the payments that follow from it.
You are not entitled to a payment
An annual entitlement of $2 or less is not paid at all, and one above $2 but below $10 is rounded up to a single $10 payment. Either outcome can be the subject of a notice.
What the notice does not tell you
The OTB is a single payment made up of three separate Ontario credits — the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit, the Northern Ontario Energy Credit, and the Ontario Sales Tax Credit. The notice states the combined entitlement, so it will not show you which credit contributed what. If you want that breakdown you have to work through each component's own calculation, or use the CRA's child and family benefits calculator. The OTB payment dates page lists each component's maximum for the current benefit year.
Notice arrived, payment did not
Check the day of the month first. The OTB is issued on the 10th, moving to the last working day before it when the 10th is a weekend or statutory holiday. Direct deposit lands that day; a cheque takes longer.
Check whether it was applied to a debt. Benefit payments are used first against amounts you owe the CRA or its partners, including family support arrears. Only the remainder is deposited.
Check the assessment date. If your return was assessed after June 19, 2026, the first payment generally arrives 4 to 8 weeks after assessment rather than on the regular July date, with missed months paid retroactively.
Check the amount against the thresholds. Under $500 a year is paid once rather than monthly, and $2 or less is not paid at all.
Text messages about your OTB are a scam
Ontario publishes an explicit warning about this one, because the OTB is a common lure. A typical fake reads like a refund notification with a reference number and an amount, and asks you to click through to claim it. The province will not text or instant-message you to ask for personal or business information, to arrange a credit or benefit, to issue a refund, or to take a payment. A genuine OTB notice comes by mail or into your CRA My Account — if in doubt, sign in there directly rather than following any link.
Frequently asked questions
What is an OTB notice from the CRA?
It is the letter the Canada Revenue Agency sends after assessing your return to tell you whether you qualify for the Ontario Trillium Benefit and how much you will receive. The CRA issues it on Ontario's behalf — the province legislates and funds the benefit, the CRA administers it.
Does an OTB notice mean I owe money?
No, not by itself. The standard notice is a statement of what will be paid to you. It only concerns money going the other way if it says your entitlement has been reduced or that a previous overpayment is being recovered — and even then, no interest is charged on OTB overpayments.
Why did I get an OTB notice when my tax return said nothing about it?
Because the OTB is not part of your income tax assessment. You claim it by filing Form ON-BEN with your return, then the CRA calculates the entitlement separately — which is why no OTB figure appears on your return or your notice of assessment, and why a separate letter is needed to tell you the amount.
Is a text message about my OTB refund genuine?
No. The Government of Ontario has warned specifically about text and instant messages claiming an OTB refund is waiting and linking to a page that collects personal or banking details. Ontario does not text you to arrange a benefit payment, ask for a payment, or request personal information. Delete it and check My Account instead.
The notice shows less than last year — what changed?
The OTB is recalculated every benefit year from your most recent return, so a higher income in 2025 lowers the July 2026 – June 2027 entitlement. Moving also matters: the energy credits test where you lived on the 1st of each payment month, so a move within or out of Ontario partway through the year changes the total.
What do I do if I moved after the notice arrived?
Tell the CRA your new address and the exact date of the move as soon as possible, through My Account or by phone. Address changes affect both delivery and, for the energy components, eligibility itself.
I never applied in past years — is it too late?
Usually not. You can request an adjustment to a prior-year return to claim the credits you missed, generally for any tax year ending in the previous 10 calendar years. Request a change to the original return rather than filing a new one.
Do I need to report the OTB on next year's return?
No. The Ontario Trillium Benefit is tax-free and is not reported as income. What you do have to do is file a return every year, even with no income, or the payments stop.
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