When Canada Student Loan borrowers experience difficulty repaying their loan, the Government of Canada can help them manage their payments through:
- The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP); and
- The Repayment Assistance Plan for Borrowers with Disabilities (RAP-D)
Borrowers can apply for RAP or RAP-D six months after their study period ends, or anytime while they are paying back their loan. RAP and RAP-D benefits are approved for six months at a time, and borrowers must re-apply every six months to continue receiving these benefits.
As of November 2023, the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program (CSFA Program) is working with the Canada Revenue Agency to increase security and accountability around eligibility and fraud prevention. The CSFA Program and CRA use a risk-based sampling methodology to identify borrowers whose personal information may require further validation, sharing and comparing the following:
- Social Insurance Number
- Date of Birth
- First and Last Name
- Income
- Marital status
- Number of dependants
If the information in their RAP application matches the CRA's taxpayer information, the application will be processed. The borrower will be evaluated for eligibility, and if approved, their payment requirements will be calculated.
If there are discrepancies between their RAP application information and the CRA’s taxpayer information, borrowers will be notified that they need to provide supporting documentation to explain the discrepancies. Once all supporting documentation is received, the NSLSC will process the application, the borrower will be evaluated for eligibility, and if approved, their payment requirements will be calculated.
Please note: This method of verifying borrowers’ RAP application data does not change RAP or RAP-D eligibility, nor does it determine which borrowers can apply for RAP or RAP-D. It is designed only to verify the information borrowers provide on their RAP/RAP-D applications against an authoritative source (i.e., CRA taxpayer information). If borrowers have concerns about a RAP application decision, they may ask for a reconsideration or a re-adjudication of their RAP application.