Losses of public money
Each year the Public Accounts disclose money and property lost to fraud, offences, and accidents — and how much was recovered. These are the government's own reported figures, republished as-is.
$19.2B
reported lost since 2005
$6.8B
recovered (35.4%)
7,615,795
individual incidents reported
≈ $463.81 for every person in Canada
≈ 248,266 Canadians' average pay for a year
Where the losses happened
Reported losses flowing from loss type into the organizations that reported them. Hover any band for the exact amount.
Largest reported losses
| Year | Organization | What happened | Lost | Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-2018 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for benefits: Employment Insurance Benefits | $730,420,771 | $518,167,306 |
| 2022-2023 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $682,799,224 | $425,645,897 |
| 2023-2024 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $681,122,043 | $455,890,538 |
| 2020-2021 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $630,452,257 | $343,081,387 |
| 2024-2025 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claim for Employment Insurance Benefit | $614,035,665 | $212,275,277 |
| 2018-2019 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for benefits: Employment Insurance Benefits | $603,140,397 | $439,570,251 |
| 2024-2025 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $527,528,295 | $359,803,149 |
| 2019-2020 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for benefits: Employment Insurance Benefits | $481,579,112 | $358,771,419 |
| 2024-2025 | Parks Canada Agency | Damage to building or other real property Accidental Loss Destruction or Damage | $346,074,538 | $681,621 |
| 2023-2024 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claim for Employment Insurance Benefit | $338,627,789 | $90,053,237 |
| 2020-2021 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for benefits: Employment Insurance Benefits | $335,076,357 | $251,409,454 |
| 2018-2019 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $327,574,409 | $178,242,392 |
| 2019-2020 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $323,227,202 | $210,496,299 |
| 2019-2020 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claim for Employment Insurance Benefits | $313,428,987 | $115,997,483 |
| 2023-2024 | Canada Revenue Agency | Goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax Cases before the Courts (CRA's estimate of the amount of tax evaded or refunds fraudulently obtained) | $234,053,637 | $0 |
| 2011-2012 | Canada Revenue Agency | Income tax Cases before the Courts (Canada Revenue Agency's estimate of the amount of tax evaded or refunds fraudulently obtained) | $218,090,755 | $0 |
| 2012-2013 | Canada Revenue Agency | Income tax Cases before the Courts (Canada Revenue Agency's estimate of the amount of tax evaded or refunds fraudulently obtained) | $187,540,103 | $0 |
| 2022-2023 | Department of Fisheries and Oceans | Damage to building or other real property Accidental Loss Destruction or Damage | $187,402,035 | $500,185 |
| 2017-2018 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claim for Employment Insurance Benefits | $176,993,293 | $44,126,831 |
| 2013-2014 | Canada Revenue Agency | Income tax Cases before the Courts (Canada Revenue Agency's estimate of the amount of tax evaded or refunds fraudulently obtained) | $169,886,303 | $0 |
| 2018-2019 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claim for Employment Insurance Benefits | $168,605,168 | $41,161,824 |
| 2021-2022 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits (104,179 cases) | $165,377,151 | $109,168,776 |
| 2016-2017 | Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $163,978,027 | $44,542,443 |
| 2012-2013 | Human Resources and Skills Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $158,787,153 | $29,455,486 |
| 2017-2018 | Department of Employment and Social Development | Fraudulent claims for Employment Insurance Benefits | $157,860,433 | $78,828,086 |
By fiscal year
Reported losses per year, oldest to newest.
| Fiscal year | Lost | Recovered |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025 | $2,390,493,228 | $788,288,181 |
| 2023-2024 | $2,194,345,518 | $789,753,671 |
| 2022-2023 | $2,083,142,460 | $768,802,025 |
| 2021-2022 | $1,755,265,578 | $780,009,682 |
| 2020-2021 | $1,679,003,614 | $755,628,103 |
| 2019-2020 | $1,602,172,470 | $834,299,936 |
| 2018-2019 | $1,614,595,968 | $796,012,740 |
| 2017-2018 | $1,546,847,934 | $804,377,147 |
| 2016-2017 | $314,167,140 | $75,860,692 |
| 2015-2016 | $254,741,495 | $49,495,854 |
| 2014-2015 | $253,947,916 | $36,665,778 |
| 2013-2014 | $427,389,993 | $36,499,753 |
| 2012-2013 | $466,854,528 | $42,566,539 |
| 2011-2012 | $454,955,713 | $45,791,159 |
| 2010-2011 | $420,328,977 | $47,086,543 |
| 2009-2010 | $474,335,783 | $37,611,342 |
| 2008-2009 | $390,347,494 | $52,617,695 |
| 2007-2008 | $416,463,709 | $52,686,240 |
| 2006-2007 | $263,575,870 | $2,657,747 |
| 2005-2006 | $206,821,942 | $4,706,570 |
Source: Losses of Public Money or Property as per the Public Accounts of Canada (PSPC open data), refreshed monthly. Large tax-fraud estimates from the Canada Revenue Agency dominate the totals. Figures as of August 2, 2026.