Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) 

We’ll keep you informed of the status of your application by emailing the business email address you provided. Our advisors, Relationship Managers, banking centre and Contact Centre teams are unable to support the application process for this government loan.

• Your application will be sent to the government for review. This entire process can take between 10 to 15 business days from the date that all required supporting documentation is received by the Government of Canada;
• Approved clients will be notified via email, and receive their loan directly into their CIBC Business Operating Account;
• The deposit will be for the $60,000 or the $20,000 upsize and appear in your account as “credit memo CEBA loan advance”; and
• Clients with declined applications will also be notified via email.
• You can check the status of your CEBA application online at the CEBA Application Status Website Opens in a new window.. Alternatively, you can also contact the Government of Canada CEBA Call Centre at 1-888-324-4201 Opens your phone app. to receive additional clarification on the status of your CEBA application.

Check the status of your CEBA application online at the CEBA Application Status Website Opens in a new window.. Alternatively, you can also contact the new Government of Canada CEBA Call Centre at 1-888-324-4201 Opens your phone app. to receive clarification on the program eligibility criteria or non-deferrable expense document upload issues on the Export Development Canada (EDC) website, or make inquiries like “why was I declined?” or “why were my documents rejected?” about a status update on your CEBA application. CIBC is administering the Canada Emergency Business Account loan program on behalf of the federal government. The program eligibility criteria are defined by the Government of Canada. No organization involved in administering the CEBA program has the authority to grant exceptions, including CIBC, your financial institution. Visit Government of Canada website for more information.

The deadline to apply for the CEBA loan was June 30, 2021. You can no longer apply for a CEBA loan or a CEBA expansion.

You can’t apply for CEBA at more than one financial institution. It may result in ineligibility as well as legal prosecution by the Government of Canada.

You may still apply for other government relief measures. Review the Government of Canada’s Relief for Business to determine which programs you may be eligible for. 

For businesses applying for a new $60,000 CEBA loan, approved applications will be funded in 10 to 15 business days from the date the Government of Canada receives your completed application. For clients applying based on their non-deferrable expenses, funding is received in 10 to 15 business days after the uploading of your eligible expense documentation. 

For business applying for a $20,000 CEBA loan, approved applications will be funded in 5 to 7 business days from the date the Government of Canada receives your application from CIBC.

The application deadline for CEBA is June 30, 2021. If applying on the basis of non-deferrable expenses, applicants must upload all supporting documents no later than July 14, 2021. If there are observations on your documents, you will have until October 1, 2021 to fix or upload additional documentation.

In the event that your application has been on hold for a few months and you have been directed to upload additional information on your non-deferrable expenses, your deadline to submit the documentation is October 1, 2021.

For further details, visit the Government of Canada website Opens in a new window..

The CEBA loan is interest-free. If the loan can’t be repaid by December 31, 2023, it will be converted into a 2-year term loan charging an interest rate of 5%.

You have until December 31, 2023 to repay the loan without interest charges.

If you have a $40,000 loan, a quarter of the CEBA loan, $10,000, is eligible for complete forgiveness¹ if $30,000 is fully repaid on or before December 31, 2023.

If you have a $60,000 loan, a third of the CEBA loan, $20,000, is eligible for complete forgiveness¹ if $40,000 is fully repaid on or before December 31, 2023. After this date, any outstanding principal is automatically converted into a 2-year term loan charging an interest rate of 5%.

The loan is interest-free until December 31, 2023. Furthermore, no principal repayments are required during this period, unless you are seeking to repay $30,000 or $40,000 to qualify for the $10,000 or $20,000 forgiveness¹ feature. You can make a payment by speaking to your advisor or in-person at any banking centre Opens in a new window..

If you choose to extend the loan beyond this date, interest of 5% applies during the extension period. While no principal repayments are required until December 31, 2025, it’s always good practice to make steady installment payments to match the incoming cash flows from your business operations.

Your loan forgiveness amount is based on the loan amount you borrowed and the amount you have repaid by December 31, 2023. You must also be eligible at all times in order to claim the forgiveness. You will only receive the forgiveness amount if you have repaid $30,000 out of your $40,000 loan, or $40,000 out of your $60,000 loan, or $10,000 out of your $20,000 loan expansion.

• If you borrowed $40,000 and you have repaid $30,000 on or before December 31, 2023, your loan forgiveness will be $10,000.
• If you borrowed $60,000 and you have repaid $40,000 on or before December 31, 2023, your loan forgiveness will be $20,000.
• If you repaid $30,000 out of your $40,000 loan, claimed the forgiveness amount, and thereafter received the $20,000 expansion and repaid $10,000 on or before December 31, 2023, your loan forgiveness will be $10,000.
• If, on or before December 31, 2023, you have repaid less than $30,000 out of your $40,000 loan, or less than $40,000 out of your $60,000 loan, or less than $10,000 out of your $20,000 loan expansion, you will not be eligible to receive a forgiveness amount.

Note: The forgiveness amount cannot be included as your repayment amount. 

Refer to a few examples:

If you choose to extend the loan beyond December 31, 2023, a 5% interest rate applies on the outstanding balance during the extension period. While no principal repayments are required until December 31, 2025, it’s always good practice to make steady installment payments to match the incoming cash flows from your business operations.

Only the forgivable portion of the CEBA loan is taxable ($10,000 or $20,000 depending on loan type), while the remaining amount ($30,000 or $40,000) is considered a repayable loan and doesn’t need to be declared. The forgivable portion of the CEBA loan ($10,000 or $20,000) is taxable in the year in which the loan is received. You can declare the forgivable loan portion to the CRA for the year in which the loan is received either by including it in your business reported income or reducing the deduction for business expenses by the amount of the forgivable portion. If you need more information on how to do this or have other questions about how to prepare your future tax returns, speak to the CRA or your accountant.

No. The eligibility criteria only applies to your 2019 payroll expenses.

You can check your loan balance online if you register for  CIBC Online Banking for Business Opens in a new window..

Completing this step now will help make sure you gain access to the loan as quickly as possible.

Getting your CIBC Business Convenience Card will allow you to maintain a high level of banking access on an ongoing basis.

To obtain your card, you’ll need to contact your advisor or go to your Banking Centre Opens in a new window. to activate a Business Convenience Card.

Afterwards, registering for CIBC Online Banking for Business with your new Convenience Card can be done at home within minutes.