February 15, 2024

Read All About It!

As of February 2024, more than 5,000 Public Lending Right (PLR) payments have been issued to eligible program registrants by electronic direct deposit. Electronic direct deposit is now the Canada Council’s preferred means of providing PLR Program recipients with payment.

From now on, payments from the PLR Program can be provided by direct deposit to all recipients with an active Canadian bank account. Direct deposit will replace the traditional printed PLR Program cheques and make your payment available to you without postal delays. Electronic direct deposit will also ensure that your file remains active and is not suspended owing to an uncashed paper cheque.

Please indicate that you are able to sign up for electronic direct deposit this year. If you have received your annual PLR Program package, please check the box on your 2024 File Update Form and return it without delay to the PLR Program.  This will enable us to follow up with you, by sending a link in order to securely and confidentially collect the banking information required to establish direct deposit payments.

Note that signing up for direct deposit does not automatically guarantee a future payment. As usual, payment is based on the results of the annual PLR survey of public library catalogues.

The direct deposit services will not change the registration and file update procedures of the PLR Program in 2024. Your registration summary, update forms and tax slips will continue to be sent through Canada Post.

What to expect

To enroll in the electronic direct deposit service, your contact information must be up to date with the Public Lending Right Program. If you need to update your telephone number and email address at any time, click Update Your Contact Information (publiclendingright.ca).

When the program staff receive your updated information from the online form or from the File Update Form sent to us by post, you will be put on a list to receive our secure sign-up email.

When you receive the time-sensitive sign-up email, you will have five (5) days to create a payment account with us and submit your banking information. After successfully submitting your information, you will receive a confirmation email that your PLR account has been updated for direct deposit.

This process will require you to authenticate yourself using multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication uses the home or cell phone number that the Public Lending Right Program has on file for you.

Your banking information will stay on file with the PLR program in the event you are eligible for payment in ensuing years.

Questions and answers

Q: I need to update my current telephone and email information. What should I do?

A: You can update your information at any time. Click Update Your Contact Information (publiclendingright.ca) for more information.

Q: What if I live outside Canada?

A: If you are a Canadian citizen who lives outside Canada, you are encouraged to maintain an active Canadian bank account in order to sign up for the PLR Program’s direct deposit service. All non-resident PLR Program registrants who do not have access to a Canadian bank account will continue to be paid by printed cheque in Canadian funds. There are no plans to provide wire transfer service for the PLR Program in 2024.

Q: What about my other PLR documents, such as title earnings summaries, file update forms and tax slips?

A: In 2024, all documents other than payment will be mailed as usual. The goal of the PLR Program is to eventually replace the remaining paper documents with an electronic service delivery and online documents, but these will not be ready in time for the 2024 program payment period.