With thousands of people applying for financial help from the government, there are a lot of questions out there on how exactly to go about that.
There’s also a lot of confusion about the different programs that are available, so we’re hoping the following can clear up some of that for you:
-You cannot apply for E-I and the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) at the same time. But you can apply for Alberta’s one-time payment through the emergency isolation benefit beforehand. Head to alberta.ca.
-And if you still aren’t working when the CERB money runs out, you can apply for E-I at that time, as long as you’re eligible.
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WAGE SUBSIDY PROGRAM: (EMPLOYERS APPLY FOR THIS ONE)
If you have a full-time job, but your employer has seen at least a 30-percent drop in revenue, they can apply for the 75-percent wage subsidy that will cover the first 58-thousand, 700 dollars for an employee’s wage, up to a maximum of 874 dollars a week per employee.
Employers ARE expected to do as much as possible to cover the remaining 25-percent.
The Revenue Canada portal for the subsidy will be available as of Monday, April 6th. Funds will be available in about six weeks.
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THE CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) (EMPLOYEES APPLY FOR THIS ONE)
-If you’ve been laid off because of Covid-19 and have already applied for E-I, the feds say that application will be processed, or you will be put in the queue for the CERB.
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-If you’re off work because of Covid-19 and haven’t applied for E-I yet, the feds say it’s actually a good idea to wait til CERB applications open on Monday, April 6th. They say those ones will most likely go through a lot more quickly.
You can apply for the CERB through your My CRA account (online) or by calling Revenue Canada.
To access the benefit programs you need: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html
You qualify for the CERB if you were laid off because of COVID-19, had at least $5,000 in income in the past year and expect to be without employment for at least 14 days of the next month.
-As long as you’re eligible, you’ll get a $2000 payment, either through a cheque in the mail or direct deposit if you’re signed up for that.
If you’re still unemployed after that first payment, you will need to reapply for the next month, up to a total of four months.
-If you’re looking to sign up for the CERB payment on Monday, officials say it’s a good idea to stagger applications by birth month, so the system doesn’t crash.
FOR EXAMPLE:
January, February, March: April 6, Mondays after that
April, May, June: April 7, Tuesdays after that
July, August, September: April 8, Wednesdays after that
October, November, December: April 9, Thursdays after that
Any birth month can apply Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
April, May, June: April 7, Tuesdays after that
July, August, September: April 8, Wednesdays after that
October, November, December: April 9, Thursdays after that
Any birth month can apply Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
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-If you were laid off because of Covid-19 but you’re still receiving some income, you don’t qualify for the CERB.
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-If you were unemployed before the Covid-19 pandemic, you can still qualify for E-I, but if you were out of work before and don’t qualify for E-I, you cannot apply for the CERB.
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-If you were laid off because of Covid-19 and you’ve decided to now retire, you can apply for the CERB. But remember it only lasts for 4 months.
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If you were laid off because of Covid-19, your employer will have given you a “Record of Employment” or ROE. This is hugely important to hang onto, because it will allow you to indicate on your application as to why you aren’t working. Look for the phrase “shortage of work” or something similar.
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