What you need to know about the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

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If you have stopped working because of COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) may provide you with temporary income support. The CERB provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible, you must meet the following requirements:

  • You did not apply for, nor receive, CERB or EI benefits from Service Canada for the same eligibility period

  • You did not quit your job voluntarily

  • You reside in Canada

  • You are 15 years old or more when you apply

  • You earned a minimum of $5,000 (before taxes) income in the last 12 months or in 2019 from one or more of the following sources:

  • employment income

  • self-employment income

  • provincial or federal benefits related to maternity or paternity leave

AND

  • You stopped or will stop working due to COVID-19, and:

    • You are applying for the first time

    • For at least 14 days in a row during the 4-week payment period, you do not expect to receive more than $1,000 (before taxes) from employment and self-employment income

    • You are re-applying for another period

    • You do not expect your situation to change during this 4-week period and you do not expect to receive more than $1,000 (before taxes) from employment and self-employment income

OR

  • You received regular EI benefits for at least 1 week since December 29, 2019

  • You are no longer eligible for EI benefits

Eligibility periods

Eligibility periods are fixed in 4-week periods. If your situation continues, you can re-apply for CERB for multiple 4-week periods, to a maximum of 16 weeks (4 periods).

If you start working again after you get a CERB payment, and then stop working, you need to re-apply for the CERB. When you re-apply, you must confirm that for at least 14 days in a row, during the period you are applying for, you won't receive.

  • ·       employment income

  • ·       self-employment income

  • ·       provincial or federal benefits related to maternity or paternity leave

An online questionnaire will direct you to the service option that best fits your situation (i.e. eligibility for Employment Insurance benefits or not).

Do not apply for the CERB if you have already applied for EI.

Stay in the know. keep up with the federal government changes regarding the CERB benefit by visiting: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html

Information provided herein has been taken directly from the CRA website and is up to date as of April 21, 2020.