https://duttonlaw.ca/canada-emergency-response-benefit/amp/UPDATED AS OF JUNE 16, 2020In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 25, 2020, the Canadian government established a new kind of income replacement benefit called the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
The CERB temporarily replaces all new applications for Employment Insurance applications related to COVID-19.
The CERB gives working people who cease working and stop receiving income (other than $1000) because of COVID-19 disruptions for at least 14 days a monthly payment of $2,000.
Table of Contents
When does the Canada Emergency Response Benefit start?
How long is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
How soon can the Canada Emergency Response Benefit be paid?
How much is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
Can you work and earn income while on the CERB?
Can I receive the CERB if I am currently receiving pension or CPP or OAS payments but was self-employed and had to stop working because of COVID19?
Can an employer top-up the CERB?
What about the previously announced Emergency Care Benefit and Emergency Support Benefit?
How will the CERB be paid?
When are applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit available?
What about preexisting EI applications?
Who can apply for the CERB?
Who qualifies for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
How long did an employee need to work for?
What is the $5,000 in “income” requirement?
I am a worker or self-employed person who receives monies at later dates, how does this affect my CERB application?
Do Workers need a doctor’s note to get the CERB?
Do Self-employed people get the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
What about people who are still employed?
What about people already receiving EI?
What about people already receiving maternity benefits?
What about people already receiving parental benefits?
What about workers who were planning on receiving EI maternity and EI parental benefits soon?
What about workers who have applied for EI already but have not received a response?
What about people who are eligible for EI?
What happens when the Canada Emergency Response Benefit runs out?
Where is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit legislation?
What about people who were looking for work and did not have a job before COVID-19?
What about people who quit to get these benefits?
What about Students? What about the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB)?
What about people seasonal workers whose job start date was pushed back because of COVID-19?
Do workers get EI and the CERB?
How will severance pay affect the CERB?
Will employers have to fill out an ROE for the CERB?
New CERB support for ineligible workers?
How to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
Instructions for applying for a CERB payment
Can I retroactively apply for a CERB eligibility period?
Did you get a CERB double payment?
What happens if I am found ineligible for the CERB but already received the funds?
Can I cancel my CERB application?
CERB and ODSP
What happens when the CERB benefit ends?
What is the penalty for CERB fraud?
What happens if someone resumes work or is asked to resume work? Related
When does the Canada Emergency Response Benefit start?
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit will be in place on April 6, retroactively from March 15, 2020, until October 3, 2020. No worker is permitted to file an application after December 2, 2020.
Note, however, the program does not start until April 6. Thus, CERB Payments will not be made until some time shortly after April 6.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on April 1 that the federal government will start taking CERB applications sometime beginning on the week of April 6, 2020.
Update: On April 6, 2020, the CERB portal opened, and Canadians can start applying for and receiving the CERB immediately.
CERB Portal Login Now Available
How long is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
This Canada Emergency Response Benefit would provide income replacement for up to four six months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How soon can the Canada Emergency Response Benefit be paid?
Canadian residents can expect to receive their CERB payments within 3 – 10 days of application beginning after April 6. There is no one-week waiting period “deductible” like regular Employment Insurance (“EI”).
Eligible applicants can expect to get their first CERB payment in 3 business days if they have signed up for a direct deposit, and approximately 10 business days if they have not signed up for a direct deposit.
Apply again every 4 weeks: CERB participants will need to apply and confirm their eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit every 4 weeks if they remain out of work and pay because of COVID-19 before they get their next CERB payment.
We would encourage all Canadians to get their direct deposit information ready and register for their CRA My Account for direct deposit in advance of the application launch on or around April 6.
Update: On April 6, 2020, the CERB portal opened, and Canadians can start applying for and receiving the CERB immediately. The easiest way to apply for the first CERB payment is to apply online with a CRA My Account. Canadians should use their CRA My Account to make subsequent CERB applications too.
On April 6, 2020 the Canadian government opened up the CERB application
How much is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit?
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit will provide $2,000 a month for up to four six months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike EI, there is no calculation for the CERB payment in terms of how much money someone normally makes. To that effect, all workers who are approved for the CERB will receive $2,000 per month.
This CERB amount ($2,000) appears to be actually less pay than regular EI for workers who earned over $54,200 per year. This means that instead of receiving $573 maximum per week on EI, workers on this program would only receive $500 per week. However, EI eligibility months will not be deducted while on the CERB. Therefore, once the 4-month CERB is up for a worker, if they are still eligible, they can receive their full number of months of EI at the $573 rate.
When an individual is approved for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, they will receive $2,000 per monthly period, regardless of what they may have been eligible to receive through EI.
The CERB is not a loan. The CERB does not need to be paid back unless it was paid to someone erroneously (i.e. ineligible individuals).
On April 1, the CRA said: “[CERB payments] are taxable and [workers] will need to report any payments received on next year’s tax filing. An information slip will be made available for the 2020 tax year in My Account under Tax Information Slips (T4 and more)”.
