{"id":13074,"date":"2020-04-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/news\/?p=13074"},"modified":"2022-01-14T12:37:55","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T17:37:55","slug":"cerb-eligibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/cerb-eligibility","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you were recently laid off or had your work hours cut, the new Canadian COVID-19 benefits program, included in the $107 billion allocated to emergency response, is likely your best option for financial support in the next few weeks and months during this global pandemic.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, the program was divided into two categories of aid: Emergency Care and Emergency Support Benefits. However, on March 25, 2020, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/services\/benefits\/ei\/cerb-application.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada Emergency Response Benefit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (CERB) would now include all those impacted by the COVID-19 response making CERB the sole option for Canadians who would otherwise not qualify for employment insurance (EI) due to loss of income.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting April 6, 2020, Canadians who have lost income because of COVID-19 will be able to apply for CERB, and if approved, will receive a temporary income of up to $500 a week for up to four months. (That\u2019s a total of $8,000 in government support.) Below outlines information on CERB eligibility and how to apply for benefits.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-is-eligible-for-cerb,-and-how-much-will-you-receive?\">Who Is Eligible for CERB, and How Much Will You Receive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To qualify for CERB benefits, you must be a resident of Canada, be 15 years of age or older at the time of application, and for the 12 months preceding the application date, have earned at least $5,000 of employed or self-employed income.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you fall under these qualifications, the additional CERB eligibility requirements include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re no longer working due to reasons caused by COVID-19;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re unable to work due to illness;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You lost employment due to reasons beyond your control;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You did not quit your job by choice;<\/span><\/li><li>You are unable to earn income due to the COVID-19 slowdown, but haven&#8217;t been officially laid off;<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have not applied for or are receiving EI benefits during the same period.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key is that you <\/span><b>do not need to prove<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that you were laid off in order to apply for CERB.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you were temporarily laid off or had your work hours reduced, you can apply.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are in quarantine or taking care of someone who is in quarantine, you can apply.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are no longer working in order to take care of dependents due to childcare facility closures, you can apply for CERB.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And this applies to <\/span><b>employed workers, contractors as well as self-employed individuals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, such as real estate agents, independent mortgage brokers,&nbsp; insurance agents, construction sub-trades, hair stylists, graphic designers, makeup artists, film crew sub-trades, career coach, personal trainers, nannies, among others.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-much-will-i-get?\">How Much Will I Get?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/services\/benefits\/ei\/ei-regular-benefit\/benefit-amount.html\">Employment Insurance program<\/a>, you\u2019re eligible to receive 55% of your annual insurable income, up to a maximum of $54,200. If you earn more than the income cap, you\u2019d get $573 per week. If you earn less than the maximum annual income, you\u2019d get less. But under CERB eligibility this doesn\u2019t apply.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everyone who qualifies and gets approved for CERB will receive $500 per week, regardless of their earnings prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The money you earn through CERB is in addition to the Child Tax Benefit (CCB), Canada Pension Plan (CCP) and Ontario Trillium Benefit (OTB). Similar to EI, the CERB income is taxable.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-do-you-apply-for-cerb?\">How Do You Apply for CERB?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are one of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/6726111\/coronavirus-ei-claims-1-million\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nearly one million Canadians<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who have already applied for EI, you do not need to reapply for the CERB benefit. Instead, the government will filter Canadians through EI to CERB, as required.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Canadians who are waiting for the April 6 application date, you can apply online through either Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The Canadian government asks that you <\/span><b>do not<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> use both application portals.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prior to April 6, the online application portal will not exist, however, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t get ready to apply.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even before the online portal opens, you should create and register for your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/revenue-agency\/services\/benefits\/apply-for-cerb-with-cra.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CRA My Account<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Get your banking information and sign up for direct deposit to speed along the process. Getting access to CRA My Account will speed up the time it takes for you to fill out your application on April 6.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once the portal opens, you need to provide your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and confirm that you meet CERB eligibility requirements.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"when-will-i-see-cerb-benefits?\">When Will I See CERB Benefits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you receive approval for CERB, Canadians can expect payments to arrive within three (3) business days, if you\u2019ve signed up for direct deposit, or 10 tens days if you opted for a mailed cheque. With direct-deposit, these benefits will be automatically deposited into your account every month.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are no holds on payments once you receive approval.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-if-i\u2019m-still-not-working-after-4-months?\">What if I\u2019m Still Not Working After 4 Months?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are still unemployed or unable to work after the four months, once the COVID Emergency Response Benefits end, you will be eligible to apply for the full EI. For those who already applied for EI, once CERB benefits are terminated, you will automatically be registered in the standard Employment Insurance program.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind, you may be asked to provide proof of unemployment during the four months that you are eligible for CERB. The government has alluded to this requirement in their press releases, but their website does not offer how often you will be asked for confirmation of unemployment or loss of work hours, nor does it state what type of documentation you will need to provide.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-if-i-earn-money?\">What if I Earn Money?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have <strong>not stopped working<\/strong> due to COVID-19, than you are <strong>not eligible<\/strong> for CERB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are fortunate enough to earn money during any part of the 4-week benefit period, then you are not eligible for CERB. However, if you&#8217;re situation changes, you can apply or re-apply for CERB eligibility and funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help you calculate when and if you&#8217;re eligible, remember that the CERB program is broken up into four periods, each four weeks long. The first, four-week period starts on March 15, 2020 and runs until April 12, 2020. This means, if you&#8217;re applying on April 6, you are confirming that you were unable to earn income during this four-week period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once this four week period is up, you will be asked to re-confirm your eligibility for the next four week period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you earned a commission cheque dated March 26, 2020, then you would <strong>not be eligible<\/strong> for the first CERB benefit period. However, this does not mean you cannot receive the benefit during additional benefit periods. If you end up unable to earn money after March 26 (in this example or anytime after the first four-week CERB period), then you would be eligible for CERB benefits. That&#8217;s when you should go online and apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The COVID Emergency Response Benefits will be available until October 3, 2020, which means you can <strong>apply for CERB at anytime up until October 3, 2020<\/strong>, and receive emergency income funds backdated to the day you stopped earning income.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This structure is to help promote working and earning, while providing a cushion against a lack of income over the next four months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-else-do-i-need-to-know?\">What Else Do I Need to Know?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you currently receive EI benefits for parental leave \u2014 commonly referred to as mat-leave or pat-leave \u2014 you cannot apply for CERB, unless your leave has come to an end, your benefits have stopped, and you do not have a job to return to.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CERB income will not be taxed at the source \u2014 which means you won&#8217;t see taxes taken off the income supplement you receive \u2014 but you will need to report these earnings on your 2020 tax return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are looking for additional financial support and are curious about the amount of money you are eligible to receive through government benefits, financial expert Preet Banerjee, has created a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.preetbanerjee.com\/covid19-calculator\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">calculator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for Canadians to get a precise estimate.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While many people will opt to apply online, there are actually three ways to apply for CERB. Choose the one method that works best for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>through your CRA MyAccount secure portal;<\/li><li>through your secure My Service Canada Account; or<\/li><li>by calling a toll-free number equipped with an automated application process. This number will be available as of April 6.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To speed up the process, the CRA created a cheat sheet on the best time to apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/cerb-eligibility\/screen-shot-2020-04-02-at-3-26-01-pm\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-13079\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"394\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Screen-Shot-2020-04-02-at-3.26.01-PM-1024x394.png\" alt=\"CRA when to apply for CERB \" class=\"wp-image-13079\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) applications will be available on April 6 \u2013 but do you qualify? We break down who can apply, what you can do before the application date, and what will make you ineligible for this COVID-19 pandemic help<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":16499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"guide":[],"class_list":["post-13074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"acf":[],"zolo_excerpt":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13074"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20181,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13074\/revisions\/20181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13074"},{"taxonomy":"guide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guide?post=13074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}