As many of you are already aware, due to COVID-19 concerns we have shut down the office for safety of everyone and to help with the ongoing efforts to “flatten the curve”. As a result, work times have naturally slowed as we are all in this pandemic together.
On Monday March 6th, the CERB became available for several individuals. Note that if you are eligible for both the CERB and EI, EI is the better choice as you are automatically enrolled into the CERB to receive maximum benefits and then subsequently you will be receiving EI as an extension thereafter once CERB benefits run out.
Below is our quick summary of information related to eligibility and how to apply if you have not already done so.
Eligibility
- You must reside in Canada
- You are 15 years of age or older at the time of application
- You have stopped or will stop working for reasons related to COVID-19, or because you are unable to work due to illness, or because you lost your employment for other reasons beyond your control; and
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- If you are submitting for the first time, that you have stopped or will stop working for reasons related to COVID-19 for at least 14 consecutive days within the 4 week benefit period
- If you are filing for a subsequent period and did not return to work since your previous claim, you did not receive any employment or self employment income since collecting the benefit and do not expect to receive any employment or self employment income within the 4 week benefit period
- If you are filing for a subsequent period after having returned to work between periods, that you have stopped or will stop working for reasons related to COVID-19 for at least 14 consecutive days within the 4 week benefit period
- You have not quit your job voluntarily
- You are not receiving nor have you applied for the CERB from the Canada Revenue Agency
- You are not receiving Employment Insurance benefits for the same benefit period
- You have earned a minimum of $5,000 in income within the last 12 months or in the 2019 calendar year from either: Employment income or Self-employment income
How to Apply
You will need to apply by logging into your MyCRA account. If you do not have one (most people do not) please skip to the bottom and follow the instructions.
- Login to your MyCRA account
- At the top of your main page you will see in a bright blue box the COVID-19 Application. Press “Apply”
- Follow the prompts and select March 15th to April 11th 2020 and click next.
Once you confirm everything, you should be in the system and set to go. Please note that you will need to ensure that your address with CRA is up to date and/or you have direct deposit information loaded so the money can come to you faster.
Register (for a MyCRA Account)
Scroll down to “Option 2 – Using a CRA user ID and Password
- Click on “CRA Register”
- Once here you will be prompted with a series of questions. The information requested will be from your 2018 T1 Tax return.
- If you have not filed a tax return before, you will have to phone CRA at 1-800-959-8281. Note that wait times are very long and difficult to get through so please budget
- Once you do register, you will receive a notification that a code will be mailed to you. This code is to unlock the full access to your account and is not necessary for the CERB application.
Still Struggling?
Please contact our Vancouver accounting team to see how we can help.