CERB to EI – What you Need to Know

The end of September saw the end of the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and Federal changes to Employment Insurance (EI), which may have brought about some confusion.

We have compiled some information to help you seamlessly get through this transition:

• Benefits from CERB officially ended as of October 3rd. So, if you’re worried about your next payment, let’s look at how you applied:
  • If you applied through Service Canada, continue your bi-weekly reporting schedule and you should automatically be transferred over to the new EI benefits. If Service Canada reviews your claim to find that you’re not eligible for EI benefits, you’ll be notified by mail. The “My Service Canada Account” may have valuable information about the status of your claim and any pending decisions that need to be made.
  • If you applied through Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you’ll need to complete the online application for Employment Insurance benefits on the Service Canada website, which is available here. Service Canada asks that you read over the eligibility before applying to determine if you may be eligible for continued benefits. The online application will take about 60 minutes to complete.

• Individuals with a Social Insurance Number (SIN) that starts with a 9, self-employed, or declared that you returned to work while receiving CERB would be expected to re-apply for benefits if they are still in need of financial assistance.

• Any earnings that you receive during these periods needs to be reported, as it may impact your benefit rate. Currently benefit rates with the new financial assistance limits are set at a minimum taxable rate of $500/week, or $300 per week for extended parental leave benefits.

• New program benefits through revamped EI benefits are available for a period of 26 weeks.

• Individuals transitioning between benefits should be eligible for their first EI payment as of October 11. It’s anticipated that 80% of the applicants should receive their first deposited payment as of October 14th, and the remainder of applicants to be paid within 3-14 days following this date. The quick turnaround in the approval of applications is thanks to increased staffing capacities within EI agents in the anticipated and expected unprecedented needs.

If you still have questions on how to proceed, you can read some FAQs here, put in an E-service request for a representative to connect with you, Book an Appointment at Lutherwood and we would be happy to help you.