Support for individuals

Measure

Eligibility

Benefit and criteria

Additional info

Employment Insurance (EI) Program

EI provides income support to Canadians who are looking for work. You may be eligible for temporary EI benefits if you:

• Were employed for at least 120 insurable hours in the past 52 weeks. If you received the CERB, the 52-week period to accumulate insured hours will be extended.
• Stopped working through no fault of your own.
• Have not quit your job voluntarily.
• Are ready, willing and capable of working each day (EI regular benefits).
• Are temporarily unable to work while you care for someone else or yourself (EI maternity, parental, sickness, compassionate care, and family caregiver benefits).

Temporary minimum eligibility requirement for all provinces

Under this temporary EI program, the Government of Canada will set uniform eligibility requirements across Canada for EI regular and special benefits at:

• 420 hours of insurable employment for regular EI benefits (before the insurable hours credit is applied),
• 600 hours of insurable employment for special EI benefits (before the insurable hours credit is applied),
• Provide a minimum entitlement of 50 weeks of regular benefits, and
• Set 14 as the number of best weeks of earnings used in the calculation of the weekly benefit rate.

For more information on regular Employment Insurance benefits visit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit.html

and

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/notice-covid-19.html

This EI program is effective until September 25, 2021.

Minimum benefit rate

If you become eligible for EI benefits on or after September 27, 2020, claimants will receive a minimum benefit rate of $500 per week (or $300 for extended parental benefits). Eligibility for the first EI payment is at the end of the two weeks that you are out of work. 

Insurable hours credit

To help individuals qualify for the minimum of 120 insurable hours of work required, EI claimants will receive a one-time insurable hours credit of:

• 300 insurable hours for claims for regular benefits (job loss).
• 480 insurable hours for claims for special benefits (sickness, maternity/parental, compassionate care or family caregiver).

The insurable hours credit will be available for new EI claims for a period of one year.

For more information on transitioning from CERB to EI or to one of the three new recovery benefits, visit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition.html

The waiting period will be waived for EI beneficiaries who establish a new claim between January 31, 2021 and September 25, 2021. This includes claims for regular, fishing and special benefits.

FAQ on transition to EI benefits:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition/ei-questions.html

Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)

The CRB will be available to employees and self-employed individuals not eligible for EI. You may qualify if you meet the following criteria during each period you want to apply for:

• Are resident and present in Canada during the two-week period,
• Are 15 years old on first day of the two-week period and have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN), and
• Had employment income, self-employment income, certain EI benefits or certain provincial benefits of at least $5,000 in 2019, 2020 or in the 12-month period preceding the application day.

The CRB is for individuals:

• Who are not employed or self-employed, or experience a reduction of at least 50% in their average weekly income (employment or self-employment) due to COVID-19 for a two-week period,
• Are available and looking for work,
• Have not quit their job voluntarily, and
• Who do not qualify for EI, and don’t receive benefits under certain provincial programs, CRSB or CRCB during the two-week period.

You must re-apply after every two-week period for which you are seeking income support and must continue to meet all eligibility requirements.

Applications for the CRB began on October 12, 2020. For details on the program and how to apply, visit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-benefit.html

You must not have applied or receive any of the following benefits:

• Other recovery benefits
• Short-term disability
• Workers compensation
• Employment Insurance
• Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

This recovery program is effective until September 25, 2021.

The initial CRB program provides a benefit amount of $500 per week for up to 38 weeks.

On April 19, 2021 the federal government proposed to extend the CRB by 12 weeks for a maximum of 50 weeks of benefit.

As the CRB program winds down, it is proposed:

• the first four of the additional 12 weeks will be paid at $500 per week and
• the remaining 8 weeks will be paid at a lower amount of $300 per week claimed.

All new Canada Recovery Benefit claimants after July 17, 2021 would also receive the $300 per week benefit, available up until September 25, 2021.

CRA will withhold 10 per cent tax at source, therefore the actual payment will be $900 per 2-week period.

The CRB will be clawed back at a rate of $.50 for every dollar of income in excess of $38,000 to a maximum amount equal to the CRB received for that calendar year.

Retroactive applications must be made within 60 days after the end of the two-week period you wish to apply for.

The CRA will verify your eligibility to receive the CRB. If there is information missing from your application or additional information is required, CRA may need you to provide additional documentation to validate your application in order to complete the process, thus your payment could be delayed.

In order to continue to be eligible for the CRB, the claimant would need to look for and accept work when it is reasonable to do so.

There are additional provisions to restrict access to the CRB if a person has failed to return to employment or resume self-employment when it was reasonable to do so or have declined a reasonable offer to work. If a person’s situation was unreasonable, the benefit can be denied, and the maximum number of two-week periods (13 2-week periods) will be reduced by five 2-week periods.

FAQ on Canada Recovery Benefits

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition/questions.html

Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)

The CRSB will be available to employees and self-employed individuals not eligible for EI. You may qualify if you meet the following criteria during each period you want to apply for:

• Are resident and present in Canada during the two-week period,
• Are 15 years old on the first day of the two-week period and have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN), and
• Had employment income, self-employment income, certain EI benefits, or certain provincial benefits of at least $5,000 in 2019, 2020 or in the 12-month period preceding the application day.

The CRSB is for individuals:

• Who don’t receive benefits under certain provincial programs, CRB or CRCB during the two-week period,
• Who don’t receive paid leave or have been paid under a sickness benefit plan,
• Who are employed and unable to work for at least 50 per cent of the time they would have otherwise worked in the week, or who are self-employed and reduced their time devoted to their work by at least 50 per cent of the time they would have otherwise worked in the week, and
  • Contracted or might have contracted COVID-19,
  • Have underlying conditions, in the opinion of a medical or nurse practitioner, would make them more susceptible to COVID-19, or
  • They isolated themselves on the advice of their employer, medical or nurse practitioner.

You must reapply after the one-week period in which you are seeking income support and must continue to meet all eligibility requirements.

Applications for the CRSB began on October 5, 2020. For details on the program and how to apply, visit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-sickness-benefit.html

You must not have applied or receive any of the following benefits:

• Other recovery benefits
• Short-term disability
• Workers compensation
• Employment Insurance
• Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

This recovery program is effective until September 25, 2021.

The CRSB program provides $500 per week for up to a maximum of four weeks. The CRA will withhold 10 per cent tax at source therefore the actual payment will be $450 per 1-week period.

Retroactive applications must be made within 60 days after the end of the week for the period you wish to apply for.

The CRA will verify your eligibility to receive the CRSB. If there is information missing from your application or additional information is required, CRA may need you to provide additional documentation to validate your application in order to complete the process, thus your payment could be delayed.

Workers would not be required to have a medical certificate to qualify for the CRSB.

FAQ on Canada Recovery Benefits

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition/questions.html

Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB)

The CRCB will be available to employees and self-employed individuals not eligible for EI. You may qualify if you meet the following criteria during each period you want to apply for:

• Are resident and present in Canada during the two-week period,
• Are 15 years old on first day of two- week period and have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN), and
• Had employment income, self-employment income, certain EI benefits, or certain provincial benefits of at least $5,000 in 2019, 2020 or in the 12-month period preceding the application day.

The CRCB is for individuals:

• Who don’t receive benefits under certain provincial programs, CRB or CRSB during the two-week period,
• Who don’t receive paid leave or have been paid under a sickness benefit plan,
• Who is the only person in your household applying for the benefit for the week,
• Who have been unable to work for at least 50 per cent of their normally scheduled work within a given week because of one of the following conditions:
  • They must take care of a child who is under 12 years of age or a family member who needs supervised care because they are at home for one of the following reasons relating to COVID-19:
  • Their school, daycare or day program/facility is closed or unavailable to them,
  • The person under your care is sick or has symptoms, or is at high risk of serious health complications or if they are self-isolating, or
  • The caregiver who usually provides care is not available.

You must reapply after the one-week period in which you are seeking income support and must continue to meet all eligibility requirements.

Applications for the CRCB began on October 5, 2020. For details on the program and how to apply, visit:

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-caregiving-benefit.html

You must not have applied or receive any of the following benefits:

• Other recovery benefits
• Short-term disability
• Workers compensation
• Employment Insurance
• Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

This recovery program is effective until September 25, 2021.

The CRCB program provides a benefit amount of $500 per week for up to 38 weeks per household.

On April 19, 2021 the federal government proposed to extend the CRCB by 4 weeks for a maximum of 42 weeks of benefit.

The CRA will withhold 10 per cent tax at source, therefore the actual payment will be $450 per 1-week period.

Retroactive applications must be made within 60 days after the end of the week for the period you wish to apply for.

The CRA will verify your eligibility to receive the CRCB. If there is information missing from your application or additional information is required, the CRA may need you to provide additional documentation to validate your application in order to complete the process, thus your payment could be delayed.

Two members residing in the same household cannot be in receipt of the benefit for the same period.

FAQ on Canada Recovery Benefits

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition/questions.html

For details on the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB), as well as other federal relief measures for individuals, view our legacy guide.