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As of Monday, Canadians who have stopped working because of the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for temporary income support through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
The CERB provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.
The CERB supports Canadians by providing financial support to employed and self-employed Canadians who are directly affected by COVID-19.
Administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), there are two ways to apply for the new benefit: either directly through the CRA’s website, or by applying for Employment Insurance (EI) — for those who are eligible — which will automatically be transferred into the CERB payments.
After you apply, you should get your payment in 3 business days if you signed up for direct deposit. If you haven’t, you should get it in about 10 business days.
Who is eligible
The benefit will be available to workers:
- Residing in Canada, who are at least 15 years old;
- Who have stopped working because of COVID-19 and have not voluntarily quit their job or are eligible for EI regular or sickness benefits;
- Who had income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application; and
- Who are or expect to be without employment or self-employment income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial four-week period. For subsequent benefit periods, they expect to have no employment or self-employment income.
How to apply
To deliver payments to Canadians in a fast and easy way, the CERB is being jointly delivered by Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency.
Begin the application process online by answering a few simple questions here.