Hey guys, This is Thomas! And welcome back to my channel!
Better Mindset! | Better Life!
Starting in April 6th 2020,
The Canadian government will launch a new benefit called
Canada Emergency Response Benefit
So this video is about the everything you need to know about CERB.
I will share What is CERB,
Who Can Qualify it,
How to Qualify It
And How is that different compare to Employment Insurance.
I will make it very simple so you don’t have to waste time searching!
So let’s GO!!
Canada Emergency Response Benefit, short for CERB,
is provided by the Canadian Government in April 2020.
It’s goal to give financial aid to the people who lost income due to the virus.
If your work income have been reduced to zero
you cannot go to work because you are in quarantine
or have to take care children or elders
whose health care facility is closed due to COVID-19.
the CERB may provide you with temporary income support.
No matter if you are qualified for Employment Insurance or not,
you will still able to get CERB.
It provides $500 a week for 4 weeks straight and up to 16 weeks in total.
So there are 4 benefits period, each period is 4 weeks long
And each time you have to reapply and
meet the qualification in order to get the benefit.
The benefit starts from March 15 2020 to Oct 3rd 2020.
There are couple criteria you need to meet:
at least 15 years old; and resides in Canada with valid Sin number
you have to stop working because of COVID-19.
That means you cannot voluntarily leave your job;
or If you are looking for a job but haven’t stopped working because of COVID-19,
you are not eligible for the benefit.
You need to have at least $5,000 of income on paper in 2019,
the income has to be your active income
such as work income or self employ income.
Rental income, or investment income do not qualify into the $5,000
And lastly no income for at least 14 consecutive days
in the initial four-week period and do not expected to have income.
In simple words, you have to live in Canada,
worked last year and lost of job due to the COVID 19 this year.
Then you can qualify for the benefits
This can also apply for contractors and self employed workers.
Take Realtor for example, if they have no business transaction due to the covid 19
and they meet the criteria above.
Then they are qualify for the benefit
But if you are a student who had a job last year
and were planning on working this summer
you do not qualify for the benefit.
There are two ways to apply for the CERB
First one is through Online CRA portal
I will attach the link below
First log in into your Online CRA - My account
Click COVID-19: Canada Emergency Response Benefit
in the alert banner at the top of the page
Select the period you want to apply for
Declare that you qualify for the benefit
Confirm you have the right payment information
Or you can apply by phone.
It is an automotive system.
The phone number is 1-800-959-2019
You need to have your SIN card #,
and personal information like address and date of birth ready
You can be in person,
or you can authorize someone to call for you
but you need to do that prior in another portal.
Whether you apply online or by phone,
the CRA has set up specific days for you to apply.
Please use the following guideline:
If you are born in the first 6 months of the year,
best to call on Monday and Tuesday or weekend
If you are born in the later half of the year,
best to call Wednesday Thursday or weekend.
For Direct Banking deposit –
the money should be in the bank account within 3 to 5 business days.
otherwise, it takes up to 10 business day or longer to send the cheque over
If I am getting EI now, does that affect CERB and do I have to reapply?
If you are already receiving Employment Insurance regular benefits,
you will continue to receive these benefits until the end of your benefit period.
If you are eligible for EI before March 15,
but didn’t apply until March 15 or after,
you will still get able to get EI.
And if the EI benefits end before (October 3rd, 2020)
Then you can apply CERB given you have stopped working because reason related to COVID19
Like the date suggested, if you lose your income after March 15th due to the virus,
then you can only apply to CERB.
That means you cannot be paid both Employment Insurance benefit
and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit at the same time.
And starting in April 6th, 2020, everything will go into the CERB portal
However, for other EI benefits, including maternity,
seasonal jobs like fishing and worksharing,
you should also continue to apply for the EI benefits.
That’s the basic 101 for CERB.
There are some FAQ regards to the benefits,
I will put it in the description box.
Or you can leave a comment here
and I can make a video for you guys too.
The CERB is for to all people who lost income due to the virus only.
You have to apply every fours weeks up to 4 times
and each time you have to meet the criteria above.
The easiest way will be through online CRA portal.
A Friendly Reminder,
it’s great that the Canadian Government is responding to the health situation.
This give us a breathing room, but it’s not going to be enough.
Please re check your finance and plan accordingly.
This can be a long battle,
but we will win as long we stay strong both physically and financially.
Thanks so much for watching this video!
I hope this video can make it easier for you.
If you find the content useful, please kindly share it to your friends.
Or press the like button below,
it helps with youtube algorithm so more people can watch this
you can also leave a comment with your questions here
and we can all help each other.
Right now, The Health care capacity is reaching the limit
Please wear a mask and keep our social distance.
Do your best to stay at home!
People from health care are staying at work for us, please stay home for them!
This is Thomas! And i will see you in the next video!