The federal government announced a new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) which replaces the previously announced Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit to aid Canadians during COVID-19 pandemic.

CERB is a taxable benefit that provides individuals with $2,000 a month for up to 4 months who are sick, quarantined, directed self-isolation and unable to work due to following reasons:

  • Wage earners and self-employed individuals, including contract workers, who are not eligible for Employment Insurance.
  • Workers who are unable to work due to COVID-19 and do not have access to either paid leave or other income support.
  • Workers who are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19.
  • Working parents who must stay home without pay to care for their children that are sick or need additional care because of school and daycare closures.
  • Workers who still have their employment but are not being paid because there is currently not sufficient work and their employer has advised them not to come to work.

Canadians can apply for the CERB starting early April through a secure web portal on Government of Canada website once the portal is available.

  • The CERB payments would begin within 10 days after the application gets processed. Payments would be made every 4 weeks from March 15, 2020 until October 3, 2020.
  • Canadians who have already applied for EI but their application is yet to process would not need to apply for CERB again.
  • Canadians who are already receiving EI regular and sickness benefits due to COVID-19 should not apply for CERB as they will continue to receive their benefits. However if their benefits ends before October 3, 2020, they can apply for CERB after it ceases.
  • Canadians who are eligible for EI and sickness benefits would still be able to access their normal EI benefits, if still unemployed, after the 16-week period covered by the CERB.