As part of the Federal government’s relief plan, the government announced various financial supports to ease the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadians. On March 25, the government passed a $107 billion emergency relief package, which included the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), designed to help those whose jobs have been impacted by the pandemic.
As REALTORS®, you can apply for the CERB.
Applicants who have earned, or anticipate they will earn, $1000 or less in employment income for 14 consecutive days in the initial 4-week application period are eligible to apply.
Pensions are not employment income and therefore, should not be included in the $1000.
Your application does not renew automatically. If your situation continues, you have to re-apply for the CERB for a new four-week period and can receive the CERB payment a maximum of four times.
There are currently 7 eligibility periods in which you can apply for the benefit. They are from:
- March 15 to April 11
- April 12 to May 9
- May 10 to June 6
- June 7 to July 4
- July 5 to August 1
- August 2 to August 29
- August 30 to September 26.
Please keep in mind that you can only receive the benefit for a maximum of 16 weeks (or four periods). If you have received or will receive income (for example, a commission cheque) after you have already gotten a payment, but then stop working again, you will need to re-apply for the CERB. When you re-apply, you must confirm that for at least 14 days in a row, during the period you are applying for you did not receive more than $1,000 in employment income. When submitting subsequent claims, you cannot have earned more than $1,000 in employment and/or self-employment income for the entire four-week benefit period of your new claim.
If you require assistance with your application, OREA has put together a step-by-step guide on how exactly you can apply for the benefit.
There are two ways to apply for the CERB – by completing an online application or applying over the phone. If you require further assistance, please click on the link that best applies to your application.
I will be applying online with CRA My Account.
I will be applying over the phone with the automated phone service.