A new ​Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) received Royal Assent today as part of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act.

The CERB is a simpler, more accessible program that will replace the previously announced Emergency Care Benefit and Emergency Support Benefit programs with a taxable benefit of $2,000 a month for up to 4 months to support workers who lose their income as of result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who qualifies?

CERB will help:

• Workers who have lost their job,
• 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 children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures, and
• Workers who are still employed, but are not receiving income because of disruptions to their work situation related to COVID-19.

The benefit is available to all Canadian workers affected by Covid-19, regardless of whether they would normally qualify for EI benefits or not.

How to apply?

If you have already been laid off and are not self-employed, you can apply for the CERB program immediately by applying for EI benefits here.

Self-employed workers and others who cannot apply for EI at this time will be able to use a web portal, automated telephone line or toll-free number that is expected to be available in early April.

The government has said that Canadians would begin to receive their CERB payments within 10 days of application and would then be paid every four weeks and be available from March 15, 2020 until October 3, 2020.

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