Nearly 1 million Canadians out of work due to COVID-19 have applied for federal aid: here's how you can, too

Starting this week, Canadians who had to stop working because of the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for $2,000 per month in funding from the federal government.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) promises $500 per week in financial support for up to 16 weeks to Canadians 15 years of age or older who were employed or self-employed but had to stop working due to COVID-19.

The CERB is part of a suite of financial aid to assist individuals and businesses ensure the COVID-19 crisis.

“Taken together, we’ve introduced the biggest economic measures in our lifetime which will help millions of people," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday.

The program opened to online applications on Monday for those who have birthdays in January, February and March.

In the first day alone, the CERB received 967,000 applications.  

The benefit is available to those who stopped working because of COVID-19 or are eligible for regular or sickness Employment Insurance benefits who expect to be without income for at least two weeks.

The applicant must also have earned at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months before they make their application.

Those who collect will be asked to reapply in four-week periods, and can collect the benefit for up to 16 weeks as long as they do not earn income.

Workers do not have to be laid off before they can apply for the benefit as long as they have stopped working because of COVID-19.

You can apply if you have been laid off from your job or if your hours have been reduced to zero because of the COVID-19 crisis, or if you are in isolation or caring for those in quarantine.

You cannot, however, apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit if you quit your job.

Trudeau said the federal government is looking at ways to compensate workers who would earn less than the Canada Emergency Response Benefit would provide had they been laid off so workers aren’t inadvertently encouraged to leave their jobs to claim the benefit. Further details are expected in the coming days and weeks.

“We see you, we’re going to be there for you and we’re working as hard as we can to get you the support that you need," Trudeau said.

The benefit is available from March 15 to Oct. 3, 2020.

The benefit is being administered through the Canada Revenue Agency, and those who apply will need a CRA My Account.

Applications can be made online under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit tab on the official Government of Canada website. 

You can also apply by phone at 1-800-959-2019 or 1-800-959-2041. Both of these phone lines will be available 21 hours a day, seven days a week. They will be unavailable between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. to allow for system maintenance.

Those who apply will be asked to provide their contact information including their postal code and their Social Insurance Number.

If you are already set up for direct deposit with the Canada Revenue Agency through filing your taxes, accepted applicants can expect a payment in as little as three days. Those who do not have direct deposit will be mailed a cheque.

If you do not have a CRA My Account, but filed taxes for 2018 or 2019 you will be required to register for an account.

If you do not have an account, but filed tax returns for the years prior to 2018 you can call 1-800-959-2019 or 1-800-959-2041.

If you do not have an account and have not filed a tax return, you can call 1-800-959-8281 to apply.

To avoid overwhelming the system, the Government of Canada has split up application days by birthdate.

Starting on April 6, those with a birthday in January, February or March can apply for the benefit on Mondays. Those with birthdays in April, May or June can apply on Tuesdays. Applicants with birthdays in July August or September can apply on Wednesdays while those with birthdays in October, November or December can apply on Thursdays.

Those who missed their preferred weekday can apply on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

These payments can be backdated to March 15.

As the federal government opened applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, the provincial government closed their Emergency Isolation Support program.

The province’s program, announced March 18, was supposed to compensate those out of work because they were ordered to isolate until a federal program could take its place.

However, the program was criticized for being hard to access.

When the Emergency Isolation Support program closed, the provincial government said nearly 79,600 eligible Albertans had been paid $91.7 million, nearly double the amount originally budgeted.

Once a backlog in applications is cleared, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney estimates between $106 and $110 million will be paid out through the Emergency Isolation Support program.