News COVID-19
Canada Emergency Response Benefit now open to offset COVID-19 wage losses

Canadians who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) at Canada.ca/coronavirus.

As of April 6, online applications for the CERB will open for those born between January to March in order to avoid a system crash. Other applicants are being asked to apply from April 7-9, depending on their month of birth.

According to the federal government, Canadians who have lost their income due to COVID-19 can expect their payment in 3 to 5 business days from when they apply if they are using direct deposit. That means most Canadians who are eligible will receive $2,000 before the end of next week.

Those looking to get more information about the CERB or, who are unable to apply online, can call the toll-free telephone line at 1-833-966-2099.

To help manage the volume of applications through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and Service Canada.

Canadians who have already applied for EI do not need to reapply. To date, over 1.2 million of the EI applications received since March 15, 2020 have been processed through the new CERB.