In response to the difficulties Canadian individuals are facing the Canadian Government announced the
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). This is applicable to you if you have lost income because
of COVID-19. The CERB will provide you with temporary income support in the amount of $500 a week
for up to 16 weeks.

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive the CERB from Service Canada, the following must apply:

• You must be at least 15 years old;
• You have stopped or will stop working for reasons related to COVID-19, or because you are
  unable to work due to illness, or because you lost your employment for other reasons beyond
  your control;
• You expect to be without income for at least 14 consecutive days;
• You have not quit your job voluntarily;
• You have earned a minimum of $5,000 in income within the last 12 months or in the 2019
  calendar year from one or more of the following sources:
  o Employment income
  o Self-employment income
  o Maternity and parental benefits
• Note that there have been no discussions as to how dividend income will factor into eligibility and
  we hope this will be addressed soon.

Applying

Starting April 6th, you can apply through the CRA My Account portal. As such, we advise that you
register this account and direct deposit in advance of the application process opening. Benefits will start
within 10 days of you submitting your application. You will need to apply and confirm eligibility every 4
weeks thereafter.

Please continue to re-visit this post for further updates on the application of the benefit. If you have any
questions, please feel free to contact us.