In our March 26, 2020 Blog post we highlighted the new CERB, which is a $2,000 payment that could be received from the federal government by qualified recipients for up to a four month period.

On April 1, 2020, further details concerning the application process were announced, including:

• To be eligible, an applicant must have had at least $5,000 of income from employment, self-employment, EI benefits or certain provincial benefits in 2019 or the twelve months preceding the date of application. 
• The on-line portal and automated telephone service that are being established to receive applications will be open on April 6, 2020.  To manage the volume of applications, applications are to be made on specific days based upon the birth month of the applicant as follows:

• Each $2,000 payment covers a 4 week period.  If you remain out of work due to Covid-19, you must reapply for second, third and fourth payments.
• The announcement is available at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/apply-for-cerb-with-cra.html .

CRA has clarified that non-eligible dividends paid count towards the $5,000 income requirement to be eligible for CERB.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.  We are here for you.