For the latest information on all Individual Supports from the federal government, visit this website.
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) gives financial support to employed and self-employed Canadians who are directly affected by COVID-19.
If you are eligible, you can receive $2,000 for a 4-week period (the same as $500 a week).
CERB has been extended from 16 weeks to 24 weeks for workers who:
- stopped working due to COVID-19 or
- are eligible for Employment Insurance regular or sickness benefits or
- have exhausted their Employment Insurance regular benefits or Employment Insurance fishing benefits between December 29, 2019 and October 3, 2020.
Who is eligible
The Benefit is available to workers:
- Residing in Canada, who are at least 15 years old;
- Who have stopped working because of reasons related to COVID-19 or are eligible for Employment Insurance regular or sickness benefits or have exhausted their Employment Insurance regular benefits or Employment Insurance fishing benefits between December 29, 2019 and October 3, 2020;
- Who had employment and/or self-employment income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application; and,
- Who have not quit their job voluntarily.
When submitting your first claim, you cannot have earned more than $1,000 in employment and/or self-employment income for 14 or more consecutive days within the four-week benefit period of your claim.
How to apply
To deliver payments to Canadians in a fast and easy way, the CERB is being jointly delivered by Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency.
Please read these questions and answers for more details.
Sending your CERB payment back
You may want to return or be required to repay the CERB if you:
- return to work earlier than expected or receive retroactive pay from your employer
- applied for the CERB but later realize you’re not eligible
- receive a CERB payment from both Service Canada and the CRA for the same period
For students who are not eligible for the CERB
Post-secondary and graduating high school students may be eligible for the Canada Emergency Student Benefit.
Find more information on CERB here.
Canada Emergency Student Benefit
The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) provides financial support to post-secondary students, and recent post-secondary and high school graduates who are unable to find work due to COVID-19.
This benefit is for students who do not qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) or Employment Insurance (EI).
Who can apply
If you are able to work, you must be actively looking for work to be eligible to receive the CESB. If you still cannot find work due to COVID-19, you can re-apply for each CESB eligibility period that you are eligible for.
How much you can get
The CESB is a taxable benefit that provides relief for eligible students for a maximum of 16 weeks.
Payment amount
The benefit provides a payment of $1,250 for each 4-week period from May to August 2020.
You may be able to get an extra $750 for each 4-week period, if you meet at least one of the following requirements:
- you have a disability as defined for this benefit
- you have at least one child under the age of 12 or other dependants
Find more information about the Canada Emergency Student Benefit here.
Increasing the Canada Child Benefit
The federal government is providing up to an extra $300 per child through the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for 2019-20. This will mean approximately $550 more for the average family.
This benefit will be delivered as part of the scheduled CCB payment in May.
Those who already receive the CCB do not need to re-apply.
Find the latest CCB information here.
Special Goods and Services Tax credit payment
The federal government is providing a one-time special payment starting April 9 through the Goods and Services Tax credit for low- and modest-income families.
The average additional benefit will be close to $400 for single individuals and close to $600 for couples.
There is no need to apply for this payment. If you are eligible, you will get it automatically.
Find the latest information here.
Extra time to file income tax returns
The filing due date for 2019 income tax returns for individuals has been deferred until June 1, 2020. Any new income tax balances due, or instalments, are also being deferred until after August 31, 2020 without incurring interest or penalties.
Find the latest information here.
Note: If you expect to receive benefits under the Goods and Services Tax credit or the Canada Child Benefit, the federal government encourages you not to delay filing your 2019 income tax return to ensure that your entitlements are properly determined.
Mortgage support
Canadian banks have committed to work with their customers on a case-by-case basis to find solutions to help them manage hardships caused by COVID-19. This includes permitting lenders to defer up to six monthly mortgage payments (interest and principal) for impacted borrowers. Canadians who are impacted by COVID-19 and experiencing financial hardship as a result should contact their financial institution regarding flexibility for a mortgage deferral. This gives flexibility to be available − when needed − to those who need it the most. You are encouraged to visit your bank's website for the latest information, rather than calling or visiting a branch.
Consult your bank's dedicated COVID-19 page here.
Contact your financial institution for further mortgage assistance.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and other mortgage insurers offer tools to lenders that can assist homeowners who may be experiencing financial difficulty. These include payment deferral, loan re-amortization, capitalization of outstanding interest arrears and other eligible expenses, and special payment arrangements.
Canada's mortgage insurers are committed to providing homeowners with solutions to mitigate temporary financial hardship related to COVID-19. This includes permitting lenders to defer up to six monthly mortgage payments (interest and principal) for impacted borrowers. Deferred payments are added to the outstanding principal balance and subsequently repaid throughout the life of the mortgage.
Temporary salary top-up for low-income essential workers
The federal government will work with provinces and territories through a new transfer to cost-share a temporary top up to the salaries of low-income workers (those who earn less than $2,500 per month on a full time basis), that the provinces and territories have deemed essential in the fight against COVID-19.
This will provide a much needed boost to those on the front-line in hospitals, those caring for seniors in long-term care facilities, those working so hard to make sure that there is food on our shelves and tables, and others.
More details will be released shortly.
Suspending repayment and interest on student loans
All student loan borrowers will automatically have their loan repayments and interest suspended until September 30, 2020.
Students do not need to apply for the repayment pause.
This moratorium applies to the federal portion of student loans. Borrowers should check with their provincial or territorial student loan provider to see if payment is required on the provincial or territorial portion.