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COVID-19 Business FAQ

How do I fill out an ROE (Record of Employment)?

Service Canada provides a comprehensive guide to completing ROEs. Employers should follow this guide to ensure accuracy when completing ROEs.

What code do I use on the ROE form Block 16 regarding the reason for lay-off?

If you are laying off staff for any reason you must use the appropriate Code in Box 16. Specific codes to use due to Covid-19 are:

  • CODE D: if your employee is under quarantine or self-quarantine due to Covid-19, please use Code “D” for illness or injury
  • CODE A: if your employees are out of work due to temporarily closing your whole business or parts of your business, please use Code “A” for Shortage of Work.
  • CODE N: if your employee is refusing to report to work due to the risk of exposure to Covid-19, please use Code “N” for leave of absence.

Other codes apply for different circumstances such as maternity, dismissal, quit etc., in which case, use the appropriate code.

Important: when issuing an ROE do not put anything in “Box 18 – Comments section”. Any comments will remove the ROE from the automated process and will delay the processing of the claim.

When do I have to issue an ROE

Employers must issue an ROE within 5 calendar days of the interruption of earnings or the date the employer becomes aware of an interruption of earnings. OR if issuing electronic ROEs, you have up to five calendar days after the end of the pay period in which an employee’s interruption of earnings occurs.

An interruption of earnings occurs when an employee:

  1. Quits
  2. Is laid off or terminated
  3. Has had, or is anticipated to have, 7 consecutive calendar days with no work & no insurable earnings from the employer.
  4. Has a salary that falls below 60% of regular weekly earnings because of illness, injury, quarantine, pregnancy, caring for newborn or adopted children, or providing support to a family member who is gravely ill with significant risk of death.

Exceptions

The 7-day rule for an interruption of earnings does not apply in the following cases: Real estate agents; employees who have non-standard work schedules; commission salespeople

Regardless of whether or not the employee intends to file a claim for EI benefits, the employer must issue an ROE:

  • each time an employee experiences an interruption of earnings;
  • or when Service Canada requests one.

For part-time, on-call or casual workers, an ROE does not have to be issued for each interruption except when:

  1. The employee requests one (and there has been an interruption of earnings)
  2. The employee is no longer considered “active”
  3. The ROE is requested by Service Canada
  4. The employee has not worked or had insurable earning in the last thirty days

How do I access an ROE form?

Preferred method is Electronic ROEs

In order to use ROE Web you must have a My Business Account with Canada Revenue Agency.

If you do not have an account set up yet, information on registering for My Business Account with CRA is found here: Registration Process to Access CRA Login Services

Once you have your CRA account set up, you will be able to sign into ROE Web and complete the electronic ROE

Ordering Paper ROE Forms

Employers must communicate with the Employer Contact Centre to order paper ROE forms. Service Canada no longer accepts orders for paper ROE forms by fax or mail.

When you call, you will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Your 15-character Payroll Account Number (PAN) issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The PAN can be found on the CRA PD7A (Statement of account for current source deductions) form. If you do not have a PAN, you will have to request one from CRA, and
  • The name, address and telephone number of your business.

Am I eligible for the Temporary Wage Subsidy?”

You are an eligible employer if you:

  • are a non-profit organization, registered charity, or a Canadian-controlled private corporation (CCPC);
  • have an existing business number and payroll program account with the CRA on March 18, 2020; and
  • pay salary, wages, bonuses, or other remuneration to an employee.

Note: CCPCs are only eligible for the subsidy if their taxable capital employed in Canada for the preceding taxation year, calculated on an associated group basis, is less than $15 million.

For more information please go to: Frequently Asked Questions: Temporary Wage Subsidy for Employers

Note: If you are a sole proprietor or partnership that has employees, you are not eligible at this time to access the Temporary Wage Subsidy.

COVID-19 Resources, Information & Support

Federal Government of Canada

For up-to-date information, visit: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Resources for Canadian Businesses

Download the Canada Business App to find tailored supports to address your specific needs and questions about COVID-19.  This page includes resources on:

Support for Employees:

Support for Business

FINANCIAL

WAGES

Business Travel and Events

The Government is advising Canadians to:

To help bring Canadians home, the Government has created the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad.

When it comes to business conferences and events, the Government is advising against gatherings of people.

Exporting and doing business in international markets

Canada and the United States are temporarily restricting all non-essential travel across our border. Essential travel will continue unimpeded to preserve supply chains between both countries and ensure that food, fuel and life-saving medicines reach people on both sides of the border.

The Trade Commissioner Service has experts in 160 cities worldwide who can provide small businesses with market-specific insights and guidance to help you mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, as well as access to funding to help you in global markets.

Export Development Canada (EDC):

Government of British Columbia

COVID-19: Provincial Support and Information: Businesses

Financial Support

Business Credit Availability Program

Western Economic Diversification Canada

  • Assistance for tourism operators, small businesses or organizations: if you are a tourism operator, a small business or an organization affected by COVID-19 and need pressing assistance, the Western Economic Diversification Canada, as the regional development agencies (RDA) for western Canada could assist you with access to federal funding and services.

Canada Revenue Agency

  • The Canada Revenue Agency will allow all businesses to defer, until after August 31, 2020, the payment of any income tax amounts that become owing on or after today and before September 2020. For more information, visit Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
  • Tax returns filing due date deferred until June 1, 2020.

Temporary Wage Subsidy

  • For the next 90 days, the Government of Canada is offering employers a 10% wage subsidy program up to a maximum of $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer

Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)

  • On March 25, 2020, the federal government announced that they would be combining the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit into the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
  • This benefit provides $2000 per month for four months to eligible individuals.
  • The CERB would cover :
    • Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19,
    • working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
    • wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
  • Applications for this benefit will be available the week of April 6, 2020.

Farm Credit Canada

  • Increased credit available to farmers and the agri-food sector

Canadians Abroad

Exporting and doing business in international markets

Role of Financial Institutions

  • Banks in Canada have affirmed their commitment to working with customers to provide flexible solutions, on a case-by-case basis, for managing through hardships caused by recent developments. More information at Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

Employers

Government of Canada

  • Enhanced work-sharing program
  • Temporary Wage Subsidy: for the next 90 days, the Government of Canada is offering employers a 10% wage subsidy program up to a maximum of $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer
  • Employment Insurance (EI)
    • Waiving the one-week waiting period for EI
    • Canadian Emergency Response Benefit
      • On March 25, 2020, the federal government announced that they would be combining the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit into the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
      • This benefit provides $2000 per month for four months to eligible individuals.
      • The CERB would cover :
        • Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19,
        • working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
        • wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
      • Applications for this benefit will be available the week of April 6, 2020.
    • McCarthy Tetrault Employer Advisor: COVID-19 Update: EI Sickness Benefits and Work-Sharing [blog post]
  • Boosting Canada Child Benefit Payments to ensure families can support their children

Government of British Columbia

Canadian Payroll Association

WorkSafeBC

British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA)

Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)

Small Business BC

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [American]

Employees

Employment Insurance

  • Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits provide up to 15 weeks of income replacement and is available to eligible claimants who are unable to work because of illness, injury or quarantine, to allow them time to restore their health and return to work. Canadians quarantined can apply for Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits. More information: Coronavirus disease Employment Insurance
  • Canadian Emergency Response Benefit
    • On March 25, 2020, the federal government announced that they would be combining the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit into the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
    • This benefit provides $2000 per month for four months to eligible individuals.
    • The CERB would cover :
      • Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19,
      • working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
      • wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
    • Applications for this benefit will be available the week of April 6, 2020.

Information for Self-Employed People

Canadian Emergency Response Benefit

  • On March 25, 2020, the federal government announced that they would be combining the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit into the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
  • This benefit provides $2000 per month for four months to eligible individuals.
  • The CERB would cover :
    • Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19,
    • working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
    • wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
  • Applications for this benefit will be available the week of April 6, 2020.

Government of British Columbia

WorkSafeBC

Business Travel and Events

The Government is advising Canadians to: avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada until further notice and if outside of Canada, return home and self-isolate for 14 days

To help bring Canadians home, the Government has created the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program for Canadians Abroad.

When it comes to business conferences and events, the Government is advising against gatherings of over 50 people.

Export & doing business in international markets

The resources below will help explain how Canadian exporters can be prepared to take on the risk of doing business in rapidly changing international markets due to COVID-19:

Grants for businesses

  • CanExport for SMEs is a funding program offered by the Canadian Government that allows Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to apply online for up to $75,000 in funding to reimburse up to 75% of eligible expenses associated with entering a “new” export market where the applicant company has no or minimal business. For example, eligible expenses can include the cost of business advice specifically related to the target market(s).
  • For companies that have already applied or planning on applying, please review the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on CanExport.
  • To find other grants and funding programs, Innovation Canada online search tool by the Canadian government allows companies to search for relevant funding. Answer a few questions to filter for programs of interest.
    • Get one-on-one guidance about funding programs from an Innovation Advisor by calling 1-855-534-8433.

Employment Insurance (EI)

General EI Information:

ROEs (Record of Employment): from Service Canada: “If your employees are directly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) and they are no longer working, you must issue a Record of Employment (ROE).

  • When the employee is sick or quarantined, use code D (Illness or injury) as the reason for separation (block 16). Do not add comments.
  • When the employee is no longer working due to a shortage of work because the business has closed or decreased operations due to coronavirus (COVID-19), use code A (Shortage of work). Do not add comments.
  • When the employee refuses to come to work but is not sick or quarantined, use code E (Quit) or code N (Leave of absence), as appropriate.
  • Avoid adding comments unless absolutely necessary as this will slow down the processing of the ROE.

Self-Employed/ Not Eligible for EI

  • Canadian Emergency Response Benefit
    • On March 25, 2020, the federal government announced that they would be combining the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit into the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
    • This benefit provides $2000 per month for four months to eligible individuals.
    • The CERB would cover :
      • Canadians who have lost their job, are sick, quarantined, or taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19,
      • working parents who must stay home without pay to care for children who are sick or at home because of school and daycare closures.
      • wage earners, as well as contract workers and self-employed individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
    • Applications for this benefit will be available the week of April 6, 2020.

Pandemic Preparedness, Business Continuity, and Economic Resilience

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Small Business BC

BC Economic Development Association (BCEDA)

Government of British Columbia

Specific Sectors

Other Resources

Business Advice

Basin Business Advisors

Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)

  • Their helpline is open to all business owners for advice on managing COVID-19 situations in the workplace. To talk to an expert, call 1-888-234-2232.

World Health Organization (WHO)

Specific Sectors

Tourism Sector

Western Economic Diversification Canada

  • Assistance for tourism operators, small businesses or organizations: if you are a tourism operator, a small business or an organization affected by COVID-19 and need pressing assistance, the Western Economic Diversification Canada, as the regional development agencies (RDA) for western Canada could assist you with access to federal funding and services.

Destination BC

Agriculture Sector

Basin Business Agriculture Advisor Program

Farm Credit Canada

Other Resources

News

Arts & Culture

Canada Council for the Arts

  • COVID-19 Updates and Information: includes information on government support measures, financial losses, travel, event cancellations, core funded organizations, grant deadlines & cut-off dates, and cancellation and reimbursement of grants.

CreativeBC

Retailers

Retail Council of Canada

Other

Hoteliers

Hotel Association of Canada

Manufacturing

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

Construction

British Columbia Construction Association

Real Estate

The Real Estate Council of British Columbia

Food & Beverage

Restaurants Canada

Other

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