For the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive financial stress for millions of Canadians who have either lost their jobs or their businesses as a result of nation-wide shutdowns to curb the spread.
In order to assist Canadians who may be financially struggling, the federal government has developed a handful of programs to help fill the gaps and ensure people are still able to keep up with their financial obligations.
One such program is the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB). This benefit provides income support to Canadians who can’t work because they must care for their child(ren) under the age of 12 or a family member who requires supervised care.
Schools, daycare facilities, and other programs that typically supervise children or adults who require regular care may have been closed throughout the pandemic, forcing many Canadians to step in and take over in a caregiving position. As such, they may not be able to return to work in order to assume this unforeseen role.
The CRCB can help provide some financial compensation to those who have found themselves in this precarious position.
Check out if your COVID-19 benefits are taxable.
What is CRCB?
The CRCB is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and provides eligible Canadians with $500 ($450 after taxes) for a 1-week period. This program must be re-applied for every week if the situation persists.
Every household may apply up to a maximum of 44 weeks (previously 42 weeks) from September 27, 2020, to May 7, 2022 (maybe extended further until July 2, 2022).
The CERB is gone, how is the government going to help if you get sick with COVID-19?
Eligibility For CRCB
In order to qualify for the CRCB, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be employed or self-employed on the day before the first 1-week application period
- Be unable to work for 50% or more of your work week due to responsibilities surrounding caring for a family member
- Be unable to work to care for your child under the age of 12 or a family member because they are home for any of these reasons:
- Their school, daycare, or care facility is closed as a result of COVID-19.
- The individual requiring care is sick with COVID-19, is at risk of health issues related to COVID-19, or must self-isolate because of COVID-19.
- You did not apply for or receive any of the following for the same period:
- Employment Insurance (EI)
- Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)
- Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)
- Short-term disability
- Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP)
- You live in Canada and were present in Canada during the week you are applying for
- You are at least 15 years old
- You have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- You earned a minimum of $5,000 in 2019, 2020, or over the 12-month period before the application date from any of these sources:
- Employment income
- Net self-employment income (after expenses are deducted)
- Maternity or parental benefits from EI or QPIP
- No one else in your household is applying for CRCB for the same week
- Your employer is not giving you paid leave for the same 1-week period
- You were not in quarantine because of international travel
How to Apply For CRCB
You can apply for CRCB in 2 ways:
- Online through CRA My Account. If you don’t already have an account set up, you will have to register before applying for CRCB through the CRA My Account portal.
- By phone. You can call CRA at 1-800-959-2019 or 1-800-959-2041 from Monday through Sunday between 6am to 3am EST. You’ll need to provide your Social Insurance Number (SIN), date of birth, and postal code in order to verify your identity.
You must wait for the first Monday after the 1-week period has ended before applying. You can apply for any 1-week time period up to 60 days after the end of the period, if you are eligible.
You can request to be paid by:
- Direct deposit. Payment can take between 3 to 5 business days if you are set up in CRA My Account.
- By mail. You will receive a mailed cheque within 10 to 12 business days.
Here’s what you should do if you owe money to the CRA.
Final Thoughts
If you’re in a situation that has forced you to stay home from work because you must care for your child or a family member because of school, daycare, or facility closures or unavailability, you may qualify for compensation through CRCB. Make sure you meet all the eligibility criteria prior to applying and remember that you will need to re-apply for every week that you require financial assistance.
