If you were confused by the various COVID-related government programs when they rolled out last year, chances are you’ll have to do more research because many of the rules governing those programs are changing, effective Sunday.
For new employment insurance claims established as of Sept. 26, instead of the minimum rate of 13.1 per cent used since September 2020 as part of the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the government now says the program will revert to using the regional unemployment rates (EI program characteristics) produced by Statistics Canada.
For an applicant establishing a new EI claim on or after Sunday, the actual unemployment rate for their economic region will be used to calculate their maximum benefit duration. Claims established before Sunday are not affected.
Benefit duration will be based on the combination of hours worked in the qualifying period and the regional unemployment rate, according to the government. As of Sunday, all eligible claimants will be able to receive a minimum of 14 weeks of benefits up to a maximum of 45 weeks.
Benefit rates
For new claims that begin between Sunday and Nov. 20, there will be a $300 minimum benefit rate. Rates will be calculated by averaging a claimant’s highest-earning weeks (14 to 22
best weeks) in their qualifying period and factoring in the unemployment rate in their EI economic region.
If a claimant has fewer than the allowed number of “best weeks,” their benefit rate will be determined based on the average of the number of weeks in their qualifying period in which they
had earnings, according to canada.ca.
Requirements
Someone applying for regular benefits as of Sunday and up to Sept. 24, 2022 will be required to have worked 420 hours of insurable employment in a one-year period to provide a minimum
entitlement of 14 weeks of regular benefits, or up to 26 weeks in regions with higher unemployment rates, the government states.
The new requirement for all regular benefit claims is regardless of where one lives. The regular entrance requirement normally ranges from 420 to 700 hours, depending on the regional
unemployment rate.
Other standard EI eligibility criteria continue to apply, meaning you must also:
have been employed in insurable employment
have lost your job through no fault of your own
have been without work and without pay for at least seven consecutive days in the last 52 weeks
be ready, willing and capable of working each day
be actively looking for work and keep a written record of employers contacted and when.
The self-employed
Self-employed fishermen who will be establishing an EI claim between Sunday and Sept. 24, 2022 will need $2,500 in fishing earnings to qualify for regular fishing or special benefits.
Self-employed workers who have opted in may access EI special benefits using an earnings threshold of $5,289 for claims established between Sunday and Sept. 24 next year.
Before Sept. 24
For new EI claims established during the period from Sunday to Sept. 24, 2022, if you apply for EI regular benefits and your most recent job separation was through no fault of your own,
all insurable hours and earnings in the qualifying period will count. Normally, hours and earnings from any employment that ended in an invalid reason for separation would not count for
the purposes of determining eligibility or the benefit rate.
