Wednesday June 23, 2021 | NATIONAL
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
Eligibility period limits of the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) may be extended.
The federal government has announced a proposed extension to the CRB eligibility period limits. The change would allow eligible recipients to apply for a total of 25 periods (50 weeks) between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021.
The federal government CRB web page on this says that more details will be available in the coming weeks.
The CRB gives taxable income support to employed and self-employed individuals who are directly affected by COVID-19 and are not entitled to Employment Insurance (EI) benefits; some or many of those who are eligible for CRB may have received the now-closed Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) which kept millions of Canadians whole during economic shutdowns in the pandemic.
CRB is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) with a website that offers full information and application guidelines.
If you are eligible for the CRB, you can receive $1,000 ($900 after taxes withheld) for a 2-week period.
If your situation continues beyond two weeks, it’s necessary to apply again. The application process is more complex thn it was for CERB.
A total of 19 eligibility periods (38 weeks) may be applied for between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021. You may apply for an eligibility period for up to 60 days after the period has ended.
Maintaining COVID-impact supports:
The federal NDP have been fighting to keep CRB at the current level of $1,800 per month, after the Liberal government has tried to reduce it by $800 per month.
As a lot of small business owners are women, the CRB has been helpful to that sector by gender. Also, young entrepreneurs are likely to benefit, and those who have relatively new enterprises.