If you meet all the eligibility criteria for the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB), you can receive $300 ($270 after taxes withheld) for each 1-week period.
The CWLB is available only when your region is designated as a COVID-19 lockdown region.
Eligibility criteria
You must meet all the following conditions for the 1-week period you’re applying for:
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- You cannot receive more than one benefit for the same period. If you receive multiple benefits for the same period, you will not be eligible for the CWLB. You will need to return any payments you received.
What counts as income:
- All employment or self-employment income, including:
- tips
- non-eligible dividends
- honoraria (nominal amounts paid to volunteers)
- royalties (payments to artists)
What does not count as income:
- disability benefits
- student loans, bursaries or scholarships
- social assistance or family support payments
- Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Québec Pension Plan (QPP), or other pension income
- Old Age Security (OAS) payments
- Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB)
If you choose not to work from home:
- If you were able to work from home (telework), you will not be eligible for the CWLB
Exception:
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This does not apply to you if you were isolating because:
- you travelled for medical treatment certified by a medical practitioner
- you accompanied a person who is not able to travel without help from an attendant to get medical treatment certified by a medical practitioner
- you travelled for work that is normally exempt from quarantine when you return to Canada, but the lockdown order required you to self-isolate this time
If one of these exceptions applies to you and you meet all other eligibility criteria, call the CRA to apply: 1-800-959-8281
You will file your 2021 and 2022 tax returns by December 31, 2023 if you receive the benefit for a period starting in 2022, and If you receive the benefit for a period starting in 2021, you will file your 2021 tax return by December 31, 2022.
If you do not file by the required dates, you will not be eligible for this benefit. You would need to return any payments you received. You must meet all the criteria to be eligible for the CWLB.
If you’re not eligible for CWLB
Review other options at COVID-19 benefits and services if you still need financial support.
Note: Incarcerated individuals in prison or other institutions are not likely to meet all the eligibility criteria. Those on day parole or who may legally seek employment may be eligible if all criteria are met.
Verifying your eligibility
The CRA will verify that you’re eligible to receive the CWLB. We may ask you to provide additional details to validate your application.
Individuals who are found to have intentionally made fraudulent claims may face additional consequences, such as penalties or possible jail time.
To report any suspected misuse, go to: CRA’s Leads program.
If your application needs validation
If your application requires further validation, the CRA may ask you to provide additional information. We cannot issue your payment until the validation process is complete.
Documents you may need to provide
We may ask you to provide the following items to validate your application. The CRA may verify the authenticity of any documents you provide.
You must submit your validation documents to the CRA within 30 days or your application will expire.
If you are or were an employee
- Recent pay slips
- Employment verification letter, including salary, if accessible online
- Record of Employment
- Bank statements showing name, address, and payroll or benefit deposit
- Statement of provincial or federal benefits
If you are or were self-employed
- Invoice for services rendered that includes:
- the service date
- who the service was for
- the name of the individual or company
- Receipt of payment for the service or services provided (a statement of account or bill of sale showing a payment and the remaining balance owed)
- Documents showing income earned from a “trade or business” as a sole proprietor, an independent contractor, or a partnership
- Any other document that will confirm you earned $5,000 in employment or self employment income
- Bank statements showing, name, address, and benefit deposit
- Statement of provincial or federal benefits
If you received provincial or federal benefits
- Bank statements showing, name, address, and benefit deposit
- Statement of benefits
How to submit your validation documents
- Online
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Submit your documents through CRA My Account
- Sign in to CRA My Account
- Select “Submit documents” (in top right corner)
- Enter your case or reference number
- Select “Submit supporting documents for COVID-19 support payments”
- Enter a short description about your submission and attach your files
- By fax
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Send your documents by fax
- Include a cover sheet with your full name, SIN, case or reference number (if available), a daytime phone number, and the number of pages you’re faxing
- Label the cover sheet “Supporting documents for COVID-19 support payments”
- Fax your documents to 1-833-325-0555
- By mail
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Send your request by mail
Sudbury Tax Centre
Post Office Box 20000, Station A
Sudbury ON P3A 5C1
Validation time
The validation may take up to 4 weeks from the date we receive all of your additional information.
If your situation is more complex or the information you provide is not clear or documents are missing, it may take up to 8 weeks.
We will contact you once the validation is complete.
If you encounter an error when you apply
You may get an error code while you are applying for the CWLB. Follow the instructions in the error message to resolve the issue.
If your application requires further validation, it may be because information is missing or we need additional documentation.
For details: If your application needs validation
If you encounter error code COV-053 when you apply
You may get this error if you have not filed your 2020 tax return. If you filed a paper return, the CRA may not have received it yet.
Filing your 2020 taxes is an eligibility criteria you must meet to apply for the CWLB. You will need to file your 2020 taxes before you can apply for any CWLB periods that are available in your designated COVID-19 lockdown region.
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