The holiday season is fast approaching. Planning to apply for employment insurance benefits while the worksites are shut down? You are probably eligible for such benefits over the holidays if you meet the following criteria:
- You have not worked and received a salary or any other benefit for at least seven consecutive days and,
- You have worked the required number of hours to qualify for employment insurance during the applicable reference period (the number of days varies based on your region’s unemployment rate).
Why sign up if there’s a waiting period?
Because there is a waiting period, you may not be entitled to any benefits or you may only be entitled to benefits for a fraction of the period during which worksites are closed (or workers are laid off). But, by “working through” your waiting period now, you will be eligible for employment insurance benefits as soon as the next work stoppage or layoff occurs. It pays to act now!
Contact our advisors if you have any questions or need help completing your application.
You must work during the holiday season?
Worksites must shut down between December 22, 2024, and January 4, 2025, and any work performed must be paid at the applicable wage rate stipulated in your sector’s collective agreement. You need to work out an agreement with your employer if this is your case.
There are exceptions to the rule, however, including:
- Maintenance, repair, modification, renovation or emergency work,
- New construction, light residential work,
- Certain planned types of civil engineering and road work.
Contact our advisors if you need to work over the holiday season to ensure that you are paid at the rate to which you are entitled.
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