Landlord says your rent is late? CERB can help pay on another date. Don’t worry...

Q: I rent half of a double house, while my landlord lives with his wife in the other half. For the first time in long time, I couldn’t pay my rent this month because I was laid off two weeks ago after I had just spent half my savings on a car repair. I didn’t like not paying my rent because I know my landlord isn’t doing well financially either, but it was that or not being sure that I could put food on the table this month. What can I do now?

A: First, reach out to your landlord to let him know your situation, and to tell him you will make up your rent as soon as you can. The federal government has created income support payments that should help you catch up on the April rent and get back on your feet.

The new federal wage subsidy plan may enable your employer to recall you at 75 per cent of your former pay, but that will take about six weeks to sort out. Whether that plan will help you will depend on the details of the plan and what your employer chooses to do.

However, you are almost certainly entitled to either Employment

Insurance (EI) or the new Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) now. As long as you worked long enough, and earned at least a modest amount, you would be entitled to EI. EI generally pays 55 per cent of your former earnings. If your average earnings for the weeks you worked during the last 52 weeks were more than $840 per week, your EI would be more than $462 per week, and you should apply for it.

If your average earnings were less than $840 per week, then you will probably be better off to apply for CERB. For most people who lost their wages or their self-employment income (their gigs) due to COVID -19, CERB will pay $2,000 per month, which is equal to $462 per week (since there are 4.33 weeks in a month).

To qualify for CERB, a person needs:

• to be at least 15 years old

• to have earned at least $5,000 of income from work in the 52 weeks before their application, or in the previous calendar year

• not to have access to paid leave or other income support

• to have lost their income due to COVID -19 other than by quitting

• to have no income for at least 14 consecutive days of the four-week period that they are applying for.

Before you apply for CERB, you should ensure that you have an online account with CRA. You can set one up online when you can get through. You may be best to try during the night.

If you already have an account, you should make sure your banking information is up to date. Most people have accounts already because CRA uses that account to pay the GST tax credit and the Canada Child Benefit.

CRA says the portal to use to apply for CERB will be open on Monday, April 6, and people should receive their first payment by direct deposit within five days, or a cheque within 10 days of when they apply.