The B.C. emergency benefit for workers provided a one-time, tax-free $1,000 payment to B.C. residents whose ability to work was affected due to COVID-19. The application period closed on December 2, 2020. Applications are no longer being accepted.
Did you receive a Notice of Redetermination?
Do you need to send us documents? You can upload and send them to us using our secure online document service. Please provide your DRF account number or Letter ID from the top of your notice when you’re using this service.
Find out how you can pay your notice. If you want to pay using your online banking, find out how to add us as a payee.
Budget 2024 proposes to extend the determination period for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers if a Notice of Redetermination was issued after October 23, 2023.
We may redetermine your eligibility for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers through an audit or from information received from the Government of Canada. An audit is a check of your eligibility to receive the B.C. emergency benefit for workers. If you’re selected for an audit, you’ll be contacted by mail.
If you have documents supporting your eligibility, you can send them to us using our secure online document service or by mail to:
B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers
Ministry of Finance
PO Box 9471 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9N9
If you have questions about the documentation you can provide to support your eligibility, contact us toll free at 1-844-248-6638.
Learn more about your rights and what to expect when you interact with us.
If you applied for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers and we later determine that you were not eligible, we will issue you a Notice of Determination or Redetermination. If you were already issued a payment, you will be required to pay it back (repay). Interest and penalties may apply in certain circumstances.
Your notice will include the reasons why you are not eligible for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers payment, as well as a breakdown of any penalties or interest charged.
See the back of your notice for more information, including the different payment methods available.
You can repay:
If you have online banking, you can use your financial institution’s online bill payment service to make a repayment. To do this, you need to add a payee to your account and enter your DRF account number.
Follow the instructions within your online banking account to add the payee ‘BC STMT OF ACCT’ and make the payment.
If you’re still unable to find or add the payee, contact your financial institution for assistance.
You can mail a cheque made payable to the Minister of Finance to:
B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers
Ministry of Finance
PO Box 9471 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9N9
If you repay by cheque, include:
If your cheque is from an account different from the one the payment was deposited into, include:
If you did not apply for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers but received a payment in error:
You may be charged interest on:
To provide relief for B.C. residents affected by COVID-19, interest was not charged until after September 30, 2020.
You must notify us within 30 days if any of the following situations apply to you after you applied for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers:
You can notify us by phone, email or mail. Please quote your confirmation number or DRF account number or Letter ID.
A penalty of $10 per day to a maximum of $250 may be charged if you do not notify us.
A $3,000 penalty for gross negligence may also be charged if you knowingly, or under circumstances amounting to gross negligence, make false statements that result in (or that would have resulted in) any individual receiving a payment for which the individual is not eligible.
You can ask that your concerns, disagreements or complaints be reviewed in a timely manner and in accordance with the taxpayer fairness and service code.
If you disagree with our determination that you are ineligible for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers, please provide any supporting documentation that shows you met the eligibility criteria, and we will review those documents. You must meet the eligibility criteria for us to approve your application.
If you feel you have been treated unfairly, or have received information which you believe is incorrect, we encourage you to discuss your concerns with the person you have been dealing with, as they will have the most knowledge of your situation. This ministry contact can help explain other dispute resolution options that may be available to you.
If you still have questions or concerns, ask your ministry contact to give you the name and contact information of their manager.
Learn more about your rights and what to expect when you interact with us.
You cannot appeal your eligibility for the benefit or interest charged on amounts you must repay.
However, if you disagree with a penalty charged on your benefit, you may appeal to the Minister. Your appeal must be postmarked by Canada Post or faxed within 90 days from the date on the Notice of Determination or Redetermination you’re appealing.
You should pay the amount due on your notice even if you're filing an appeal. If you do not pay, you'll continue to be charged interest and may be subject to collection action.
Budget 2021 introduced repayment relief for self-employed individuals who received the B.C. emergency benefit for workers if they would have qualified for the benefit or the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) based on their gross income. This mirrors a federal change to the CERB.
If you received the B.C. emergency benefit for workers but repaid it because you thought you were ineligible, you can request that we reconsider your application if:
To request reconsideration, upload a letter using our secure online document service that includes:
You are a self-employed personal trainer. Your 2019 gross self-employment income was $5,600. Your net self-employment income was $4,200.
You lost your income because of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 10, 2020. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) did not include the period prior to March 15, but the B.C. emergency benefit for workers did.
You applied for and received the B.C. emergency benefit for workers, thinking you would have met all of the criteria for the CERB, had it been available. Later, you learned that you had misreported your income based on the original criteria for the CERB and you paid back the amount you received to the ministry.
If you had calculated your income for the program based on your gross (not net) self-employment income, you would have qualified for the CERB, had it been available prior to March 15, 2020.
You can request we reconsider your B.C. emergency benefit for workers application.
If you’ve received a Notice of Determination or Redetermination, you may wish to review the eligibility requirements.
To have been eligible for the B.C. emergency benefit for workers, you must have met all of the following requirements:
Either:
Or:
For example, if you were laid off on March 10, 2020, so that the first day you lost income was March 11, 2020, the 14 consecutive days referred to above would mean March 11 to 24, 2020.
In addition to either option above, you must have also:
Contact us with your questions Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:20 pm.