Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)

Provides a subsidy of up to 75% of employee wages for up to 21 weeks, retroactive from March 15, 2020 until May 7, 2022 for Canadian employers whose businesses have been affected by COVID-19. Overall subsidy rate depends on the amount that revenue dropped. Deadline to apply for the final claim period is November 3, 2022. Enables businesses to re-hire workers previously laid off, help prevent further job losses, and better position them to resume normal operations following the crisis. Eligible employers should have seen a drop of at least 15% of their qualifying revenue in March 2020 and 30% for the following months of April and May. See website for details on types of eligible revenue reduction and how to calculate your subsidy amount. Applications accepted online through My Business Account or the CRA's online application portal. CRA phone line hours are 8 am to 8 pm (local time) Monday to Friday and 9 am to 5 pm (local time) Saturdays. CEWS payment arrangements phone line hours are 8 am to 6 pm EST Monday to Friday.