Employment Insurance MEGA THREAD

[nj2Type-S]

my wife got laid off last wednesday. we did an online application for EI, but being paranoid people, we want to confirm that the application went through. upon completion of the application, we received a confirmation code. unfortunately, when we call the service canada call center, there are no operators to take my call, and the recording kept asking for an access code.

since i do not yet have the access code, how can we verify that the application went through? thanks!

[SKR]

They mail out the access code.

[Hero_X]

^

That's going to be interesting with the canada post strike.

Anyway i checked my claims and seems I received an extension too, but just 5 weeks. Something better than nothing =)

[Boosted131]

I got in the mail that EI is extending to the hardest hit areas. I started working again at the end of march, and was laid off for a year and 3 months, So I ended up going without any EI payments for a few months. Are we able to claim these months?

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Boosted131
I got in the mail that EI is extending to the hardest hit areas. I started working again at the end of march, and was laid off for a year and 3 months, So I ended up going without any EI payments for a few months. Are we able to claim these months?

I believe it's only if you are still unemployed.

http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/ei/addtiona...ted_areas.page

Either way, if you do get 5 weeks that you are owe and it's considered to be 2016 income where you worked 8 months, they will claim them all back anyway.

[killramos]

Been doing some light reading on the topic and I was curious, does EI allow you to still collect while doing unpaid work?

Trying to look at some contingency plans in case I am let go within the next 6 months, what I would like to do is be able to offer myself to some former colleagues to keep myself gaining experience so I don't get screwed over for my P.Eng application in the new yearn ( I should be eligible come march or so).

I just don't want to end up losing my benefits in the process.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by killramos
Been doing some light reading on the topic and I was curious, does EI allow you to still collect while doing unpaid work?

Trying to look at some contingency plans in case I am let go within the next 6 months, what I would like to do is be able to offer myself to some former colleagues to keep myself gaining experience so I don't get screwed over for my P.Eng application in the new yearn ( I should be eligible come march or so).

I just don't want to end up losing my benefits in the process.

If you are doing work with the intention that it turns into "real" work, AND it is "not minor in extent" then you loose you benefits.

We should have coffee, I've been through this in detail with them.

[killramos]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow

We should have coffee, I've been through this in detail with them.

Send me an email next time you are DT, I'm pretty wide open these days.

[rach]

anyone got EI extension?
for how long?

[ExtraSlow]

Look on previous page. A couple folks posted about getting the full 25 weeks, and a few have posted that they got 5 weeks.
If you have an active claim, it should be pretty clear in your "my service canada account".

[bjstare]

Originally posted by killramos
Been doing some light reading on the topic and I was curious, does EI allow you to still collect while doing unpaid work?

Trying to look at some contingency plans in case I am let go within the next 6 months, what I would like to do is be able to offer myself to some former colleagues to keep myself gaining experience so I don't get screwed over for my P.Eng application in the new yearn ( I should be eligible come march or so).

I just don't want to end up losing my benefits in the process.

I'm not sure if unpaid work counts toward your P. Eng at all... But I could be wrong. If you haven't looked into this with APEGA, it's probably worth checking, since you seem to be in the mood for contingency planning haha.

[JPB]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow


Re-quoted because it may offer some insight. Detailed answers need to some from the agents on the phone, not your local Service Canada office.

Keep in mind, your eligibility for EI has nothing to do with the amount of money you are or are not making. It's all about you being "available" to start a new full time position. Self employment or business ownership is a tricky situation, and from what people have told me, most types of self employment will render you ineligible for EI. Particularly if you are investing significant money into starting the business, they would no longer consider your employment to be "minor in extent."

As far as I know, there is no published guideline for this, it all comes down to the opinion of the agent on the phone.

Thanks for this. I've done a bit of digging and it looks like a lot of it is outlined here . It seems very vague and open to interpretation. I'm trying to figure out a path forward on a situation that needs a few hours of my time to try to win a former employer a big project and hence gets me back to work. Kind of worrisome that potentially losing my benefits is so open to an individual making a judgement call.

[Shax]

Has anyone tried to do part time school while on EI?

I am thinking that if I can't find a job I should at least try to upgrade some courses (Calculus, etc.) and set myself up a little better this winter. The way I look at it, since it will be part time I will still be able to fulfill my obligation to work if need be. Any experience with this?

[redblack]

We shouldn't pay you to attend school.

[finboy]

Fee payer is the program, iirc you need to be full time in school (whole program, not just classes) and prove their are no jobs available in your old field. I was able to stay on EI while in a fast track sait program (4 months)

[Sugarphreak]

..

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

Most people that actually work for a living are just trying to claw back a tiny portion of what they have paid in over the years. It is like going to a restaurant where they chop your arm off, and then serve you fried fingers with a light arm hair topping

Pretty sure you are going to pull way way more out of that program than you ever payed in... You pay in like 1k a year if that. Guessing you collected all the EI you payed into the program pretty much in the first 3 months you were unemployed. It's an insurance program not a collect the money you put in program and in short order you are draining money from other working tax payers so you can sit at home and play video games.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[sabad66]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


Well I paid into it for nearly 20 years before I ever used it... So yeah, I am not ever getting what I paid into it out again. But nice try to make it sound like I somehow did... LOL.

Not only that, even if I qualified for it again, I wouldn't bother. It is too little money and it comes with too many strings. I'd rather spend my time travelling or going to school if I ever get into that situation again.

It is a bull shit wealth distribution scam, period

I think mazdavirgin is correct.

Here are the max contributions for the last 20 years:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tp...rt-pf-eng.html

if you maxed it out for 20 years, your contributions over this time were $17,158. Not including any possible interest you could have earned, and also not counting employer contributions ($24,022 over the last 20 years).

If you took the max $525 per week, that means you will have "got your money back" after 33 weeks... not sure about your personal situation but really anyone on EI for 8 months would have been whole if they paid into it for the last 20 years.

unless i am missing something here?

EDIT: even if you include a modest 4% interest on your contributions compounded yearly, you are at 26,918. That's 51 weeks until you got back what you put in.

[Xtrema]

I have paid at least $3000 a year on insurance products besides EI.

I don't want to collect on ANY of them. But it's nice to know it's there when I need it.

I don't know why everyone is bitching about $1000/year when $3000/year and I still won't get the full value of basement rebuild covered by any insurance policy in town.