Can Self Employed People Claim Unemployment Insurance?
Can Self Employed People Claim Unemployment Insurance?
The best answer for this question is: It depends.
While self-employed people can enjoy better income and more flexible working hours, they are not entitled to unemployment insurance or employment insurance. That is because the benefits of the EI are for people who had been employed and lost their employment. They are qualified because their employers have made payroll contributions in their behalf while they were still working. The payments go to the state as well as the federal unemployment funds.
Self-employed people, on the other hand, can only benefit from this financial assistance when their businesses close if and if and only if, they have handled their payrolls and have been paying contributions as required by the EI.
So if you have a business and would like to avail of the benefits of the unemployment insurance when sales become a problem, then you should put all your contributions and paper work in order. You are not actually praying that you will eventually use your EI, but at least if something happens to yourself and your business you have some funds that you can rely on.
While EI is not usually given to self-employed individuals, they can go around this by paying the dues.
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Steps to File for Unemployment Insurance Canada
When you are a Canadian citizen and you suddenly found yourself unemployed, you can easily apply for the employment insurance offered by the government. Here are the simple steps that you should follow.
1. Secure and fill out the application form. For this matter, you can check the Service Canada Centre website or call the EI center at 1 (866) 783-5567. In most areas, there is a Service Canada branch so you can also go there personally.
2. Get hold of your employment records. You need to get a complete record of all your work history, including the number of companies, how long you have worked in each of them, and how much you have earned. Should there be a problem in securing your employment record, then you should immediately inform Service Canada so that they can inform you on what best recourse to take.
3. Provide necessary information. You will need to be honest regarding the reason of your unemployment, such as declaring whether you were actually fired from your previous job. Depending on the information that you have provided, Service Canada will assess your records and determine if you are eligible to receive financial aid. That is why you have to be careful with your words.
4. Immediately make a claim for your benefits within four (4) weeks of being unemployed. After that, you can no longer apply for it.
5. If you have plans of leaving Canada while you are still receiving unemployment benefits, you have to report this to Service Canada. If not, your benefits could be forfeited or worse, you could be fined. Penalties are up to $1,500.
Unemployment insurance benefits are good. But you should not abuse it so that everyone who is out of work can still enjoy its rewards.
Categories: Unemployment Insurance Tags: apply for unemployment benefit, canada unemployment, employment insurance, service canada centre, unemployment compensation, unemployment insurance
Types of Unemployment Insurance benefits
Canadians are blessed to have the benefit called the unemployment insurance. While it is actually the employed people who are paying for it, but still it could just be considered forced savings. You pay for it while you are still working because it is mandated by law but you are also entitled to some funding when you lose your job or are incapacitated to work.
The unemployment insurance Canada comes in different types, according to your situation. But the amount will vary depending on how much you have contributed in the past and how long you have worked.
Kinds of Unemployment Insurance
1. Employment Insurance Regular Benefits. This is for people who have lost their jobs but not because of their own doing. These situations include those are affected because of seasonal layouts and mass layoffs because recession, as well as those who cannot find jobs because there is a shortage of job opportunities.
2. Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits. As the name suggests, this kind of support is for women who are pregnant or have recently given birth. This also covers individuals who have adopted a child or are caring for a newborn.
3. Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits. When people become are unable to work because of injury, sickness, or other health related problems, then they can also file for benefits
4. Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefits. This is a really great benefit that has a heart. There are really people who have to take care of family members who are ill. And the government supports these people through the unemployment insurance.
5. Employment Insurance Fishing Benefits. The Canadian government gives importance to fishers who are looking for work. They are very much qualified to apply for government support.
These are the five types of unemployment insurance Canada.