Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)

Status: Closed

The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) gave income support to employed and self-employed individuals who were unable to work because they were sick or needed to self-isolate due to COVID-19, or had an underlying health condition that had put them at greater risk of getting COVID-19.

Eligible applicants could have received $500 ($450 after taxes withheld) for each 1-week period, for up to a total of 6 weeks, between September 27, 2020 and May 7, 2022. The last day to apply was July 6, 2022.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the CRSB payments, you must have met all the following conditions:

You were unable to work at least 50% of your scheduled work week because you had to self-isolate for one of the following reasons:
- You were sick with COVID-19 or suspected you had COVID-19
- You were advised to self-isolate due to COVID-19
Who could advise you to self-isolate
- your employer
- a medical practitioner
- a nurse practitioner
- a person in authority
- the government
- your public health authority
- You had an underlying health condition that had put you at greater risk of getting COVID-19.
Who could advise you to stay at home due to your health condition
- a medical practitioner
- a nurse practitioner
- a person in authority
- the government
- your public health authority
You did not apply for or receive any of the following for the same period:
- Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)
- Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB)
- Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB)
- Employment Insurance (EI) benefits
- Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) benefits
- short-term disability benefits
You resided in Canada
Definition
You lived and had a home in Canada, but did not have to be a citizen or a permanent resident.
You were present in Canada
You were at least 15 years old
You had a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN)
You earned at least $5,000 in 2019, 2020, 2021, or in the 12 months before the date you applied from any of the following sources:
- employment income (total or gross pay)
- net self-employment income (after deducting expenses)
- maternity and parental benefits from EI or similar QPIP benefits
What counted towards the $5,000
- Counts as income:
  - All employment or self-employment income, including:
    - tips
    - non-eligible dividends
    - honoraria (nominal amounts paid to volunteers)
    - royalties (payments to artists)
- Does not count as income:
  - disability benefits
  - student loans, bursaries or scholarships
  - social assistance or family support payments
  - Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Québec Pension Plan (QPP), or other pension income
  - Old Age Security (OAS) payments
  - amounts from these COVID-19 benefits:
    - Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
    - Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB)
    - Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)
    - Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB)
    - Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)
    - Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB)
You were not receiving paid leave from your employer for the same period
You were not self-isolating or in quarantine due to international travel
Exceptions
This did not apply to you if you were isolating because:
- you travelled for medical treatment certified by a medical practitioner
- you accompanied a person who was not able to travel without help from an attendant to get medical treatment certified by a medical practitioner
- you were an essential worker who travelled for reasons normally exempt from quarantine (such as health care workers or truck drivers who needed to cross the border for work) but were required to quarantine upon return to Canada

If you did not meet the above criteria, you were not eligible for the CRSB. Find out how to repay the CRSB.