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Summary

The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit Can't Be Processed By Phone RN But Here's What You Can Do

The CRA is experiencing "technical difficulties."

Senior Writer

The Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit (CWLB) is now available to Canadians from almost every province and territory, but if you're not applying online, you might run into trouble.

On Monday, January 10, the Canada Revenue Agency sent out a tweet announcing that they're experiencing problems with telephone applications.

"We’re unable to process applications for the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit over the phone at the moment due to technical difficulties. You can apply via My Account while we work to resolve this issue," the agency said.

According to the CRA, the new My Account portal has an "improved look and feel, and it’s easier to use."

If you use the BETA platform of My Account, you'll be able to view your mail, statement of account, RRSP and TFSA limits, as well as several other things.

In December, the federal government announced that it was planning to temporarily expand eligibility for programs like the CWLB in response to the Omicron variant.

"This benefit will provide $300 a week in income support to eligible workers who are directly affected by a COVID-19-related public health lockdown, and who have lost 50 per cent or more of their income as a result," said the government.

Additional regions recently became eligible to apply for the federal payment, which is good news for Canadians who have lost work or income due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

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    • Senior Writer

      Sarah Rohoman (she/her) was a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. She has worked at BuzzFeed Canada, Yahoo Canada, and CBC Radio in news, lifestyle, ecommerce, and social media. She has an MA in Journalism from Western University and a BA from McGill. She loves libraries, alpacas, and all things witchy.

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