During the COVID 19 times employees as well as employers were getting some benefits: the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). Now it is becoming clearer how we should report them in our regular T4 slips, as CRA announced the updates:

How to report employment income during COVID-19 pay periods

For the tax year 2020, in addition to reporting employment income in Box 14 or Code 71, use new other information codes when reporting employment income and retroactive payments in the following periods:

• Code 57: Employment income – March 15 to May 9
• Code 58: Employment income – May 10 to July 4
• Code 59: Employment income – July 5 to August 29
• Code 60: Employment income – August 30 to September 26

Eligibility criteria for the CERB, CEWS, and CESB is based on employment income for a defined period. The new requirement means employers should report income and any retroactive payments made during these periods.