Discussions

I’ve been trying to contact EI and it’s nearly impossible to get through. My SIN card last name is different than my current name and I was asked to use the name on my SIN card when I applied. Now when I check online they don’t have any banking info which I enrolled in DD. I’m assuming due to the wrong name on my claim this is causing the issue. I don’t know what to do as I can’t get through on the phone and I’m desperate to get the money as I have been laid-off due to Covid-19.

When did you apply? Have you signed into your service canada account? They're closed until Monday morning. I'm pretty sure you can add direct deposit information in your service canada account, but theres a good chance you'll have to talk to them on monday because your names wont match. Has a payment been issued already?

I heard something earlier today about the banks being able to change information for you, including direct deposit. I found this, maybe if you use one of these banks you can try contacting them?  
 
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/covid-19-benefits-credits-support-payments.html

I applied 2 weeks ago and just sent in my 2week report today. I’ve changed all my direct deposit info on My service Canada but on my ei it’s saying “we have no banking info for you” so I’m assuming it has something to do with the name. I’ll have to keep calling them till I get through Thx.

I could not get through to EI either and they want some info.  
So I’m going to call back Monday 8:30am  
You do the same. I know how frustrating my day was so I feel for you!

Thank you. I will also keep trying. Hopefully we can both get this fixed on Monday. Good Luck!!!

Good luck, I have been trying at 830am (and all day long) for a week to contact EI, as when I did my first report it gave me a message to call them.  
 
I will be trying again next week and see if my 2nd week of trying to call them is going to be the same (the best I got was getting past all the automated stuff to be on hold for 4 hours then it hang up on me).

Over 1 million EI claims and the peak of Income Tax season colliding at the same time with CRA working at part time staff =: total disaster!!! Be prepared for a very long wait folks!  
 
Edited by Whaz up, 2020-04-03 22:13:24

Be kind to yourself. You did it right. You are suppose to use the name on your sin card. It will all work out. You can sign up for a my service Canada account account so that you check the progress of your claim. Much luck!

Yes I have done everything, signed up for a service Canada account, added direct deposit (which is stating no payment on file) assuming it the last name error. I go on to check my claim but it’s been 2 weeks and still saying I have no active  
Claim and my latest electronically filed ROE still isn’t showing so I’m assuming this has to do with the name change as per the other comment I did not know that you had to change your name on your sin Thx for all your help I’ll be on the phone all day. **Should I be calling EI or Revenue Canada **to get my last name changed. I called Rev Can years ago and changed this but m guessing that didn’t happen. TIA

My daughter needed to provide more information. Getting through by phone is near impossible. So, per the link below, we mailed a note to the Edmonton office and included all the information they needed.  
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/contact/ei-individual.html  
Hopefully this works. I wish they had a way to scan and email somehow.

Struggling with the EI process...  
both of the adults in the house have been laid off so it’s crucial that we apply and get benefits rolling as soon as possible.  
 
I think the government’s plan is wonderful however it has been my experience so far that it’s not going to go as smoothly as people may think. I don’t get GST so won’t benefit for that but also have a family to care for with no income at all. It’s a very stressful time. It’s so hard to hear “we are in this together” when the reality is that’s not really the case.  
Good luck everyone.

It’s likely that you have done everything right and it’s just not being done yet.  
 
Hubby was laid off mid March. ROE was electronically submitted by employer. It is still not showing either. Everything says pending or something like that.  
 
I read somewhere that everyone who has applied for EI will just get processed and get the $2000 a month before the CERB kicks in. I don’t know. It’s a disaster. You can’t go down to the office, you can’t call in.

If you apply for regular EI after March 15, it is processed through the CERB.  
 
So if people are expecting $573 weekly for regular EI(for those that qualify) . You will be recieving $500 weekly only($2000 monthly)..unless your on maternity, paternity or sickness leave(non covid related)  
 
Edited by Iceman14, 2020-04-04 08:51:23

I'm not sure what the current process is anymore, but back when I worked at CRA you had to both change with CRA, but then you also had to change with what was known as HRDC (Service Canada now), as they held the SIN master records as the issuers of social insurance numbers. CRA uses the numbers, but doesn't issue them or maintain the master record (also sometimes referred to as the tombstone data). CRA has it's own data set, so when you contact CRA you're only updating that information.  
 
Things are a bit different now - for example, you can fill out a unified form for a newborn to apply to CCB, a health card and a SIN number, when those used to all be separate processes - but I wouldn't be surprised if you have to contact Service Canada separately to change information.  
 
Also, try contacting your bank. They have been given new powers to update information to help this process along. They might be able to help you out.

Thanks for all of your help much appreciate.

I recently applied for EI as well and one of the first things I read is that your SIN card must reflect your legal name before applying so if they don’t match then you must first apply for your new SIN. I did this quite a few years ago when I got married and I’m pretty sure you can get the paperwork online and you need to submit your marriage certificate. I would suggest you get the ball rolling on getting that SIN card name change because I would not be surprised if they reject your claim due to it not being your legal name.

I agree. Got married 1992. Applied for CPP. Name didn’t match my SIN number. Had to locate our marriage license. Send in the mail. Name has to match.

That’s what I’m thinking. I will be calling EI tomorrow and hopefully I can get through I need to get this changed ASAP. Thx

I am wondering if I called my bank and they could possibly add my old married name to my account if that would ensure my ei payment would go dd. I know that I have a claim in that I can’t apply for the CERB but wondering if I should since my names are all screwed up. This is so frustrating and YES my own fault. Ugh!!

If you've already applied for EI you definitely dont want to apply for cerb. Try calling service canada tomorrow. They aren't supposed to be handling the cerb applications (cra is) so hopefully you can get through tomorrow.  
 
If you apply for EI in one name and cerb in another, itll look really bad. Like fraud bad. I understand that money is tight right now, but even if you filled out the for perfectly they are pretty backlogged. And theres a chance they'll switch you to cerb and you'll get the money quicker at least.

A little bit of information for people with questions! It's all very confusing. Good luck getting through to EI number. Been a week and still can't get through.  
 
https://www.torontonews.online/2020/04/03/applications-for-canada-emergency-response-benefit-starts-on-monday-what-you-need-to-know/  
 
I'm not sure how accurate this info is.

Its like they copy and pasted the service canada one. I'll add a link to the service canada one below because it has a nice q and a section. They updated a few criteria in the past week, so if you're planning on applying for cerb definitely read through it.  
 
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html

It was announced weeks back that there would be help for self employed who normally aren't eligible for ei who were forced to shut down or face reduced hours that there would be financial relief available. However seeing the rules defined in the cerb benefits you must have absolutely zero hours worked in order to receive them.  
 
I still have the odd hours however my hours have been slashed at least 85-90% my normal workload as self employed. Is there a different benefit I'm maybe missing seeing? Am I up sh*t creek without a paddle?

I don't know if you would be eligible for any of the business funding that they've announced but it might be something to look into. With cerb, you definitely dont qualify (same with quite a few others who thought they would), as you're right that you must have zero income due to covid (so you can't stop working voluntarily and get it). Have you been paying into EI?

Wondering if anyone would know that if I called my bank they could help with the name discrepancy..

I’ve been on the phone steady since 8:30 what do I do if I can’t get through today. I know applying for the CERB is not an option as I’ve already filed for EI but due to a surname error my banking info is not valid.

Anyone else not have your ROE showing up? Employer said they electronically filed it a couple weeks ago but still isn’t showing  
 
Anyone else?

Getting through or even getting online to the system. Major difficulty this morning both over the phone and online. I wish you the best of luck getting through.  
 
That being said, everything I seem to be seeing and reading is that if you already applied for EI because you were laid off due to the covid thing your application will automatically be transfer over to be the CERB .  
 
I would still try to get a hold of them to fix the name things though.  
 
Good luck.

That the system is just overloaded and not working properly. It's keeps saying temporarily unavailable when I click on any link to take me to another page.  
 
The other possibility is the payroll company put the wrong date down. Ex... If they put the date issued as 04/06/2020 it won't show up till tomorrow online. My company had that issued and the boss had to call the payroll company to get it fixed. It should be available within 24 hrs of it being issued. If they say otherwise, they're lying! However, it may take longer with the system being flooded with people applying and such.