Session E6 ROE Completion 101 Presented by: Representatives from Service Canada
ROE Completion 101 Presented by: Service Canada Agenda ROE Web presentation Registration and Application ROE Completion - Questions and Answers Employer Support 1
ROE Web Topics What is ROE Web? Who can use it? What are the requirements? Demonstration of the ROE Web application One-off Payroll extract file Benefits of using ROE Web (for employers and for employees) Steps to register for ROE Web Upcoming changes What is ROE Web? A secure, easy-to-use Internet-based application that allows employers to create, submit, retrieve, and amend 53-week ROEs ROE Web offers two methods of issuing ROEs: Online data entry form (produce one ROE at a time) ROE payroll extract file (submits one or multiple ROEs using a file containing data extracted from an ROE Web-compatible payroll solution) 2
Who can use ROE Web? Any business that issues Records of Employments (ROEs) (small, medium-sized, or large businesses, accountants, bookkeepers, payroll service providers, and more) Minimum Requirements An active and valid Business Number (BN) registered with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) High-speed Internet access (recommended when using payroll extract file) A compatible Internet browser (IE, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, etc..) Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 5 or later (today s version is 11) 3
ROE Web Demonstration How the application works How to submit an ROE using the on-line form How to submit multiple ROEs (payroll extract file) Various functions Start Benefits for Employers Reduce paper burden and saves money in administration, storage, and postage No need to print copies of ROEs for your employees No postage fees to send copies to Service Canada No need to visit or call Service Canada for ordering paper ROEs Convenient No need to attach an extra sheet to report 53 weeks of earnings 4
Benefits for Employers (cont d) Provides flexibility ROE issuance is aligned with pay cycles Improves quality and accuracy of ROEs Instant validation means reduced number of calls and requests for payroll information from Service Canada Increases productivity and saves time Easier to produce amended ROEs Possibility of submitting up to 1,200 ROEs when using the ROE payroll extract file Benefits for Employees Faster payments Supports automated claims processing Improves client service Always available Employees with a My Service Canada Account can view and print copies of their electronic ROEs Employees can apply for benefits from home, a Service Canada Center self-help zone, or from any Internet-enabled computer 5
Steps to Register 1. Assign a person as Primary Officer who will be responsible for managing the ROE Web account on behalf of your business 2. ROE Web Registration Form -Download, complete and sign (a person of authority must sign the form) 3. Authentication of the Primary Officer (PO) The PO must visit a Service Canada Center, providing all the original forms and present two pieces of identification, one with a photo. 4. Payroll Service Providers -Download, complete and sign a Client Employer Consent Form for each client. The form must be signed by the Primary Officer and a representative of the client company. QUESTIONS? 6
Interruption of earnings ROE Completion Common problem areas on the ROE Block 19 and the waiving of the waiting period Amending an ROE 30-Day Gap Rule Interruption of Earnings An Interruption of Earnings normally occurs when: An employee has had or is anticipated to have seven consecutive calendar days with no work and no insurable earnings. An employee s earnings fall below 60% of the regular weekly earnings because of illness, injury, quarantine, pregnancy, the need to care for a newborn or a child placed for the purposes of adoption, or the need to provide care or support to a family member who is gravely ill with a significant risk of death. 7
Interruption of Earnings - continued An ROE must be issued each time an employee experiences an interruption of earnings. There are exceptions for certain types of employees though: One exception is when you have agreements with your workers to work more hours in a week than normally worked (for example they work 80 hours in one week rather than 40 hours) and this entitles them to the second week off. These types of workers do not experience an interruption of earnings during the second week even though they may have 7 days off. Block 10 Block 10 should be the employee s first day for which they were paid; not the date they were hired. However, if an ROE has been previously issued to an employee, then Block 10 should indicate the first day the employee worked after the last day for which paid (Block 11) on the previous ROE. 8
Blocks 11 and 12 Block 11 should be the last day for which they were paid. It may be the last day of work or the last day they were on paid leave such as vacation or paid sick leave. Block 12 should be the last day of the pay period that contains the date in Block 11. Block 15A Insurable Hours The number of hours you report are: the number of hours worked between the first day worked and the last day paid if the period worked is less than 53 weeks; or If the period of employment is greater than 53 weeks, the hours should reflect the full 53-week period. 9
Block 15C Pay Period Details Pay period 1 must be the last pay period (most recent) of regular insured earnings. Pay period 1 must be the pay period that contains the Last Day for Which Paid (Block 11). Do not forget to include all of the insurable separation money included in Block 17, in Block 15C pay period 1 and Block 15B. Block 16 -Reason for Issuing this ROE There are codes for most situations Code A Shortage of Work can be used in many situations such as: End of contract or season End of school year Temporary shutdown of operations Remember that if you select code A, a comment in Block 18 is not required to confirm that it is due to end of school year or end of contract. 10
Block 16 - continued Code M is used when you initiate the separation from employment for any reason other than layoff or mandatory retirement. Code M can also be used when the employment is terminated within a probationary period because the employee is not well suited for the position Block 16 - continued Service Canada must obtain the details as to whether an employee was terminated due to their own misconduct in order to determine if they are entitled to Employment Insurance benefits. If you, as the payroll professional, are not able to provide the details regarding why the employee was terminated, ensure a contact name and phone number of the person who can provide the details is included in Block 16. 11
Block 16 - continued We are phasing out the use of code C Return to school. If your employee is leaving to return to school, you should use code E quit. If they are leaving for apprentice training, you should use code J Apprentice Training. Block 16 - continued If an employee is hired under a student program, and they fulfill their contract, you can use code A when their contract is finished. Often these employees are only hired because they are students and the intent all along is that they are returning to school and there will be no work for them after the agreed to end date. 12
Block 16 - continued On June 9, 2013 a new EI benefit for citizens was introduced. The EI benefit for parents of critically ill children provides up to 35 weeks of benefits for parents who are unable to work because they need to care for or support a critically ill child under the age of 18. If one of your employees stops working for this reason, you can use code Z Compassionate Care. Block 17A -Vacation Pay Report any vacation pay you have paid or will pay due to the separation from employment. Remember to include the amount of vacation pay in pay period 1 of Block 15C and Block 15B. 13
Block 17B - Statutory Holiday Pay Only report statutory holidays that are paid for a day after the date in Block 11. If the separation is permanent there are no insurable hours attached. If the separation is not permanent there are insurable hours attached. The number of hours you report is usually the number of hours the employee normally works. If you are not sure of the number of hours to report for a statutory holiday, contact the Canada Revenue Agency. Block 17C -Other Monies Report any payments, other than regular salary, that you have paid or will pay to the employee due to the separation, such as severance pay or pay in lieu of notice. Report any Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) plans. Some types of SUB plans are also referred to as top-ups. Remember to include all insurable payments in Blocks 15B and 15C pay period 1. 14
Block 18 - Comments Comments may be provided to communicate details about exceptional circumstances to help clarify the information on the ROE. Comments that re-iterate information already contained elsewhere on the ROE should be avoided. Block 18 - continued When comments are provided on the ROE, it is removed from the automated processing system and a Service Canada agent must manually review the ROE. In order to facilitate the automated process and expedite payments to client, we are trying to deter the use of the Comment field for redundant information. 15
Block 18 - continued Examples of comments that are not necessary: If code A is used in Block 16, it is not necessary to indicate end of school year or end of contract in Block 18; or If included with each pay is selected for Block 17A, do not indicate paid with each cheque or % included with each pay in Block 18. Block 19 (Paid Sick, Maternity, Parental, Compassionate Care Leave or Group Wage Loss Payments) What is Block 19 information used for? The information in Block 19 is used to help us determine: When can we start a claim for Employment Insurance benefits If we can waive the waiting period If the employee is or will be in receipt of other money (i.e. Wage Loss Insurance) after their last day of work. 16
Block 19 - continued If the reason for separation is due to illness, maternity, parental or compassionate care and: the employee received paid sick leave on or after their last day of work, the waiting period may be waived; or the employee most recently received wage loss insurance (WLI), the start date of the claim may be backdated by two weeks so the last 2 weeks of WLI falls within the waiting period (as WLI is not considered earnings during the waiting period). Block 19 - continued Paid sick, maternity, parental and compassionate care leave The payment start date is the first day for which you paid sick, maternity, parental or compassionate care leave. The last day of the paid leave should equal the date in Block 11. If the amount varies, enter an average 17
Insurable wage loss insurance Block 19 - continued The payment start date is the first day for which you paid wage loss insurance The last day of the wage loss insurance should equal the date in Block 11 If the amount varies, enter an average Non insurable wage loss insurance The payment start date is the first day of wage loss insurance. This date will be after the date in Block 11. Amending a Record of Employment You must issue an amended ROE whenever you need to change, correct, or update the information on a previously issued ROE. If you have to change information on a previously issued ROE, it doesn t matter how long ago the original ROE was issued. There is no timeframe set out in the legislation. It is recommended that ROEs be amended using the same platform/application that was used to issue the original ROE. For example, if SAT was used to originally issue the ROE, the employer would use SAT again to amend it 18
Amending a Record of Employment - continued If you are amending an ROE to report a settlement and you suspect the employee may have received EI benefits for the same period, you must contact us to obtain the amount of the EI overpayment. This amount must be remitted to the Receiver General and the balance to the employee. To determine how much the overpayment is, contact us at 1 800 206-7218. 30-Day Gap Rule 30 Day Gap Rule applies for Part Time, On-call, or Casual Workers. A ROE must be issued after the employee has not had any insurable work or earnings for 30 days. This reduces the burden of having to issue a ROE when these types of workers experience an interruption of earnings of 7 days or more and reduces calls to employers for ROE data. A ROE must still be issued if the employee requests it and they have had an interruption of earnings, if the employee is no longer on the active employment list, or if Service Canada requests it. 19
Employer Support Employer Contact Centre - Background Service Canada delivers over 50 service offerings to employers. These service offerings have historically been delivered through individual points of contact, both locally and nationally. Example: Over 100 local and toll free Service Canada telephone numbers existed to deliver support to employers related to Records of Employment. Employers have expressed that they want to obtain comprehensive, accurate information about Service Canada programs without navigating multiple telephone numbers. Solution: The Employer Contact Centre (ECC) enhances service for employers by delivering employer service offerings through an accessible, national, single point of contact. 20
Employer Contact Centre - History The ECC was launched on June 27, 2011. Initially launched with 2 sites, the ECC network is now comprised of 3 sites: Bathurst NB, Sudbury ON, and Vancouver BC. The ECC provides national service from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time. The ECC has answered over 1 million calls to date. On average, the ECC responds to close to 2,000 calls daily. Employer Contact Centre - Initial Service Offerings The ECC was launched with the following 6 service offerings: ROE advice and guidance ROE Web support ROE orders Data Gateway support for Work-Sharing Data Gateway support for the Automated Earnings Reporting System (AERS) Data Gateway support for the Report on Hirings(ROH) program 21
Employer Contact Centre - Benefits The ECC is a single point of contact for employer telephone enquiries, and simplifies program accessibility for employers. The ECC delivers multiple service offerings; integration of these offerings allows service bundling for employers. Consolidation of employer telephone enquiries in the ECC facilitates the standardization of call centre training and reference material, resulting in consistent high-quality service for employers. Employer Contact Centre - Next Steps The ECC continues to work to enhance the quality and accessibility of the service offerings that it currently delivers, seeking to maximize the resolution of employer enquiries at first point of contact. In addition, the ECC is analyzing and evaluating Service Canada services for employers, and will integrate those for which synergies and benefits to the employer community exist. The ECC will then continue to evaluate its client service model, and the best way to support additional service offerings. This includes reviewing the ECC s current telephony platform. 22
Employer Support Visit our Web site: ROE Web: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/roeweb ROE Guidance: http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/roeguide.html Or Contact the Employer Contact Centre Telephone: 1-800-367-5693 TTY: 1-855-881-9874 Open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST) QUESTIONS? 23