Revenu Québec is inviting employees in essential services sectors to start registering for the Essential Worker Retention Incentive Program (PIRTE ) today, by logging on to My Account. By doing so, the organization hopes to avoid overloading its customer service when registration for the program officially opens on May 19.
PIRTE provides financial assistance of $100 per week to workers in essential sectors earning between $5,000 and $28,600 per year. More than 600,000 full- and part-time employees could benefit.
As of May 19, eligible workers will be able to complete an online form to register for the program. But first, they must register in Mon dossier, on the Revenu Québec website, by providing the following information:
- their social insurance number;
- their date of birth;
- the number of one of the two most recent notices of assessment issued within the last five years.
Some people who are unable to provide a Notice of Assessment number will still be able to register for My Account by obtaining a temporary access code via text message or automated call.
To avoid customer service being swamped with calls after the official start of PIRTE registration, Revenu Québec is inviting eligible workers to register now in My Account and update their direct deposit banking information. Once this step has been completed, all that remains is to finalize their registration on May 19.
Eligible workers will receive their benefits quickly, with an initial payment of up to $1,000 as early as May 27. Those who have not registered for direct deposit will receive a cheque when the program ends in July.
The financial assistance will be paid retroactively to March 15 and will cover a maximum of sixteen weeks. In addition to their salary, workers will receive a taxable lump sum of up to $100 per week, for a total of $1,600.
To qualify, applicants must
- work full-time or part-time in a sector related to essential services;
- earn a gross salary of $550 or less per week;
- have an annual working income of at least $5,000 and a total annual income of $28,600 or less for the year 2020;
- be at least 15 years old at the time of application for PIRTE benefits;
- have resided in Quebec on December 31, 2019 and plan to reside in Quebec throughout 2020.
For each eligible week of work, an applicant must not have received either the Canada Emergency Benefit (CEP) or the Temporary Worker’s Assistance Program (TWAP COVD-19). However, a worker may be eligible even if the company he or she works for receives federal wage assistance.
(Source: revenu Québec)
