ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Provincial Finance Minister Siobhan Coady on Tuesday announced an increase to the maximum gross monthly income threshold from $3,000 to $3,500 for the province’s essential worker support program.
A news release states that increasing the maximum qualifying income threshold will provide financial support to additional essential workers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will allow employers who did not previously apply on behalf of eligible essential workers to submit an application, and will allow employers who previously applied for essential workers to reapply for those workers who earned a maximum gross monthly income up to $3,500. It will also allow eligible essential workers to apply directly if they meet the eligibility criteria and their employer does not apply on their behalf.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed particular demands on workers in certain sectors, including those on the front line in hospitals and nursing homes, those ensuring the availability of food and those providing essential retail services to Canadians.
The essential worker support program provides a temporary wage top-up to essential workers employed during Alert Level 4 and Alert Level 5 of the pandemic. This is taxable income, as it will be included on an individual’s earnings for 2021.
The program is cost-shared with the federal government.
