Wage Earner Protection Program for an employee: How much could you receive

3. How much you could receive

Employees can receive a one-time payment of up to an amount equivalent to 7 times the maximum weekly insurable earnings under the Employment Insurance Act ($8,507.66 for 2024).

The Wage Earner Protection Program Regulations required that WEPP payments be reduced by 6.82%. This WEPP offset does not represent amounts that were deducted for Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan on behalf of the employee. Therefore, no T4A will be issued for this reduction.

As per changes to the WEPP Regulations, for bankruptcies, receiverships, or other WEPP qualifying insolvency proceedings on or after November 20, 2021, the reduction of 6.82% will no longer be applied to WEPP payments.

Applicants living outside of Canada

If the address on your WEPP application is outside of Canada, it is important that you enter your complete address when applying. If approved, your payment will be issued as a cheque in either Canadian dollars or select foreign currencies.

Adjustments to the WEPP if you have received a partial payment from the trustee/receiver

You may still qualify to receive a WEPP payment for owed wages, vacation pay, termination pay and severance pay if the payment you received:

• does not cover all of the amounts owed to you for eligible wages, and/or
• is less than the prescribed WEPP maximum ($8,507.66 for 2024)

For WEPP enquiries, call the WEPP information line at 1-866-683-6516 (TTY: 1-800-926-9105) or visit a Service Canada Centre.

WEPP most beneficial payment

The Wage Earner Protection Program Act allows that when 2 WEPP qualifying insolvency proceedings occur (for example: a bankruptcy and a receivership), the greater amount owed is to be paid.

Service Canada will determine the most beneficial payment, once a Trustee/Receiver Information Form is submitted under both proceedings.

WEPP and family orders and agreements

A garnishment is the lawful transfer of money owed by a third party (for example the federal government) to the person who is in default of a debt, such as family support payments.

Your WEPP payments may be garnished if Justice Canada is required by the Family Orders and Agreement Enforcement Assistance Act to intercept them. If you have not paid amounts owed as required by a family support order agreement, some or all of your WEPP payments may be redirected by garnishment.

Please visit the Provincial and Territorial Family Maintenance Enforcement Programs page of the Justice Canada's website for more information.

You can also call the Automated Information System Toll-Free at 1-800-267-7777 (TTY: 1-800-267-7676).