Why does Service Canada need the equivalent of 53 weeks of pay period data?
This data requirement is in response to a pilot project announced by the Government of Canada on February 23, 2005. On September 5, 2008 the Government of Canada announced that it would extend this EI pilot project to better assess is effectiveness. This pilot project, known as the Best 14 Weeks, has particular significance for employers. This pilot targets certain participating EI regions and impacts employers with workers who live in these regions. Employment Insurance (EI) benefit rates will be calculated based on the highest 14 weeks of insurable earnings over the last 52 weeks. The new benefit rate calculation creates the need for the equivalent of 53 weeks of pay period information versus the current 27 weeks of information requested in Block 15C on the Record of Employment (ROE) – 52 weeks plus one additional week for EI calculation purposes. Employers are not required to change their payroll period, but will provide the information by their pay period type for the equivalent of
