The government announced today that the CEWS subsidy period will be extended. Originally announced to conclude on June 6th, the extension will now result in eligible employers having the ability to receive CEWS for an additional three months to August 29, 2020.
In addition to the extension to the program period, government also announced changes to include certain previously excluded employers. The government is considering making changes to expand CEWS criteria to include certain employees not employed during January and February 2020, such as seasonal workers. These changes will be applied retroactively to March 15th. Consultations will be ongoing with stakeholder groups regarding the 30% revenue reduction eligibility criteria as well as expansion to qualifying employee criteria.
Further details regarding these changes are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.
The personal tax filing deadline for individuals, excluding those who are self-employed, is two weeks away on June 1, 2020. For those clients that have not forwarded their personal tax information, please do so by Tuesday, May 19th or we cannot commit to having your return completed by the deadline.
The corporate tax filing deadline for returns due June 1, 2020 and beyond remains unchanged. We ask our corporate clients who have a December 31 year-end to forward your corporate tax information to us as soon as possible, if you have not already done so, as the June 30th filing deadline is quickly approaching.
We are monitoring the progress of COVID-19 in our province and adhering to direction from officials to help stop the spread of this virus. Our offices remain closed to public access, however, we have established a drop off and receiving area on the main floor of our building for those clients unable to utilize pdf technology to provide documents to us in electronic format via our secure portal or via email. Signage is provided at our main entrance to direct you to the drop off location door. This intake area will be open from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday. We are committed, as always, to fully serving your needs, to meeting existing deadlines and delivering prompt responses to your questions and concerns.