Return to Work Supplement
Helping you get a good start in your new job
Did you just get a job and you need to buy new tools, office supplies or clothing? If you are eligible for the Return to Work Supplement, you could receive up to $500 to help cover the expenses related to your return to work.
Employment requirements
To be eligible for the supplement, you must have a job that:
- earns you an income equivalent to at least 30 hours of employment per week at minimum wage;
- constitutes “insurable employment” within the meaning of the Employment Insurance Act, that is, employment for which you pay Employment Insurance premiums.
Who is eligible for the Return to Work Supplement?
- Employment Insurance recipients.
- Persons receiving benefits under a last-resort financial assistance program.
- Persons for whom a benefit period was established or ended under the Employment Insurance Act within the last 36 months.
- Persons who took parental leave under the Employment Insurance Program or the Québec Parental Insurance Plan at some point during the last five years that was granted in accordance with the conditions applying to the Employment Insurance Program.
- Participants in the Youth Alternative Program
; - Beneficiaries of the Income Support Program for Workers Affected by Collective Dismissals or the Income Support Program for Older Workers .
To be eligible, you must, in the last 12 months:
- have been unemployed;
or - have been employed and earned a gross income that is less than the amount paid for 427 hours of employment at the minimum wage in effect.
You are not eligible for the Return to Work Supplement if:
- you are attending an educational institution on a full-time basis;
- you are receiving an income-replacement benefit from another Québec government agency, such as the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) or the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) (certain exceptions apply);
- you are already participating in an employment assistance measure or program, other than the Employment Assistance Services measure;
- you received the Return to Work Supplement within the past 12 months;
- your job is wholly or partially funded by government employment-assistance measures or programs.
If you are eligible for this assistance:
Contact your local employment centre (CLE) as soon as you get your new job. You will have to fill out an application form and provide proof of employment (Annexe 1 - Confirmation de l'emploi (French only)). Don’t delay! You must submit your application within 45 calendar days from the start date of your employment.
For more information
Québec is responsible for active employment measures and certain National Employment Service functions funded by the Employment Insurance Account.
