Temporary pandemic pay
Temporary pandemic pay was one of the ways our government recognized the frontline workers providing critical public services to vulnerable people, including in health, social services and corrections.
The Province has now completed a review of all claims submitted under the Temporary Pandemic Pay program. By the end of February, the Province will have distributed the pandemic pay funding for roughly 220,000 employees, representing 98% of claims.
Most employers have distributed or are in the process of distributing the pandemic pay funding they received from the Province to their employees and subcontractors.
Employers who have submitted claims but have not received funding by the end of February may be required to provide additional information before funding can be sent or eligibility can be determined.
Last updated: February 23, 2021
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How the claim process works
The employer submission period for claims is closed.
Employers are responsible for distributing the funds to their employees.
- The timing and frequency of the lump-sum payments may vary between employers
- The payment does not impact eligibility for Employment Insurance (EI) or the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)
- The top-up is considered income and cannot be put on a separate pay cheque to avoid taxes
Employer responsibilities
Eligible provincially-funded employers and contracted service providers that submitted claims on behalf of employees and subcontractors will not receive a notification that the funds have been sent or deposited.
- Check your account regularly
- Funding should arrive in the same way it is normally disbursed to your organization
A description of the amounts meant for employees’ top-up and the amount provided to offset employer payroll expenses will be included at the point of deposit or included with the cheque.
Distributing funds
Employers that receive the Temporary Pandemic Pay funding must:
- Ensure the funds are accurately distributed to their eligible employees and subcontractors as soon as they receive them from the Province
- Likely a lump-sum payment on a regular pay cheque
- Make best efforts to provide the pay to eligible employees who have resigned or retired from the organization
- Address any issues from employees. For example, the amount of pandemic pay or the hours that were worked in the 16-week period
- Make sure funds are not used to reimburse employers for any top-up pay that they independently committed to their employees prior to the announcement of the program on May 7, 2020
How eligibility was determined
The Temporary Pandemic Pay program is a cost-shared program with the federal government with a finite amount of funding available.
The eligibility criteria were determined based on an assessment of provincially funded services. Privately funded clinics and businesses, excluded management staff, fee-for-service providers (physicians and their direct employees) or employees on leave were not eligible for the program.
Within the available federal funding, B.C. sought to extend eligibility to the most employees possible in the health, corrections and social services sectors.
Eligible sectors, workplaces and roles
Health services
- Hospitals
- Long term care and assisted living facilities
- Provincial mental health facilities
- Provincially funded home and community care services
- Public health units
- Primary care clinics
- Diagnostic facilities
- Community clinics
- Diagnostic and treatment centres
- Registered nurses
- Licensed practical nurses
- Registered psychiatric nurses
- Allied health professionals
- Resident doctors
- Health care assistants, community health workers and other patient care support workers
- Paramedics
- Pharmacists
- Administrative/clerical support roles
- Essential non-clinical staff, including
- Food service workers
- Housekeepers
- Laundry workers
- Porters
- Security
- Other key roles
Social services
Community living
- Residential services
- Intervenor residential sites
Indigenous services
- Delegated aboriginal agencies
- Friendship centres providing critical services
- Healing and wellness facilities and shelters
Harm reduction
- Shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking
- Directly operated residential facilities
- Adult justice residential facilities
- Safe Injection sites
- Emergency outreach harm reduction workers
- Emergency shelters
- Supportive housing facilities
- Respite/drop-in centres
- Temporary shelter facilities
- Hotels or motels used for self-isolation and/or shelter overflow
Youth services
- High risk youth services
- Youth justice residential facilities
- Licenced children's residential sites
Immigrant services
- High risk support services for immigrants and refugees
- High risk immigrant youth services
- Settlement services
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (SDPR)
- SDPR Income Assistance and Disability Assistance Offices
- SDPR/Service BC Integrated Offices
- SDPR Contact Center Offices
Service BC
- Service BC offices
- Victoria Corporate Registries Branch
Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD)
- Service Delivery Division
BC Housing
- BC Housing main location and other offices
Community Living BC
- Local offices
- Provincial assessment centre
Social services
- Community support workers
- Employment support workers
- Residence workers
- Adult/youth workers
- Transition house workers
- Stopping the violence counsellors
- Victim service workers
- Emergency shelter workers
- Program coordinators
- Counsellors
- Occupational and physical therapists
- Behavioural therapists
- Family preservation workers
- Domestic violence workers
- Social workers
- Child and youth mental health workers
- Indigenous service workers
- Administrative and client support roles
- Essential operation support staff, including:
- Maintenance workers
- Housekeepers
- Janitors
- Food service workers
- Passenger vehicle drivers
- Other key roles.
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (SDPR)
- Employment and assistance workers
- Client services workers
- Community integration specialists
- Service delivery division supervisors
- Service delivery division assistant supervisors
- Service delivery division supervisors of administrative services
Service BC
- Customer service representatives
- Registries support clerk
- Administrative assistants
- Manager of administration
Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD)
- Child protection workers
- Resource workers
- Child and Family Services workers
- Adoptions workers
- Mental health workers
- Special needs workers
- Community youth justice workers
BC Housing workplaces
- Tenant support workers
- Maintenance and janitorial workers
- Pest control and building management workers
- Registered nurse
Community Living BC
- Registered nurse
- Mental health support worker
- Occupational therapist
- Dietary aide
Corrections
- Adult correctional facilities and youth justice facilities
- Community corrections offices
- Sheriff services division (Deputy Sheriffs only)
- Correctional officers
- Correctional instructors
- Correctional supervisors
- Youth supervisors
- Social workers
- Case management supervisors
- Health care workers
- Psychologists
- Finance and administrative clerks
- Administration staff
- Chaplains
- Aboriginal liaison officers
- Youth custody nurses
- Probation officers
- Senior probation officers
- Local manager (bargaining unit)
- Office assistants
- Office manager (bargaining unit)
- Chef manager (bargaining unit)
- Cooks
- General helpers
- Deputy sheriffs
