Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB)

Providing $1,250 per month for eligible students or $2,000 per month for eligible students with dependents or a disability from May to August 2020. Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) is a taxable benefit that would provide support to students and new graduates who are not eligible for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or Employment Insurance or who are unable to work due to COVID-19. Students who earn less than $1,000 in a 4-week period are also eligible for the CESB. Students are defined as Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada enrolled in a post-secondary educational program that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate, at any time between December 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020. In addition, secondary school graduates this year that applied for or plan to enroll in programs that will begin before February 1, 2021, are eligible. PBO estimates total net cost of this measure to be $5.9 billion in 2020-21 reaching approximately 1.1 million unique recipients. This includes an estimated cost of $6.0 billion for the benefit and an estimated cost recovery of $163 million for 2020 tax revenues. No additional administrative costs are anticipated. The time horizon for this costing is aligned to PBO’s current Economic and Fiscal Scenario, although there may be potential fiscal impacts for subsequent years.