Last Updated on November 25, 2016

Do Employers Still Need to Give their Employees Copies of Electronic Records of Employment (ROEs)?

It is worth mentioning that employers do not need to provide paper copies of Records of Employment (ROEs) to their employees if they submit the Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically. When employers submit Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically, the system transmits the data directly to Service Canada’s database. The officers use this data for processing Employment Insurance (EI) claims.

For more information on submitting Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically, employers will need to refer to the help instructions given on the Record of Employment on the Web (ROE Web) or call the Employer Contact Centre at 1-800-367-5693 (TTY: 1-855-881-9874)

Note:

• Employers would need to ensure that their employees are aware that they would be submitting their Records of Employment (ROEs) to Service Canada electronically; this would help in ensuring that the employees do not submit their copies to Service Canada

• Employees who have registered with the My Service Canada Account online service would need to view and print copies of their electronic Records of Employment (ROEs)

  • For more information on the My Service Canada Account, they would need to visit the website of Service Canada

• Although employers no longer need to print paper copies of Records of Employment (ROEs) if they are submitting the Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically, the authorities recommend that in case employees request for copies of these Records of Employment (ROEs), employers should provide copies to the employees

  • However, the employers would also need to notify the employees that the employees should not deliver these paper copies to a Service Canada office

• Employers would need to inform their employees that they should submit their Employment Insurance (EI) applications as soon as they experience an interruption of earnings

  • This is applicable even if the employees have not received all their Records of Employment (ROEs) – including the Records of Employment (ROEs) issued on paper

  • This typically applies to employees who plan to apply for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits

For How Long Should Employers Keep Payroll Records Pertaining to the Records of Employment (ROEs)?

The authorities require employers to store all related payroll records for six years after the year to which the information relates. This is regardless of whether the employer issues Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically or on paper. In addition, this applies to all related payroll records that are in electronic or paper format.

Do Employers Need to Store Paper Copies of the Records of Employment (ROEs)?

If employers issue paper Records of Employment (ROEs), they would need to store Part 3 of all completed paper Records of Employment (ROEs) for six years after the year to which the information relates. Therefore, employers would need to store these in a secure place. It is worth highlighting that once the employers complete the Records of Employment (ROEs), the authorities consider the information the Records of Employment (ROEs) contain as confidential.

Similarly, if the employers issue Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically, they do not need to store paper copies of these Records of Employment (ROEs). However, the authorities require employers to ensure that they save the data for six years after the year to which the information relates.

Where Should Employers Typically Send Part 2 of the Paper Records of Employment (ROEs)?

The authorities require employers to send Part 2 (i.e. the blue copy) of all completed paper Records of Employment (ROEs) to Service Canada’s Record of Employment (ROE) centre in Bathurst, New Brunswick. The address of this centre is:

Service Canada

P.O. Box 9000

Bathurst, New Brunswick E2A 4T3

It is worth mentioning that the Bathurst Record of Employment (ROE) centre does not handle any other Record of Employment (ROE) or Employment Insurance (EI) related business. This is why the authorities require employers to use only the above-mentioned address for sending Part 2 of the Record of Employment (ROE). The authorities also require employers to send all other Record of Employment (ROE) related documents and all Record of Employment (ROE) related correspondence to the local Service Canada Centre.

Note:

• If employers issue Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically, they no longer need to send paper copies to Service Canada

Where Should Employers Send Other Documents or Correspondence Pertaining to Records of Employment (ROEs)?

On occasions, employers will find themselves having various documents or correspondence relating to Records of Employment (ROEs). In this scenario, they would need to send these documents or correspondence to their local Service Canada Centre. It is worth mentioning that the only document that employers need to send to the Record of Employment (ROE) centre in Bathurst, New Brunswick, is Part 2 (i.e. the blue copy) of the paper Record of Employment (ROE).

Can Employers Make Changes to Paper Records of Employment (ROEs) Once they Have Completed them?

The authorities permit employers to make changes to completed paper Records of Employment (ROEs). However, they only permit this in case the employers still have all three copies of the Records of Employment (ROEs). In case the employers have all three copies of the paper Records of Employment (ROEs), they can make changes by:

• Striking out the incorrect information by drawing a line through it

• Inserting the correct information and,

• Initialing the change

It is worth highlighting that employers must not use white-out for making changes to paper Records of Employment (ROEs).

In case the employers have already distributed copies of the paper Records of Employment (ROEs), they would not be able to make any changes to them. In this scenario, they would need to issue amended Records of Employment (ROEs) for making the necessary changes.

Can Employers Cancel Records of Employment (ROEs)?

The authorities do not permit employers to cancel Records of Employment (ROEs) that the employers have already issued. Situations could arise where the employers might have issued Records of Employment (ROEs) in error. In this scenario, the employers would need to issue amended Records of Employment (ROEs). On the amended Records of Employment (ROEs), the employers would need to indicate in Block 18 that they had issued the original Records of Employment (ROEs) in error. The next section contains additional details on this.