A Record of Employment (ROE) is the form Service Canada uses to decide an Employment Insurance claim. You owe one whenever an employee has an interruption of earnings: they quit, are laid off, go on leave, or otherwise stop working and being paid for seven days in a row. Service Canada wants it within five calendar days of the end of the pay period in which the interruption happened, and the employee cannot claim EI until it arrives.
The Records of Employment screen lists the people who need one, the ROEs you have prepared and not yet filed with the date each is due, and the ones already filed. It is available in Canadian companies only.
Open it
- Employees ▸ Records of Employment
The screen is titled Records of employment, and its subtitle counts how many people are waiting and how many ROEs are drafted, for example 1 waiting, 2 drafted.
Before you start
- Enter the employee's Last day on their payroll setup. SeroBooks works out who needs an ROE from it, and uses it as the last day paid. See Add or edit an employee.
- Run and approve their final pay, including vacation pay owing. The ROE's figures are read from approved pay history.
- Make sure their First day is recorded.
The three lists
Employment ended, no record started
People whose employment has ended and who have no ROE yet.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Employee | The employee's name. |
| Last day | The last day entered on their payroll setup. |
| (button) | Draft |
Already filed
ROEs you have recorded as filed.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Employee | The employee's name. |
| Serial | The serial number Service Canada gave the ROE. |
| Last day paid | The last day for which they were paid. |
| Status | issued, or amended for one that has been replaced. |
| (button) | Amend, for an issued ROE that has a serial number. |
Drafted, waiting to be filed
ROEs prepared and not yet filed. This list is always shown; it reads Nothing is drafted. when empty.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Employee | The employee's name. |
| Last day paid | The last day for which they were paid. |
| Reason | The reason code. |
| Due | The date the ROE is due. Once that date has passed it shows in red with — LATE. |
| Insurable hours | Total insurable hours for the ROE's period. |
| Insurable earnings | Total insurable earnings for the ROE's period. |
| (button) | Filed |
Each list has the usual search, sorting, filters, Columns, Email and Export controls.
Prepare an ROE
- In Employment ended, no record started, press Draft beside the employee.
- In the Record of employment for name window, choose Why the employment ended:
| Code | Reason |
|---|---|
| A | Shortage of work / end of contract or season |
| D | Illness or injury |
| E | Quit |
| K | Other |
- Press Draft it.
The figures are read from the approved pay history on the insurable basis, not gross: a benefit in kind is taxable but not insurable, so an ROE built from gross would overstate what Service Canada is told. All you choose is the reason, because the reason code decides whether a claim is even reviewed.
File it with Service Canada
SeroBooks does not send the ROE to Service Canada. Use the figures on the drafted ROE to file it through ROE Web (or on paper), then record it:
- In Drafted, waiting to be filed, press Filed beside the ROE.
- In Record it as filed, type the Serial number Service Canada gave it.
- Press Filed. The ROE moves to Already filed.
Record the serial number: an amendment has to name the ROE it replaces, so without the serial the ROE cannot be amended later.
Amend an ROE
An amendment is a new ROE that names the one it replaces. The filed ROE is never changed in place, because Service Canada holds the original.
- In Already filed, press Amend beside the ROE.
- The Amend serial window explains that this creates a new record naming the original as the one it replaces, rebuilt from the pay history as it stands now.
- Change Reason only if the original reason was wrong.
- Press Amend it.
Correct the pay history first (for example, reverse and re-issue a pay run), then amend, so the new ROE is built from the corrected figures.
Permissions
Draft, Filed and Amend all need the Draft, Issue or Amend an ROE permission under Payroll ▸ Records of Employment. Without it, SeroBooks asks someone whose role has it to approve.
Common problems
- Somebody who left is not in the list. Their Last day is not entered on their payroll setup.
- Insurable hours or earnings look too low. Their final pay run is not approved yet, or some of their pay was a benefit in kind, which is not insurable.
- Amend is not shown. The ROE was recorded as filed without a serial number, or it has already been amended.
- The Due date shows LATE. File it with Service Canada now; the employee cannot claim EI until you do.