What is Record of Employment (ROE)?

A Record of Employment, or ROE, is the document Service Canada uses to decide whether a person qualifies for Employment Insurance benefits, how much they receive and for how long. Employers must issue one whenever an employee has an interruption of earnings: quitting, being laid off or dismissed, going on maternity, parental or sick leave, or otherwise having a period of seven days or more with no insurable earnings.

An ROE shows the employee’s insurable hours and insurable earnings for the relevant pay periods, the first and last days worked, any vacation pay or other money paid on separation, and a reason code such as shortage of work, quit or illness. Mistakes on the reason code or earnings can delay or reduce benefits, and Service Canada may contact the employer to correct them.

Most employers file ROEs electronically through ROE Web, either keyed in or uploaded as a file generated by payroll software. Electronic ROEs are generally due within five calendar days after the end of the pay period in which the interruption occurred; larger employers who file in bulk may have a longer window for some pay periods. Paper ROEs have a separate deadline. Employees can then view their ROE in their My Service Canada Account.