Employment Insurance (EI) and the 53 Week Record of Employment on the Web (ROE Web)

The user requirements for the 53 week ROE format are available. To view an example in PDF (153 kb) format of the 53 week ROE

Information on the Best 14 weeks pilot project 

What is ROE Web?
Accuracy of information
When and who can use ROE Web application?
When to issue a ROE
System requirements
Who is involved?
Documentation
What you have to do to register
What you'll see after you login to ROE Web
Personal information is secure with us
Privacy Notice Statement

Maybe the answer you're looking for is in our frequently asked questions (FAQ)

More Information is available on Employment Insurance...

What is the ROE Web?

The ROE Web is a Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) response to a long-standing request from employers to facilitate the ROE creation process. Each year, over one million Canadian employers create eight million multiple-part ROE forms at considerable expense. An employer must complete a ROE form whenever there is an interruption of earnings. ROE Web enables employers to create, submit and print ROEs via the Internet. The application includes:

• ROE Web Online Data Entry — enables users to create, amend, print and submit ROEs by using a Web version of the ROE form and also find ROEs from the past 11 years; and
• ROE Web Bulk Transfer — enables users to transfer a large volume of their automated pay system data to HRSDC. 

HRSDC has taken measures to ensure that your electronic transactions with us are secure and that your privacy and that of your employees is protected.

Accuracy of information

When you complete a ROE, the accuracy of the information you submit to HRSDC about your employees’ insurable employment is important. The ROE Web minimizes the risk of errors as it validates the data transferred to HRSDC. This translates into saving time and money for everyone as well as ensuring the protection of the employment insurance fund. 

When and who can use the ROE Web application?

The 53 week ROE Web application is currently available to Canadian businesses that have at least one Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number and who meet the system requirements. If you are a business outside Canada your registered subsidiary operating in Canada can use the ROE Web application.

Accountants and bookkeepers who wish to sign up clients can also use ROE Web.

If your business has an agreement with a Payroll Service Provider (PSP) to issue Records of Employment (ROE), HRSDC has developed a solution for your PSP to electronically issue ROEs. Contact your Payroll Service Provider to find out if the service is available.

If your business uses specialized payroll software to issue ROEs, contact your Software Vendor to check whether ROE Web is among the features included in their software.

To date, we are not able to provide the ROE Web service for self-employed fishers.

top

When to issue a ROE

The ROE plays an important role in controlling the misuse of Employment Insurance (EI) funds and it must be issued even if the employee has no intention of filing a claim for EI benefits. A penalty under the Employment Insurance Act for non-compliance may apply to employers who fail to issue a ROE as required. For more information...

System requirements

In order to run ROE Web, you will need the following:

• High speed Internet access — due to the fact that the dial-up system is too slow to allow a transmission to be completed successfully
• Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5 or later;
• Meet the minimum technical requirements for using an epass as indicated on the Epass Canada site;
• Users must accept the Applet warning message when using the ROE Web application.

top

Who is involved?

In order to use ROE Web, the employer will need to identify the following individuals:

• Primary Officer – an officer, employee or agent of the employer, authorized to sign the Agreement on behalf of the employer, and to designate a Designated Officer for purposes of the ROE Web Program. The Primary Officer may act as a Designated Officer and as a ROE Web Issuer.
• Designated Officer – an employee or individual authorized by the employer to represent and act on its behalf for the purpose of identifying and authenticating any employee, who will be authorized to submit Records of Employment. The Designated Officer may be a ROE Web Issuer.
• ROE Web Issuer – an employee, agent or contractor acting on behalf of the employer who is authorized to submit Records of Employment to the Commission.

Although it is not mandatory, it is recommended that the Primary Officer designates another individual within a company to act as the Designated Officer. Additional information about the roles and responsibilities of the individuals can be found in the Employer Agreement documentation.

top

Documentation

Refer to the following documents to learn about the technical specifications and the employer’s responsibilities pertaining to ROE Web.

• User Requirements – a complete description of the technical specifications necessary to install and run this application securely. The current specifications for the 53 week ROE Web service.
    
  Note: If you are an employer using the Bulk File option of the 27 week version of ROE Web and you wish to convert your payroll system to retrieve 53 weeks of payroll data, have your system modified as per Appendix B of the User Requirements. The 27 week version is no longer offered to new ROE Web registrants. You do not need to fill out any additional paperwork or contact your Service Canada Centre. If you only use the on-screen version of the form, no changes are required. 
      
• Employer Agreement (PDF 97 kb) – outlines the employer’s responsibilities under ROE Web.  The employer will need to print the document, enter the required information, sign the agreement and present it to the HRSDC staff member.
   
• Payroll Processor Agreement (PDF 150 kb) – outlines the responsibilities of payroll processors — accountants, bookkeepers, etc. — and their clients under ROE Web. The payroll processor will need to print the document, enter the required information and sign the agreement. In addition to the legal agreement, each employer client has to sign an annex (PDF 56 kb) authorizing the payroll processor to produce ROEs on its behalf. The payroll processor presents the documentation to the HRSDC staff member.
   
• Letter of Authorization. This is a sample of a letter of authorization that the Primary Officer should include when registering for ROE Web.

About PDF files

top

What you have to do to register

If you are an employer who wishes to use the 53 week ROE Web, your Business needs to register with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) following steps 1 to 5.

Accountants and bookkeepers register in the same manner as any other employer because they serve as the primary officer.

1. A Primary Officer – Business Representative — visits a Service Canada Centre and requests access to the ROE Web program. In cases where the employer cannot get to the nearest office, the employer may request an in-person visit from HRSDC to participate in the ROE Web program.
   
   Note: The Primary Officer (PO) is the person assigned by the employer with the responsibility for ROE Web within a company. The Primary Officer registers the employer with ROE Web and sets up employees’ access to the system. This includes adding, suspending or revoking as required.  
    
2. The Business Representative brings a letter of authorization on company letterhead signed by his/her superior indicating he/she is authorized by the Business to act on its behalf, has legal signing authority and takes responsibility for their company’s action within the program. The Business Representative must also complete a registration form — filled on-screen and printed — and bring it with two forms of ID, one of which must have a photo, such as a driver’s licence, birth certificate, Canadian passport or employee identification card.
    
3. The Business representative reads and signs the ROE Web Employer Agreement — or the Payroll Processor Agreement. When reading the agreement, the employer will fill in the blanks found in the appropriate pages. The representative will then give the agreement — and, for accountants, all signed annexes — to the HRSDC staff member, who will sign it on behalf of HRSDC. 
    
4. A HRSDC employee creates an entry — Business account — in the program enrolment database. Once the employer’s information is entered, the database will create an activation code which will be mailed to the Business representative, a.k.a. Primary Officer. You will need this activation code in order to enrol to ROE Web.  
    
5. Upon receipt of the activation code the Primary Officer:

• types in the ROE Web Internet address to access the ROE Web,               
• registers for a Government epass — if he/she doesn't already have one; and
• enrols to use ROE Web application.          

For additional information on ROE Web, contact one of our ROE Advisors .   

What you'll see after you login to ROE Web 

After having accessed the ROE Web application, you will be able to select different options from the main menu:

• Admin: enables the primary or designated officer — who has the same rights as the primary officer — to create, modify suspend or revoke a user’s access to ROE Web. It also allows all users to select a default business profile, or choose, add or modify the name of a default contact;
• Reference: enables users to access on-line: 
  • the user guide, 
  • new versions highlights, 
  • services for employers and entrepreneurs, and 
  • the ROE Web training environment;
• ROE — ROE Web Online Data Entry: enables users to create, amend, print and submit ROEs by using a Web version of the ROE form and also find ROEs from the past 11 years;
• Bulk — ROE Web Bulk Transfer: enables users to transfer a large volume of their automated pay system data to HRSDC.

Definition: the business profile includes the Employer's Name and address, CCRA Business Number (BN) and Default Contact which appears in Box 16 of the ROE.

Personal information is secure with us

By following three principles we are providing the security that the Canadian public has expressed as a need to ensure their confidence in Government of Canada electronic business transactions.

These means ensure the security of client transactions: Encryption, Firewalls, Authentication. By encryption we ensure that the data sent is electronically scrambled and therefore minimizes the risk of it being seen or “hacked” by unauthorized individuals.  Firewalls are a combination of hardware and software designed to securely separate the outside world from our internal computer systems and database.  Authentication ensures that the identity of the individual submitting the data is verified.

Privacy Notice Statement

Information on ROE Web is collected by HRSDC and is to be used for the administration and enforcement of the Employment Insurance Act. The information will be retained in Personal Information Banks HRSDC PPU 150, 180 and 385, and will be used and disclosed in accordance with the conditions listed therein. This information may also be used for policy analysis, research and/or evaluation purposes. In order to conduct these activities, information under the custody and control of HRSDC may be linked. The information collected will be administered in accordance with the Privacy Act. Under provisions of the Privacy Act, individuals to whom the information pertains have the right to the protection of, and access to, their personal information. Instructions to assist an individual in obtaining his/her personal information, as well as a detailed description of the Personal Information Banks, are found in the Info Source  or available at your Service Canada Centre.

Completion of a ROE is mandatory whenever there is an interruption of earnings. Failure to issue an ROE within the time limit is a breach of Section 136 of the Employment Insurance Act. On conviction, the employer may be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both.