Employment Insurance (EI) and the Automated Earnings Reporting System (AERS)
See Employer Guide — Automated Earnings Reporting System (AERS). A printable version is also available in pdf format (113 kb). About PDF Files.
What is the Automated Earnings Reporting System (AERS)?
The benefits of AERS
Who can participate?
Programming
To register for the AERS program and to obtain support
What is the Automated Earnings Reporting System (AERS)?
The Automated Earnings Reporting System is a voluntary verification program that protects Employment Insurance (EI) and reduces administrative costs for employers.
Through AERS, employers electronically submit payroll information to Service Canada, remaining fully compliant with federal and provincial privacy legislation.
Although employers may choose to provide their payroll data each pay period, they must provide the data at least once every 4 weeks.
The benefits of AERS
Employers participating in this program are excluded from further Request for Payroll Information forms from Service Canada, which saves employers both time and money.
In addition, there is less hardship on employees as overpayments are detected earlier.
Who can participate?
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Employers with computerized payroll systems who can provide Service Canada with payroll data in a weekly, Sunday to Saturday format. Note: Employers with daily data capture capability meet this requirement.
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Employers who are able to provide payroll data via the Internet, using Service Canada’s secure transfer mechanism — Data Gateway; and
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Employers who have access to the Internet with a Browser that supports 128-bit encryption, Netscape 4.0 or higher or Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.
In addition:
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Employers who have hired 10 or more employees within the past 12 months or who expect to do so in the next 12 months; or
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Employers who were required to complete 10 or more Records of Employment over the past 12 months or who expect to do so in the next 12 months.
Programming
If a Payroll Service Bureau or Software Vendor is responsible for creating your record layout, please provide them with Business Rules. Also available in pdf format (113 kb).
To register for the AERS program and to obtain support
To register for the AERS program and to obtain support, please contact your provincial AERS representative at:
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British Columbia / Yukon bc-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
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Alberta / NU / NWT ab-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
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Saskatchewan sk-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
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Newfoundland / Labrador nl-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
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Prince Edward Island pe-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
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Nova Scotia ns-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
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New Brunswick nb-aers-sadr.inquiry@servicecanada.gc.ca
Only questions related to the AERS program — payroll or technical — will be responded to.
