A Record of Employment can be wrong in a very specific way: one pay period is missing, two employment dates have been confused, or the reason for leaving does not match the documents you received. A useful correction request identifies that discrepancy and the evidence behind it. It does not ask the employer to rewrite the entire history of a workplace dispute, and it does not assume that changing a code automatically settles an Employment Insurance claim.
This guide concerns Canadian Records of Employment, usually called ROEs. It explains how an employee can organise a request to the issuing employer, preserve the different versions and keep the EI application moving. The examples are hypothetical working methods, not statements about a particular worker's entitlement.
1. Keep the employer's record and the EI decision separate
Service Canada uses an ROE to assess EI eligibility, the amount and duration of benefits. The employer issues the record; an employee can view an electronic ROE through My Service Canada Account. These are different roles. The official Record of Employment guidance explains both the employer's service and the employee's access route.
For your own file, separate three questions: what the employer submitted, what you say happened, and what Service Canada decided. A payroll correction can be necessary even before any decision is made. Conversely, an employer's refusal to change the ROE does not replace Service Canada's consideration of the evidence. Write to the organisation that can perform the particular action you need rather than sending the same general complaint to everyone.
A practical folder structure is “ROE versions”, “pay and attendance”, “separation documents” and “Service Canada correspondence”. Put the downloaded original in the first folder without annotations. Place your comparison notes in a separate document. This prevents a working copy marked with proposed figures from later being mistaken for the record actually issued.
2. Do not postpone an EI application while correcting the ROE
The current EI regular benefits application instructions say to apply promptly and warn that applying more than four weeks after the last day of work may result in lost benefits. They also state that required documents can be supplied after applying. Waiting for a satisfactory amendment is therefore not a sound default strategy.
When preparing the application, distinguish a document you have not received from a document you received but dispute. Keep the employer's name, relevant employment dates and your explanation available. Where the application asks why employment ended, give your account accurately, including any material disagreement with the employer. Do not change your factual account merely to make it match a disputed entry.
Record the application confirmation separately from the correction request. A message to payroll saying “please amend my ROE” is not evidence that an EI application was submitted. Equally, starting an online application is different from completing its submission. Save the confirmation produced at the end and follow the instructions for any remaining material.
3. Identify the exact ROE before disputing a field
Download or obtain the record that contains the suspected mistake. Note the employer, the period covered, the issue date and serial number. Check whether you are looking at a draft supplied by payroll, a submitted record or an amended version. If you have worked for several entities in a group, the company name on a payslip may help distinguish otherwise similar records.
A correction request should allow the recipient to locate the record without guessing. Use the serial number and relevant employment period in the subject or opening paragraph, but avoid putting your full Social Insurance Number in an ordinary email subject. Where stronger identification is necessary, ask payroll or Service Canada for the appropriate secure channel.
Do not assume that two documents showing different totals are necessarily contradictory. They might cover different periods, different employers or an original and an amendment. First compare their scope. If scope differs, describe that difference explicitly instead of producing a single unexplained “correct total”.
4. Map each disputed entry to its supporting record
The government's block-by-block ROE completion guide is the reference for understanding the fields and the rules behind them. It also explains when an amended ROE is needed. Do not treat net deposits, calendar days or your own spreadsheet totals as automatic substitutes for insurable earnings or hours.
Build a short comparison for each issue. State the field as it appears, the value submitted, the value you believe requires review and the supporting document. For example, identify a particular omitted pay period and the corresponding payslip, rather than simply saying that annual earnings are too low. If the correct technical calculation is uncertain, ask for the calculation and its treatment of that period instead of presenting an estimate as established fact.
Useful working records may include dated payslips, timesheets, schedules, approved leave, the contract, amendments and the final pay statement. A bank transaction proves receipt of money on a date; by itself it may not explain which period or component it covers. Pair it with the payroll document that explains the payment.
Keep separate rows for separate questions. An incorrect mailing address, an omitted period and a disputed departure reason need different evidence. Combining them in one long paragraph makes it harder to tell whether the employer accepted one point but rejected another.
5. Describe a departure dispute through events, not just a preferred code
A disputed reason for leaving is often more complex than a typographical error. Prepare the actual sequence: the last shift worked, any resignation communication, a dismissal letter, instructions about returning to work, and the date of the final payment. Distinguish something you were told orally from a written notice you possess.
For example, suppose an employee receives a letter saying a fixed-term assignment has ended, while the ROE records a different reason. The employee can identify the letter, quote the relevant short wording in their own correspondence and ask the employer to review the inconsistency. The request should not assert that any particular benefit outcome necessarily follows from the preferred description.
If you and the employer disagree about the events themselves, preserve both positions. A clear factual statement to Service Canada is more useful than a bare demand that it accept your chosen code. Do not conceal a resignation email, later agreement or payment because it complicates the account. Explain its place in the chronology and, where necessary, obtain advice about the underlying employment dispute separately.
6. Draft a correction request that can be answered
Address the request to the payroll or human-resources contact responsible for the ROE. Start with identification of the record and one sentence describing the action sought. Then number the disputed fields and the corresponding evidence. End by asking for confirmation of the review, the outcome for each item and, where an amendment is issued, the new record reference.
A concise opening might say that the electronic ROE for a specified employment period appears not to include one named pay period, and that the attached payslip and attendance record support a review. That is more actionable than “all of the ROE is wrong”. The wording should remain conditional where you have not verified the employer's calculation method.
Give attachments readable filenames and identify the relevant page. Send the smallest complete set that supports the points, not an entire unorganised mailbox. Do not redact the very date or payment component on which your argument depends. At the same time, remove unrelated personal material from working copies and use an agreed secure method for sensitive information.
Keep a copy of what you actually sent, including the attachment versions. If you later supply additional material, identify it as a supplement to the same request. A replacement email with silently changed figures can create uncertainty about what the employer was asked to examine.
7. Follow an amendment through to the submitted version
ROE Web allows an employer to retrieve an original record, make changes and submit an amendment. The official ROE guidance states that an amended record receives a new serial number. Keep the original and amended versions linked in your notes; do not delete the original as soon as a replacement appears.
Ask the employer to distinguish an internal correction from submission to Service Canada. “Payroll has been updated” may describe the employer's own system, not the final ROE amendment. The useful completion evidence is the issued amended record and its reference, not merely a promise that someone will make the change.
When the new record becomes available, compare every field you raised and check for unintended changes elsewhere. A correction of one period should not lead you to overlook a new misspelling or a different date. Record what was accepted, what remains disputed and what supporting explanation accompanied the result.
For electronic records, use your own My Service Canada Account to check the version available to you. Do not ask the employer to share its ROE Web credentials or let an intermediary log in using your own credentials. Keep access to each organisation's account separate from the exchange of documents needed for the correction.
8. Escalate the right issue without losing its history
If the employer does not respond, follow up using the same record number, request date and concise list of outstanding points. Ask whether the issue is still being investigated or has been refused. A telephone conversation can help identify the responsible person, but follow it with a brief written note recording the date and what was agreed.
For an EI claim affected by missing or disputed information, contact Service Canada through its official channels. Be ready to provide the record version, employer correspondence and your own evidence. Do not send confidential material to an address merely because it appeared in an unsolicited message.
An actual EI decision requires separate attention. The current reconsideration instructions provide for a request within 30 days after the decision was communicated, with an explanation required for a late request. Contacting payroll does not itself file that request. Preserve the communication date and the decision, and check the applicable instructions immediately rather than waiting indefinitely for an amended ROE.
9. Worked example: an omitted pay period
Consider a hypothetical employee whose last payment includes regular wages and a separate final adjustment. They notice that the ROE total does not resemble the sum of their bank deposits. Simply adding every deposit would mix net amounts, adjustments and possibly different periods. Their first task is to identify what each payment represents.
The employee creates a comparison using payslip dates, periods covered and the corresponding bank references. One payslip appears relevant to the reported employment period but has no obvious counterpart in the employer's explanation. The correction request focuses on that specific payslip and asks how it was treated, with the attendance record attached.
Payroll replies that the first comparison used a different period boundary and supplies a breakdown. The employee can now test the explanation against the documents. If a real omission remains, the request narrows to that entry. If the apparent discrepancy is explained, the employee retains the response rather than continuing to demand a numerical change unsupported by the evidence.
The EI application proceeds separately throughout. Neither the initial suspicion nor payroll's eventual response is described as a decision granting benefits. This separation keeps the record accurate and avoids treating a document-management step as a final entitlement determination.
10. Final checklist and questions
- Identify the employer, employment period and exact ROE serial number.
- Keep an untouched original and label later versions clearly.
- Match each disputed field to a dated supporting document.
- Separate net payments from the technical earnings and hours fields.
- Explain departure events chronologically rather than demanding an unexplained code.
- Submit the EI application promptly and retain its own confirmation.
- Ask whether an amendment was actually submitted, then inspect the new version.
- Track any Service Canada decision and its separate review instructions.
Can I edit the employer's ROE myself?
Use the employee access route to view the record and the issuing employer's contact to request correction. A self-edited PDF is not an issued amendment and should never be presented as one.
Should I wait for payroll before applying for EI?
The official application guidance says not to wait for required documents. Submit promptly, describe missing or disputed information accurately and provide supporting documents through the appropriate process.
Does a different ROE automatically change my benefits?
No benefit outcome should be inferred from the amendment alone. Service Canada assesses the claim. Keep the amended record and any decision separate, and address a decision through its own review process when necessary.
What shows that the correction request is complete?
A clear response to the numbered issues, an issued amended record where appropriate, and your comparison of its contents. Keep any unresolved point identifiable rather than marking the whole matter resolved after a general acknowledgement.