Types of Employment Insurance
Regular benefits - details
Special benefits:
Sickness benefits - details
Maternity and Parental benefits – details
Compassionate Care benefits - details
Family Caregiver Benefits (Adults & Children) - details
All applications are completed online at Canada.ca select Employment Insurance and Leave, then select the type of benefit you are applying for.
To apply for Employment Insurance benefits, you will need your:
Social Insurance Number (SIN)
One Parent’s last name at birth
Complete mailing and residential address, including the postal code
Complete banking information for direct deposit
Names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation from all employers in the last 52 weeks
Bi-weekly Reporting:
After you apply, you will receive a 4-digit code in the mail. This is the code you use to complete your bi-weekly reports either online at Canada.ca select Employment Insurance and Leave, then Submit your EI report, or over the phone by calling 1-800-531-7555.
While on Regular and Sickness benefits, bi-weekly reports must be completed. If you do not complete your reports, you do not get paid. If you miss 4 weeks in a row, your claim will go into Failure to Report and you will have to submit a new application to reactivate your claim.
When on Maternity, Parental benefits, Compassionate Care benefits, or Family Caregiver Benefits (Adults & Children) you can opt out of completing reports if you are not going to be working and have no other income to report. This is done during the application process.
If you work during a reporting period, you must report the hours and gross earning when you work them, NOT when you are paid for them.
If you make a mistake:
contact EI directly as soon as possible by calling 1-800-206-7218
visit a Service Canada location
submit an eService request - details
Eligibility
The number of hours required to qualify is based on the unemployment rate in your region (between 420 and 700 hours). Look up your EI Economic Region by Postal Code to determine the number of insurable hours required - details
You require 600 insurable hours for special EI benefits.
The number of entitlement weeks is determined by the number of insurable hours – the more hours you have the more weeks you get.
Weekly amount
The basic rate for calculating EI benefits is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum amount - details. The current maximum payment is $668 per week before taxes.
EI benefits can be calculated using the highest weeks of earnings over the last year for people whose average weekly earnings fluctuate.
You may be eligible to receive the Family Supplement if:
your family net income does not exceed $25, 921 per year; and
you have children and your spouse receives the Canada Child Benefit
Reason for separation
Your employer will indicate the reason for separation on your Record of Employment (ROE).
As a general rule, if you are laid-off or the company closes, you are considered to have stopped working due to a shortage of work.
You may not be entitled to receive EI regular benefits if you:
voluntarily left your employment without just cause;
were dismissed for misconduct; or
are unemployed because you are directly participating in a labour dispute (strike, lockout, or other type of dispute).
Your Responsibilities
Report all periods when you are not available for work;
Report any absences from your area of residence and/or any absence from Canada;
Report all employment, whether you work for someone else or yourself;
Accurately report all employment earnings before deductions in the week(s) in which you earn them, as well as any other money you may receive;
Keep a record of your job search efforts in the event EI asks for them
Earnings
When you receive income while receiving any type of EI benefit, your EI benefits are reduced by:
50 cents for every dollar you earn in wages to a maximum of 90% of your previous weekly earnings. Any additional amount earned will be deducted dollar-for-dollar