Estimate your Employment Insurance weekly payments, how many weeks you'll receive benefits, and whether you have enough hours to qualify.
Select your benefit type and enter your details below.
| Employee premium rate | 1.63% |
| Max insurable earnings | $68,900 |
| Max annual premium | $1,123 |
| Max weekly benefit | $729 |
| Benefit rate (regular) | 55% |
| Low-income family rate | Up to 80% |
| Quebec EI rate | 1.30% |
| Waiting period | 1 week (no pay) |
| Benefit type | Hours needed |
|---|---|
| Regular EI | 420–700 hrs* |
| Maternity | 600 hrs |
| Parental (standard) | 600 hrs |
| Parental (extended) | 600 hrs |
| Sickness | 600 hrs |
| Compassionate care | 600 hrs |
| Family caregiver | 600 hrs |
*Regular EI hours vary by regional unemployment rate (420–770 hours)
Use our take-home pay calculator to see what your net income will look like when you return to work.
Take-Home Pay Calculator →Free — no signup required.
Employment Insurance (EI) is a federal program that provides temporary income support when you lose your job, are sick, pregnant, or caring for a family member. Your weekly benefit is calculated as 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum of $729 per week in 2026.
How the "best weeks" calculation works: Your average insurable weekly earnings are calculated using your "best weeks" — the weeks with the highest earnings in the qualifying period. The number of best weeks used (14 to 22) depends on the unemployment rate in your economic region. Using only your best weeks protects you from being penalized for periods of lower earnings like part-time work.
There is a mandatory one-week waiting period at the start of every EI claim during which you receive no benefits. This waiting period applies regardless of what type of EI benefit you're claiming. Your first EI payment typically arrives approximately 4 weeks after you file your application, as the waiting period is served first.
Regular EI is for workers who lose their jobs involuntarily (layoff, end of contract). You need 420–770 insurable hours depending on your regional unemployment rate, and benefits last 14 to 45 weeks based on your hours and regional rate.
Special benefits (maternity, parental, sickness, compassionate care, family caregiver) all require 600 insurable hours and last for a fixed duration depending on the benefit type. These benefits are also available to self-employed workers who have opted into the EI program.
If your net income for the year exceeds approximately $79,000 (1.25 times the maximum insurable earnings of $68,900), you must repay a portion of your EI benefits. The repayment is 30% of the lesser of: the net income above the threshold, or the total EI benefits received that year. First-time EI claimants are exempt from the clawback in their first claim. Always check with Service Canada for the exact threshold in your year.