How do I apply for EI benefits? - Steps to Justice To apply for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits you must fill out an application online The online application will give you instructions for sending your documents to Service Canada If you do not have internet access at home, you can apply at a Service Canada Office using one of their internet kiosks or at a public internet access site like a library Before you go to the Service Canada
2. Complete your application - Steps to Justice Look into other benefits and programs To apply for EI benefits you must fill out an application online The online application will give you instructions for sending your documents to Service Canada If you do not have internet access at home, you can use an internet kiosk at a Service Canada Office or a public internet access site like a library
3. Figure out how much you can get - Steps to Justice You can usually get EI regular benefits for between 14 and 45 weeks This depends on the unemployment rate in your region and on the number of hours of insurable employment in your qualifying period If eligible, most people can get EI benefits of 55% of their average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum amount
1. Figure out if you qualify for the family caregiver benefit If you are self-employed, you can apply for these benefits if you have paid EI premiums for at least 52 weeks To arrange to pay premiums as a self-employed worker, you can set up an online account at www servicecanada ca Choosing to pay premiums as a self-employed worker is an important decision that usually cannot be changed
1. Figure out if you can get Regular EI Benefits The lower the unemployment rate where you live, the more hours you will need to qualify for EI If you have more than one job during your qualifying period, you can add up the hours from all of your jobs to figure out your insurable hours If you give information to Service Canada staff that you know is not true or not accurate, it is called a “
Leaves and benefits for new and expecting parents Reviewed: January 2026 Ontario’s Employment Standards Act gives unpaid pregnancy and parental leaves Parents can also get paid Employment Insurance (EI) maternity and parental benefits
1. Figure out if you can get sickness benefits - Steps to Justice You can qualify for EI sickness benefits with less than 600 hours if you stopped working for another reason and are already on regular EI benefits when you fall ill, or are injured or quarantined If you have more than one job during your qualifying period, you can add up the hours from all of your jobs to figure out your insurable hours
3. Wait for a decision - Steps to Justice Service Canada will also pay back any benefits for the time that your application was being processed If you do not qualify for EI, Service Canada will send you that decision in writing If you disagree with the decision, you have 30 days from the date you first find out about the decision to ask Service Canada to reconsider Waiting period
4. Figure out how much you can get - Steps to Justice Get your documents 4 Figure out how much you can get 5 Apply for benefits For most people, the basic rate for calculating EI benefits is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum amount As of January 1, 2026, the maximum amount of EI you can get is $729 a week, up from $695 in 2025 All types of EI benefits are taxable
1. Figure out if you qualify for compassionate care benefits To qualify for EI compassionate care benefits, you usually need 600 insurable hours If family members want to split the 26 weeks of benefits, each family member must have worked the required 600 hours to qualify