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If you’re paid $60,000 a year, EI regular benefits come to about $635 a week. The rate is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, capped at $729 a week in 2026, and it lasts 14 to 45 weeks. You need 420 to 700 insurable hours depending on your region, and you should apply within 4 weeks of your last day of work.
How much will I get each week?
55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026. That cap comes from the $68,900 maximum insurable earnings for the year. Service Canada doesn’t use a plain yearly average. It adds up your highest-paid weeks, between 14 and 22 depending on your region, and divides by that number of weeks. Once set, your weekly rate stays the same for the whole claim.
Take a $60,000 salary with steady pay. The weekly average is $1,153.85, and 55% of that rounds to $635 a week. Anyone earning $68,900 or more hits the $729 cap, so a $100,000 salary pays the same weekly benefit as a $70,000 one. That’s an estimate. Your real figure depends on your best weeks and any bonuses in them.
The cap goes up in 2027. Maximum insurable earnings rise to $70,800, and the same formula gives about $749 a week, but the 2027 weekly maximum isn’t published on the benefit page yet, so treat that figure as an estimate. Low-income families with children and net income of $25,921 or less may get the family supplement, which lifts the rate above 55%.
How many hours do I need to qualify for EI?
Between 420 and 700 insurable hours, depending on the unemployment rate in your EI economic region. A region at 6% or under asks for 700 hours. A region above 13% asks for 420. The hours count from the past 52 weeks, or since your last claim if that was more recent.
| Regional unemployment rate | Insurable hours needed |
|---|---|
| 6% and under | 700 |
| 6.1% to 7% | 665 |
| 7.1% to 8% | 630 |
| 8.1% to 9% | 595 |
| 9.1% to 10% | 560 |
| 10.1% to 11% | 525 |
| 11.1% to 12% | 490 |
| 12.1% to 13% | 455 |
| More than 13% | 420 |
Those figures are for people with no earlier EI violation. A notice of violation from a past claim raises the hours, sometimes by a lot, so check your own file. Service Canada looks up your region by postal code, and the rate can shift from month to month, so the number on the day you file is the one that counts. The rules are on the Government of Canada: EI regular benefits eligibility page.
How many weeks can I collect?
Between 14 and 45 weeks. The count depends on the hours you worked in the past 52 weeks and your regional unemployment rate, and it doesn’t change if you move after your benefit period begins. For a full-time worker with 2,080 hours at $60,000, the site’s own table gives this (estimate, as of October 2026):
| Regional unemployment rate | Weeks | Most you could collect at $635 |
|---|---|---|
| 6% and under | 36 | $22,860 |
| 7.1% to 8% | 40 | $25,400 |
| Around 14% | 45 | $28,575 |
The same worker with 1,500 hours in a 7.1% to 8% region would get 30 weeks, or $19,050. Fewer hours means fewer weeks, even when you clear the minimum.
When and how do I apply?
As soon as your work stops, even if your record of employment hasn’t arrived. Canada.ca warns that if you apply more than 4 weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits. You can send documents after you apply, and the application asks for employer names, addresses and dates for the past 52 weeks.
Your employer sends the record of employment (ROE) to Service Canada, and you get a copy. Read it when it arrives. If the hours, dates or reason for leaving look wrong, ask your employer to fix it, because Service Canada builds your claim from that form. If you quit or were dismissed, you’ll also be asked for your side of the story.
Is there still a waiting period in 2026?
Normally the first week of a claim is unpaid, like a deductible. A temporary measure has let the Commission waive it, and as of October 2026 it’s been extended: a regulation published on 7 October 2026 lets the waiver apply to benefit periods that begin from 11 October 2026 to 9 October 2027. The same regulation also keeps severance-type payments from delaying your claim. Plan for a possible unpaid first week anyway, since temporary measures can change. The Canada Gazette: Employment Insurance Regulations (Pilot Project No. 25) has the text, and the article on quitting, layoffs and severance covers that side.
What do I have to do while I’m collecting, and what stops payments?
You submit a report every two weeks for as long as you receive benefits, online or by phone, and you have 3 weeks from the date Service Canada gives you to send each one. Payments only go out after a report is processed. Leave out work or earnings and you can end up with an overpayment to repay.
Payments can also stop or be refused if you left your job without just cause, lost it through your own misconduct, are out of work because of a strike or lockout, or can’t show you’re available and looking for work. They end by themselves when your weeks run out or you start full-time work again. EI benefits are taxable, so they appear on a T4E slip and go on your return, as the Canada Revenue Agency: line 11900 page explains. To run your own numbers, try the EI benefits calculator, and see CPP and EI maximums for the premium side. Leave for a new baby or an illness runs on different EI rules, covered in the pieces on standard and extended parental benefits and on sick leave, EI sickness and disability.
Where does this information come from?
Rules come from Canada.ca EI pages and the Canada Gazette; the $60,000 example and week counts use this site’s own estimate engine. Checked in October 2026. This is an independent information site: we provide no services, we do not represent the CRA or any organization, and we do not guarantee that anything here is accurate or current. We accept no liability for decisions based on it. Check the official source before you rely on it. See the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get EI if I earn more than $68,900 a year?
Yes, if you meet the hours. Insurable earnings stop at $68,900 in 2026, so higher earners all land on the $729 weekly maximum. A $100,000 salary and a $70,000 salary produce the same weekly cheque.
Does moving to another region change my weeks?
No. Canada.ca says the number of weeks doesn't change if you move after your benefit period begins. The region and hours that apply on the day you file set the count.
Is EI taxable?
Yes. Regular benefits are reported on a T4E slip and go on line 11900 of your return. Tax may be withheld from each payment, but you could still owe more, or get a refund, when you file.
What is the EI family supplement?
It tops up the 55% rate for low-income families that receive the Canada Child Benefit and have a child under 18. The net family income limit is $25,921, and total weekly payments still can't go above $729.
Why does the record of employment matter so much?
Service Canada uses each ROE from the past 52 weeks to set your hours and rate, so a wrong date or hour count can shorten your claim. Ask your employer to correct it early, because fixing it later slows payments.