With $52,000 of insurable earnings, regular EI pays $550 a week for up to 25 weeks. Put your own earnings, hours and regional unemployment rate into the EI calculator below and you’ll see your weekly amount and how long a claim could run.
How many hours do you need where you live?
Two things decide whether a claim can open: the hours you worked in the last 52 weeks and the unemployment rate in your EI region. The higher the regional rate, the fewer hours you need. The federal EI regular benefits eligibility page runs from 700 hours at the low end to 420 at the high end, matching the table below.
| Regional unemployment rate | Minimum insurable hours |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Meeting the minimum only opens the claim. After that, the number of weeks grows with your hours and with the regional rate, up to 45 weeks.
What would a real claim look like?
Take a worker with $52,000 of insurable earnings and 1,200 hours, in a region with a rate between 7.1% and 8%. The calculator divides $52,000 by 52 weeks and gets average weekly earnings of $1,000. At 55%, the weekly benefit is $550, well under the $729 cap. With those hours the claim runs 25 weeks, so the most this person could collect is $13,750.
Now push earnings to $100,000, hours to 1,800 and the region to a rate above 16%. The result is $729 a week for 45 weeks, or $32,805. Average weekly earnings stop at $1,325 here, because only $68,900 a year is insured.
What if you’re short on hours? Someone with $30,000 and 600 hours in the 7.1% to 8% band falls under the 630 hours needed. The calculator says so and gives no amount.
One more, closer to a typical paycheque. Jordan in Saskatoon earned $45,000. That’s $865.38 a week on average, and 55% of it is $475.96, so roughly $476 a week, or about $2,062 a month before tax. It’s a big drop from a regular pay stub, which is worth knowing before you plan the rent.
What does this estimate miss?
It’s a simplification. Real claims average your best weeks, not all 52, so seasonal workers with a few strong months can see a different amount. Families with a net income up to $25,921 who receive the child benefit can get up to 80% of earnings, and this calculator doesn’t model that supplement. The federal page on how much you could receive confirms the 55% rate, the $729 weekly maximum and the $68,900 insurable earnings limit for 2026.
Timing matters too. Three temporary measures were due to end on 10 October 2026, and a regulation published in the Canada Gazette on 7 October 2026 (Pilot Project No. 25) carries them on. For claims starting from 11 October 2026 to 9 October 2027, the Commission may waive the one-week waiting period, and severance and vacation pay paid when a job ends are not counted against the claim. The 20 extra weeks for long-tenured workers were extended for a shorter time, to June 2027. The waiver is up to the Commission, so check the Government of Canada EI pages or ask Service Canada before you count on it, especially if your claim starts around now.
What should you do before you apply?
Don’t sit on it. Get your record of employment from your employer, gather your last year of pay information, and apply as soon as your work stops. The weekly amount you see here is the ceiling of what an estimate can tell you, and the real figure comes from your claim.
Other calculators worth a look
If your leave is for a new baby, use the maternity and parental leave calculator, which applies different rates and weeks. A lower income can also bring help from other programs, so try the Canada Child Benefit calculator and the GST/HST credit calculator. To compare EI with pay from a job, the take-home pay calculator shows your salary after deductions.
Where we got these figures
The 55% rate, the $68,900 insurable earnings limit and the $729 maximum are the 2026 figures from the federal EI pages. We copied the hours table and the weeks table by hand from the same source, so a spot check against the official estimator makes sense before you plan around a result. No government body is connected to this website.
About this calculator
- What it does
- Estimate your weekly EI benefit and how many weeks you can collect, from your earnings, hours and region.
- Category
- Family and Benefits
- Last checked
- September 30, 2026
- Result type
- Estimate for information only, not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How is the weekly EI benefit worked out?
It's 55% of your average weekly earnings, and only earnings up to $68,900 a year count in 2026. That puts the top payment at $729 a week.
How many hours do I need to qualify?
Between 420 and 700 hours in the last 52 weeks. The lower your regional unemployment rate, the more hours you need: 700 at 6% or less, 420 above 13%.
Is there a waiting period before the first payment?
Normally one week. For new claims that start between 30 March 2025 and 10 October 2026, the government has waived it under a temporary measure.
What is the longest regular EI claim?
45 weeks. Long-tenured workers may qualify for 20 more weeks, up to 65 in total, but only for claims started before the temporary measure ends on 10 October 2026.
Does the calculator use my best weeks of pay?
No. It divides your last 52 weeks of insurable earnings by 52. A real claim uses your best 14 to 22 weeks, depending on your region, so your actual amount can differ.
Sources and updates
Updated: . How we check rates · Editorial team · Updates