EI Benefits Calculator (Canada, 2026)
Find out whether you qualify for EI regular benefits after losing your job, how much you would get each week, and for how many weeks. Enter your region's unemployment rate, your insurable hours and your pay. The calculator uses Service Canada's 2026 hours and weeks tables and shows the total over the claim.
| How it is worked out | |
|---|---|
| Average weekly insurable earnings | $1,150.00 |
| × 55% benefit rate | $632.50 |
| 2026 weekly maximum | $729.00 |
| Weekly benefit | $632.50 |
| Hours needed at 8.5% (band 8.1% to 9%) | 595 hours |
| Your insurable hours | 1,000 hours |
| Weeks payable (row 980 to 1,014 hours) | 24 weeks |
| Best weeks averaged at 8.5% | 19 weeks |
| Waiting period before the first payment | 1 week |
| Total over the claim | $15,180.00 |
The same hours at other unemployment rates
| Regional rate | Hours needed | Weeks payable |
|---|---|---|
| 6% | 700 | 18 weeks |
| 8% | 630 | 22 weeks |
| 8.5% (yours) | 595 | 24 weeks |
| 10% | 560 | 26 weeks |
A higher regional rate means fewer hours to qualify and more weeks of benefits. The table pays between 14 and 45 weeks.
Show the math
Weekly benefit = 55% × your average weekly insurable earnings, capped at $729 for 2026. Service Canada averages your best-paid weeks in the last 52: 22 weeks where unemployment is 6% or less, down to 14 weeks where it is over 13%. If you enter an annual salary it is divided by 52. The hours you need and the weeks you get come from Service Canada's table of insurable hours by regional unemployment rate: the row is your hours, the column is the rate band. A zero means the hours are not enough in that region. The total is the weekly benefit times the weeks, before tax. Earnings while on claim, severance, a violation on a past claim and the family supplement change the result and are not modelled beyond the note above.
How much EI will I get in 2026?
EI pays 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings, up to $729 a week, before tax. The maximum applies to anyone who earned $68,900 a year or more. The rate and the maximum are the same in every province.
| Your yearly pay | Your weekly pay | Weekly EI, before tax | Every two weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $577 | $317 | $635 |
| $40,000 | $769 | $423 | $846 |
| $50,000 | $962 | $529 | $1,058 |
| $60,000 | $1,154 | $635 | $1,269 |
| $68,900 or more | $1,325 | $729 (the maximum) | $1,458 |
| $90,000 | $1,731 | $729 (the maximum) | $1,458 |
The weekly pay is your average over your best weeks, so overtime and a raise in the last year can lift it. The first week is unpaid.
How many weeks of EI will I get?
It depends on how many insurable hours you worked in the last year and your region’s unemployment rate. More hours and a higher regional rate both mean more weeks.
| Hours worked in the last year | 6% unemployment | 8% unemployment | 10% unemployment | 13% unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 700 hours | 14 weeks | 18 weeks | 22 weeks | 28 weeks |
| 910 hours | 17 weeks | 21 weeks | 25 weeks | 31 weeks |
| 1,050 hours | 19 weeks | 23 weeks | 27 weeks | 33 weeks |
| 1,400 hours | 24 weeks | 28 weeks | 32 weeks | 38 weeks |
| 1,820 hours (full time, 35 a week) | 36 weeks | 40 weeks | 44 weeks | 45 weeks |
Your region’s current rate is posted by Service Canada each month. The calculator above uses your own hours and rate.
How this calculator works
Employment Insurance regular benefits replace part of your pay when you lose a job through no fault of your own. Three things decide your claim, and all three depend on the unemployment rate in your EI economic region on the day you apply.
1. Do you qualify? You need a minimum number of insurable hours in the last 52 weeks, or since your last claim. The minimum falls as the regional unemployment rate rises. Insurable hours are the hours you were paid for in jobs where EI premiums were deducted, at all employers combined.
2. How much a week? The benefit is 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026. The cap comes from the maximum insurable earnings of $68,900 a year. The average uses your best-paid weeks, and the number of weeks averaged also depends on the regional rate.
3. For how long? Service Canada’s table of weeks payable has a row for every 35 hours of insurable work from 420 hours up and a column for each unemployment-rate band. The calculator reads your cell. Claims run from 14 to 45 weeks. A zero in the table means your hours are not enough in that region.
The result is the weekly benefit times the weeks, before tax. Benefits are taxable and tax is taken off at source. Payments begin after a 1-week waiting period.
Hours needed and best weeks averaged, by regional unemployment rate
| Regional unemployment rate | Insurable hours needed | Best weeks averaged |
|---|---|---|
| 6% and under | 700 | 22 |
| 6.1% to 7% | 665 | 21 |
| 7.1% to 8% | 630 | 20 |
| 8.1% to 9% | 595 | 19 |
| 9.1% to 10% | 560 | 18 |
| 10.1% to 11% | 525 | 17 |
| 11.1% to 12% | 490 | 16 |
| 12.1% to 13% | 455 | 15 |
| over 13% | 420 | 14 |
A violation on an earlier claim raises the hours needed. The full weeks-payable table has 41 rows and 12 columns and is in the calculator’s data file.
Worked example: 1,000 hours, 8.5% unemployment, $60,000 salary
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hours needed where unemployment is 8.5% | 595 |
| Insurable hours | 1,000, so the claim qualifies |
| Average weekly earnings ($60,000 ÷ 52) | $1,153.85 |
| × 55% | $634.62 |
| Weekly benefit (under the $729 cap) | $634.62 |
| Weeks payable (row 980 to 1,014 hours, 8.1% to 9% column) | 24 |
| Total over the claim | $15,230.88 |
With the same hours where unemployment is 6%, the claim would be 18 weeks. At 10% it would be 26. The weekly amount does not change with the region, only the weeks do.
Assumptions
- Regular benefits only. Sickness, maternity, parental, caregiving and fishing benefits have their own rules. The maternity and parental leave calculator covers those.
- No violation on a past claim, and no earnings during the claim. Working while on claim reduces the weekly amount.
- The regional rate you enter is the one Service Canada uses on the day you apply. Rates are updated monthly.
- An annual salary is divided by 52 to get the weekly average. Your true average uses your best weeks, which can be higher if your hours varied.
- The family supplement is flagged but not calculated, because Service Canada does not publish the scale.
- Tax deducted at source and the EI clawback on your return are not calculated here.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the maximum EI payment in 2026?
- $729 a week before tax, for claims starting in 2026. That is 55% of the most EI counts, $68,900 a year, divided by 52. Anyone who earned $68,900 or more gets the same $729. Low-income families with children can get more through the family supplement.
- How much EI will I get in Ontario?
- The same as anywhere else in Canada: 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026. EI is a federal program, so the rate and the maximum do not change by province. What changes is your region's unemployment rate, which decides how many hours you need and how many weeks you get. Toronto, Ottawa and the rest of Ontario are split into several EI regions.
- How much EI would I get on a $50,000 salary?
- About $529 a week before tax: $50,000 divided by 52 is $962 a week, and EI pays 55% of that. How many weeks you get depends on your hours and your region's unemployment rate, from 14 to 45 weeks. The calculator above works out both.
- How long does it take to get the first EI payment?
- Benefits start after a one-week waiting period with no pay, which works like a deductible. Service Canada then needs time to process a complete application, and pays every two weeks once the claim is approved. Apply as soon as you stop working, even before your record of employment arrives, because a late application can cost you weeks.
- Can I work while on EI?
- Yes, but part of what you earn is clawed back. Under the working-while-on-claim rules you keep a share of each dollar earned up to a limit tied to your previous weekly earnings, and anything above that limit comes off your benefit dollar for dollar. You must report all earnings on your bi-weekly report.
- Is EI taxable?
- Yes. Regular benefits are taxable income and federal and provincial tax is deducted before each payment. The rate deducted is often lower than your final rate, so you may owe a little more when you file. If your net income is high enough you may also have to repay part of the benefits through the EI clawback on your return.
- Do I get EI if I quit or was fired?
- Not if you quit without just cause or were dismissed for misconduct. Just cause includes harassment, unsafe conditions, a major change in duties or pay, and moving with a spouse. If you are unsure, apply anyway and explain the circumstances. Service Canada decides case by case.
- How does severance affect EI?
- Severance and pay in lieu of notice are allocated to the weeks after you stop working at your normal weekly pay. Your EI does not start until that money is used up. It does not reduce the number of weeks you can receive, and your 52-week claim window can be extended for it. The severance pay calculator estimates the delay.
- Which EI region am I in and why does the rate matter?
- Service Canada divides Canada into EI economic regions and posts each region's unemployment rate monthly. Your region is where you live when you apply, not where you worked. A higher rate means fewer hours are needed and more weeks are paid, so two people with identical work histories can get different claims.
- What is the family supplement?
- An addition for low-income families with children. If your net family income is under the limit and you receive the Canada Child Benefit, your rate rises above 55%, to as much as 80% of your average earnings, still capped at the weekly maximum. Service Canada calculates it automatically from your CCB file. The exact scale is not published.
- How is my average weekly pay worked out?
- Service Canada adds up your highest-paid weeks in the 52 weeks before your claim and divides by a number of weeks set by your region's unemployment rate, shown in the table on this page. A high unemployment rate means fewer weeks are averaged, which favours people with irregular hours. Use your best weeks, not your last weeks, when you enter the average.
Sources
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these primary sources. Data last verified .
- Service Canada – EI regular benefits: How much you could receive (modified 2026-08-31)
- Service Canada – EI regular benefits: Do you qualify (modified 2026-08-31)
- Service Canada – EI economic regions: current unemployment rates
- Service Canada – EI maternity and parental benefits: How much you could receive
- Service Canada – EI maternity and parental benefits: Do you qualify
- Québec.ca – QPIP: Choice of plan and types of benefits for a pregnancy or a birth (updated 2026-04-16)
- Québec.ca – QPIP: How is the benefit amount determined (updated 2026-02-26)
- Revenu Québec – Maximum insurable earnings and the QPIP premium rate (2026: $103,000)
- CRA T4127 Payroll Deductions Formulas, 123rd Edition, effective July 1, 2026 (Rev. 26/06)
- CRA – CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions
- CRA – Second additional CPP (CPP2) contribution rates and maximums
- CRA – EI premium rates and maximums
- CRA – Indexation adjustment for personal income tax and benefit amounts
- Income Tax Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 1 (5th Supp.), s. 150(1)(d) and s. 156.1(4): filing deadlines and balance-due day
- Canada Employment Insurance Commission – Canada Employment Insurance Commission confirms 2027 Employment Insurance premium rate (September 14, 2026)
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