This guide includes a worked example and a table showing what happens to your EI when you pick up part-time work.

The short answer

If you lost your job through no fault of your own and worked 420 to 700 insurable hours in the past year, depending on your region, EI regular benefits pay 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026, for 14 to 45 weeks. Apply online as soon as you stop working. The one-week waiting period is waived for new claims that start before October 10, 2027.

All amounts come from the Service Canada benefit amount page and related canada.ca pages. EI is taxable, and you must file a report every two weeks to keep getting paid.

Who qualifies for EI regular benefits

Service Canada lists these conditions. You need to meet all of them.

• You lost your job through no fault of your own. A shortage of work, a seasonal layoff or a mass layoff counts. Quitting without just cause or being fired for misconduct usually does not.
• You have enough insurable hours. You need 420 to 700 hours in your qualifying period, depending on the unemployment rate where you live. More hours are needed if you have received a notice of violation.
• You are ready, willing and capable of working each day. You must look for work and keep a written record of the employers you contact and when.
• You file your reports. Reports are due every two weeks. Missing them can cost you benefits.

Your qualifying period is usually the 52 weeks before your claim starts. It is shorter if you started a previous claim within those 52 weeks.

New since October 11, 2026: for claims that start from October 11, 2026 to October 9, 2027, Service Canada reviews only your most recent job separation. If you lost that job through no fault of your own, all your insurable hours in the qualifying period count, per the temporary measures page.

How much EI pays in 2026

Service Canada adds up your insurable earnings in your best weeks, divides by the number of best weeks required in your region, and pays 55% of the result. The number of best weeks ranges from 14 to 22 and goes down as regional unemployment goes up.

Source: Service Canada, How much you could receive, modified October 19, 2026.

The weekly maximum is $729 because maximum insurable earnings are $68,900 for 2026. If you earned more than about $1,325 a week, your benefit is still capped at $729.

Low-income families can get more. The family supplement can raise the rate up to 80% of average insurable earnings if your net family income is $25,921 or less, you have children, and you or your spouse receive the Canada Child Benefit. It shrinks as income rises. Only one spouse can receive it at a time.

A worked example: what a $1,060 average week pays

Say you live in a region where unemployment is 7.5%, so your best 20 weeks are used. Over those 20 weeks you earned $1,100 a week for 12 weeks and $1,000 a week for 8 weeks. This is a hypothetical example.

Hypothetical example, calculated by script. Tax is deducted from each payment, so the amount deposited will be lower.

If the same person had averaged $1,500 a week, 55% would be $825. The cap brings that down to $729.

How many weeks EI lasts

Regular benefits last 14 to 45 weeks. The number depends on your insurable hours and on the unemployment rate in your region when you file. Moving to another region after your claim starts does not change it. If you combine regular benefits with sickness, maternity, parental or caregiving benefits, you can normally get up to 50 weeks in a 52-week benefit period.

Long-tenured workers may get more. For claims that start from June 15, 2025 to June 12, 2027, Service Canada adds 20 extra weeks, up to 65 weeks in total, if you:

• received at least one week of regular benefits on the claim,
• received fewer than 36 weeks of regular or fishing benefits in the 3 years before the claim, and
• paid at least 30% of the yearly maximum EI premiums in at least 7 of the 10 years before the claim year.

You do not apply for the extra weeks. They are added automatically if you qualify.

Temporary EI measures in force

These measures apply based on when your claim starts. Check your start date against each one.

Source: Temporary EI measures page, modified October 6, 2026. Rules return to normal for claims that start after these dates.

The separation money measure matters if you got a severance package. Normally, money paid when you leave a job, such as severance, vacation pay, pay in lieu of notice and sick leave credits, is deducted from your EI. Under this measure it is not.

Working part-time while on EI

You can work and still get EI. Under Working While on Claim, you keep 50 cents of benefits for every dollar you earn, up to 90% of your previous weekly earnings. Above that, benefits drop dollar for dollar. If you work a full week, you get no EI that week, whatever you earn.

Hypothetical, using the $583 weekly rate and $1,060 previous weekly earnings from the example above. The 90% limit is $954, so every row stays under it.

The method matches Service Canada’s own example: a person with a $275 weekly rate who earns $300 part-time has benefits cut by $150 and receives $125 in EI, for $425 in total.

Report your earnings and hours in the week you did the work, not the week you were paid.

How to apply for EI

1. Apply online right away. Do not wait for your record of employment. Service Canada says you may lose benefits if you apply more than 4 weeks after your last day of work. Start from the EI apply page.
2. Have your details ready. You need your social insurance number, the last name at birth of one parent, your addresses with postal codes, your banking details and the details of every job in the past 52 weeks.
3. Make sure your employers send your ROE. Service Canada needs a record of employment from each employer. If one has not been issued within 5 calendar days after your final pay period, contact Service Canada.
4. Watch for your benefit statement. It is mailed after you apply and contains your four-digit access code.
5. File a report every two weeks. You need your SIN and access code. You have 3 weeks from the date given to file each report.

When EI pays

EI does not use a fixed payment calendar like the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit. Service Canada says you should get your first payment about 28 days after you apply, if you qualify and sent everything it needs. After that, direct deposit payments arrive 2 business days after each report is processed.

If your payment is late, sign in to My Service Canada Account. It shows your claim status, messages, benefit rate and last processed report. Check that your banking details and address are current, and that every ROE has been received. If Service Canada needs more information, it will contact you. Contact details are on the EI regular benefits page.

Taxes and paying EI back at tax time

EI is taxable. Federal tax, and provincial or territorial tax where it applies, is deducted from every payment.

Higher earners may have to repay some regular benefits. If your 2026 net income is over $86,125, you repay 30% of the lower of your net income above $86,125 or the regular benefits you got that year.

For example, someone with $95,000 in net income who received $11,660 in regular benefits would repay 30% of $8,875, or $2,662.50. You are exempt if you received less than one week of regular benefits in the previous 10 tax years, or if you received only special benefits such as maternity, parental or sickness.

Travel, overpayments and disagreeing with a decision

You usually cannot get regular benefits while you are outside Canada. Short trips are allowed for set reasons, such as up to 7 days for a funeral or a real job interview, or up to 14 days for a real job search. Report all travel.

If you are paid more than you were entitled to, the extra is a debt. Interest is charged only when the overpayment came from information you knowingly withheld or false statements.

If you disagree with a decision, you can ask for a reconsideration within 30 days of being told about it. Use form INS5210, sign it and submit it in person or by mail. There is no fee. A different officer reviews the file.

What changes in 2027

Maximum insurable earnings rise to $70,800 in 2027, and the employee premium rate is set at $1.64 per $100 of insurable earnings, according to the 2027 actuarial report summary. Service Canada has not yet posted the 2027 maximum weekly benefit on its benefit amount page, so this guide does not estimate it.

Frequently asked questions

• Sources, checked October 26, 2026: Service Canada: EI regular benefits, how much you could receive (modified 2026-10-19); EI regular benefits: do you qualify (modified 2026-10-15); EI regular benefits: apply (modified 2026-10-19); EI regular benefits: after you apply (modified 2026-10-19); EI regular benefits: while on EI (modified 2026-10-19); Temporary EI measures for major changes in economic conditions (modified 2026-10-06); Working While on Claim (modified 2025-06-06); EI and repayment of benefits at income tax time (modified 2025-12-31); EI reconsideration (modified 2026-04-01); Summary of the 2027 Actuarial Report on the EI Premium Rate (modified 2026-09-17).
• Method: The worked example, the part-time table and the repayment example are hypothetical and were calculated by script. The method was checked by reproducing Service Canada’s Working While on Claim example ($275 rate, $300 earned, $125 paid) and the $729 maximum ($68,900 / 52 x 55%).

Important: This guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your own EI rate and number of weeks are set by Service Canada when you apply. Gizly is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. See our affiliate disclosure.