Verdict: Employment Insurance EI 2026 Canada pays 55 percent of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026. The cap rose from $695 in 2025, because the maximum insurable earnings climbed to $68,900 a year. Regular benefits last 14 to 45 weeks, depending on how many hours you worked and the unemployment rate where you live. If you lost your job this fall, these are the numbers that decide your check.
How the amount is worked out: Service Canada does not average your whole year. It takes your best weeks — between 14 and 22 of them, depending on your region’s unemployment rate — adds them up, divides by that number, and pays 55 percent of the result. The cap bites once your average weekly earnings reach about $1,325: anything above the $68,900 annual maximum does not count, so $729 a week is the ceiling no matter how much you earned. A worker averaging $1,000 a week in insurable earnings gets about $550. A worker averaging $600 gets about $330. EI is taxable, and tax is withheld at source, so the deposit is less than the headline rate.
How long it lasts, and what you need to qualify: Regular benefits run 14 to 45 weeks. The length comes from a table that matches your insurable hours against your region’s unemployment rate: more hours and higher local unemployment both mean more weeks. You need 420 to 700 insurable hours in your qualifying period — usually the 52 weeks before your claim — with the exact number set by your region’s rate. Long-tenured workers may get up to 20 extra weeks under temporary measures running to June 2027, to a maximum of 65. There is a one-week waiting period before payments start, though temporary waivers have applied to claims in parts of 2025 and 2026, so check what applies to your claim date. Your benefit period lasts 52 weeks from the start of the claim, and you must use your weeks inside it.
The rules that catch people out: You must have lost the job through no fault of your own, be available for work, and be actively looking. Quitting voluntarily or being dismissed for misconduct generally disqualifies you, though Service Canada looks at the circumstances. You must file biweekly reports, declare any earnings — part-time work reduces the benefit rather than always ending it — and report any absence from Canada, because benefits generally do not follow you abroad. The most common reason claims are delayed is a missing Record of Employment: your employer must issue one, and Service Canada cannot finalize the claim without it. Apply as soon as you stop working, even if the record has not arrived yet.
What to do: Apply online through canada.ca as soon as your job ends, and keep your access code safe — you will need it for every report. If your region’s unemployment rate is high, check whether you qualify at the lower end of the hours range. For the US equivalent, where weekly maximums run from $235 in Mississippi to $1,152 in Washington, see our US unemployment post. For the payment dates of the benefits that sit alongside EI, see our Canada payment dates post.
FAQ: Employment Insurance EI 2026 Canada
How much does EI pay in 2026? 55 percent of average insurable weekly earnings, up to $729 a week.
How many weeks of EI can I get? 14 to 45 weeks of regular benefits, depending on hours worked and your region’s unemployment rate.
How many hours do I need for EI? 420 to 700 insurable hours in the qualifying period, depending on your region.
Is EI taxable? Yes. Federal and provincial tax is withheld at source.
Sources: Service Canada / Employment and Social Development Canada — EI benefit amount, EI regular benefits (canada.ca). Checked: November 5, 2026.