Government

Employment Insurance

Eligibility

To be entitled to maternity and/or parental benefits you must show that:

Self-employed people who register for the EI program may also be eligible to receive maternity and/or parental benefits.

Qualifying period

The qualifying period is the shorter of:

  • the 52 week-period immediately before the start date of a claim, or
  • the period since the start of a previous EI claim if that claim had started during the 52 week-period.
How, where and when to apply

To receive maternity and/or parental benefits you must submit an EI application online or in person to your Service Canada Centre.

If you wish to have your benefits start immediately after you stop working, you should apply as soon as you stop working, even if you receive or will receive money when you become unemployed.  We will let you know if the money you receive will affect the payment of benefits.  Delaying in filing your claim for benefits beyond 4 weeks from the time your earnings have decreased by more than 40% may cause.

At the same time you are applying for maternity benefits, you and your partner can also apply for parental benefits.

When will you receive your first payment?

If we have all the required information and if you qualify for benefits, your payment will be issued usually within 28 days from the date of filing your claim. If you do not qualify, we will notify you of the decision made on your claim.

How long can you receive maternity and parental benefits?

In most situations, a combination of maternity and parental benefits can be received up to a combined maximum of 50 weeks.  Sometimes less than 50 weeks would be payable, for example, when a person had earnings or worked during their benefit period. In order to get paid...

A payment cannot be issued to you without a completed claimant's report. If you are applying for maternity and/or parental benefits and have chosen not to complete reports, your payments will be made directly to your bank account with Direct Deposit. 

Along with your Benefit statement you will also receive instructions on how to complete your report with our Internet reporting service or our Telephone reporting service. If you cannot complete your claimant's reports by Internet or by telephone, you will need to complete and mail them to us. To find out how to complete your claimant's report by mail, just follow these step-by-step instructions.

How much will you receive?

The basic benefit rate is 55% of your average insured earnings up to a yearly maximum insurable amount of $43,200. This means you can receive a maximum payment of $457 per week. Your EI payment is a taxable income, meaning federal and provincial or territorial, if it applies, taxes will be deducted.  Calculate the amount you will receive.

You could receive a higher benefit rate if you are in a low-income family — an income of less than $25,921— with children and you or your spouse receive the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) , you are entitled to the Family Supplement. **

** The Family Supplement is a feature of Employment Insurance (EI) that provides additional benefits to low-income families with children. You do not have to apply for it, if you are eligible your entitlement will automatically be added to your Employment Insurance payment.

Who is eligible?

If you or your spouse receive the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB), a program administered by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), then you are eligible to receive the EI Family Supplement on your family net income up to and including $25,921 per year.

The Family Supplement rate is based on :

  • your family net income up to a maximum of $25,921 per year; and
  • the number of children in the family and their ages.

If you or your spouse claim Employment Insurance benefits at the same time, only one of you can receive the Family Supplement. Usually, it would be better for the spouse with the lower benefit rate to receive the Family Supplement.

The information in this article comes from Service Canada.


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