Employment Insurance (EI): regular, sickness, maternity and parental, caregiving, and apprentices in training
Up to $729 a week
You likely qualify if: Lost your job, or sick, pregnant, a new parent or caregiving; Regular: 420 to 700 insurable hours in the last 52 weeks; Others: 600 insured hours in the last 52 weeks; Without pay 7+ days, or weekly pay down over 40%.
Apply as soon as you stop working: if you apply more than 4 weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits. While on EI you must complete reports every 2 weeks.
Temporary income from the Government of Canada, through one Employment Insurance application: regular benefits if you lost your job through no fault of your own and are ready to work; sickness benefits if you cannot work for medical reasons; maternity and parental benefits around a birth or adoption; caregiving benefits to care for someone critically ill or injured, or at the end of life; and regular benefits for apprentices in full-time technical training. You could receive 55% of your earnings up to a maximum of $729 a week.
Who qualifies:
Lost your job, or sick, pregnant, a new parent or caregiving
Regular: 420 to 700 insurable hours in the last 52 weeks
We last read this on October 8, 2026. That was a while ago, so please check their own website before you rely on it, and tell us below if something changed.
For whomWorkers who lost their job through no fault of their own, or who stop working because they are sick, pregnant or a new parent, or caring for someone critically ill or at the end of life; and apprentices in full-time technical training. You could receive 55% of your earnings up to a maximum of $729 a week.
CostFree
LanguagesEnglish, French
Their stepsApply online for the type you need as soon as you stop working; waiting over 4 weeks may cost you benefits. Get your Record of Employment (ROE) from each employer. Sickness or caregiving: get the medical certificate signed by a doctor or nurse practitioner. Apprentices: enter the 16-digit reference code from your training referral.
We read all of this on their own website. If something has changed, tell us here. It takes 20 seconds, needs no account, and nothing is deleted: the old fact stays until a person checks yours.