EI Calculator 2026 – Employment Insurance Benefits

How EI regular benefits are calculated

Employment Insurance (EI) regular benefits replace part of your income if you lose your job through no fault of your own — for example because of a layoff, a shortage of work or the end of a seasonal job. In 2026 the basic benefit is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum of $729 a week. That maximum comes from the 2026 maximum insurable earnings of $68,900 a year: 55% of $68,900 divided by 52 weeks is about $729.

Service Canada doesn't simply use your last paycheque. It looks at your earnings over the qualifying period (usually the last 52 weeks) and averages your best weeks — the weeks you earned the most. The number of best weeks depends on your region: 22 weeks where unemployment is 6% or less, falling to 14 weeks where it is above 13%. The calculator assumes your earnings were steady, so your average equals your annual income divided by 52.

How many weeks of EI can you get?

The length of your claim depends on two things: how many insurable hours you worked in the qualifying period and the unemployment rate in your EI economic region, which Service Canada updates every month. The rules are set out in Schedule I of the Employment Insurance Act:

• You need between 420 and 700 insurable hours to qualify — 700 hours in regions with unemployment of 6% or less, and fewer hours where jobs are harder to find.
• Claims last from 14 to 45 weeks. More hours and a higher regional unemployment rate both add weeks.
• Each step up in the regional unemployment rate (about one percentage point) adds two weeks, up to the 45-week maximum.

Things that change the amount

• Taxes: EI benefits are taxable. Service Canada deducts federal and provincial income tax from each payment, and you may have to repay part of your benefits at tax time if your net income is above $86,125 (1.25 times the 2026 maximum insurable earnings) and you have received regular benefits before.
• Waiting period: there is usually a one-week waiting period before benefits start.
• Family supplement: low-income families with children (net family income up to $25,921) can get a higher rate, up to 80%.
• Working while on claim: you can keep 50 cents of benefits for every dollar you earn, up to 90% of your previous weekly earnings.
• Severance and vacation pay paid when you leave can delay when your benefits start.

Worked examples

Maya earned $55,000 working full time (1,820 insurable hours) in a region where unemployment is 6% or less. Her average weekly earnings are $1,058, so her benefit is 55% of that: about $582 a week before tax, for up to 36 weeks — roughly $20,900 if she needed the whole claim.

Daniel earned $90,000, which is above the maximum insurable earnings, so he gets the maximum $729 a week. Because his region's unemployment rate is between 9.1% and 10%, his 1,820 hours give him up to 44 weeks.

A seasonal worker with 900 hours and $30,000 of earnings in a region with 13.5% unemployment would get about $317 a week for up to 32 weeks. With only 600 hours in a low-unemployment region, the same worker would not qualify, because 700 hours are required there.

Apply online through Service Canada as soon as you stop working — waiting more than four weeks can mean losing benefits. To see your take-home pay once you're back at work, use our Canada income tax calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & methodology

This calculator was last reviewed on November 2, 2026. Figures are based on the following official and primary sources:

• Service Canada – EI regular benefits: How much you could receive
• Employment Insurance Act – Schedule I (table of weeks of benefits)
• Service Canada – EI regional unemployment rates

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