Applying for employment insurance

“When my internship ended, I worried I wouldn’t have any income while I searched for a new job. After a couple weeks without any job offers, I decided to apply for EI. I collected payments for about six weeks before starting work at a new company. The payments really took the stress off, and I’m not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t applied.”

– Betty, Victoria 

Employment insurance benefits are temporary payments made to people who lose their job through no fault of their own. EI, as it’s often called, also offers help if you can’t work because of illness or injury. And it provides benefits for people who take time off work to have or parent a child, or to care for family members who are ill or injured.

The EI program is run by the federal government department Employment and Social Development Canada. Service Canada helps people access the program.

EI regular benefits are temporary payments made to those who lose their job through no fault of their own. To qualify, you must:

• in the last 52 weeks, have worked a minimum number of hours in work covered by the EI program (the number depends on where you live in BC; in the Vancouver region, it’s 700 hours)

• have lost your job through no fault of your own (for example, if you were fired for misconduct or you chose to quit when you had other options, you wouldn’t qualify for EI)

• have gone seven straight days without work or pay from a particular employer

There are more requirements. Here are the details.

If you qualify, you receive 55% of your pay, up to a weekly maximum.

The benefits last between 14 and 45 weeks, depending on how many hours you worked in the last 52 weeks and where you live in BC. For example, if you worked full-time hours in the Vancouver region for the full 52 weeks, you get benefits for 36 weeks. This chart shows benefit periods by hours worked and region.

Extending the qualifying period

The qualifying period can be extended from the last 52 weeks up to 104 weeks if you couldn’t work for certain reasons. Examples include being ill, injured, or pregnant. A longer qualifying period helps if you haven’t worked enough hours in the normal qualifying period.

Certain actions make you ineligible for EI

You may not be eligible for EI regular benefits if you:

• chose to leave your job when you had other options

• were dismissed for misconduct

• are unemployed because you are directly participating in a labour dispute (for example, a strike or lockout)

• are in jail, a penitentiary, or a similar institution

In addition to regular benefits, there are other types of EI benefits available. These are:

• Maternity and parental benefits, for people who can’t work because they are pregnant, recently had a baby, are adopting a child, or are caring for a baby.

• Sickness benefits, for people who can’t work because they’re ill, injured or quarantined.

• Family caregiver benefits, for people who can’t work because they’ve stepped away to care for or support a critically ill or injured family member.

• Compassionate care benefits, for people who can’t work because they’ve stepped away to care for or support a family member who is gravely ill with a significant risk of death within six months.

• Benefits for parents of critically ill children, for eligible parents who take time off work to care for their critically ill or injured child.

• Fishing benefits, for self-employed fishers who are actively seeking work.

The Service Canada website explains who qualifies for these benefits, and how to apply.

The amount of employment insurance you receive is determined by the type of EI benefit, how much you’ve been earning, and where you live. For most people, the basic rate for calculating EI regular benefits is 55% of your pay, up to a maximum amount. See the federal government website for the current maximum amount.

In calculating your EI benefits, the government considers your gross earnings (before deductions), including tips and commissions. EI benefits are taxable income, so taxes are deducted.

EI benefits are based on your highest weeks of earnings over the qualifying period (usually 52 weeks). The number of “best weeks” considered in the calculation ranges from 14 to 22 weeks, depending on the unemployment rate in your region.

You can get more if you are in a low-income family or otherwise qualify for a family supplement.

Your benefits may be reduced if you earn certain income

Your EI benefits may be reduced if you earn other types of income during your benefit period. These include:

• Pension income from the Canada Pension Plan or another provincial pension plan.

• Pension income from employment (unless you’ve worked at another job long enough, after the pension starts, to qualify for EI).

• Money awarded by a court for wrongful dismissal.

• Severance pay.

• “Callback pay,” which is money your employer pays you to come back to work for a short period after your employment has ended.

• Self-employment income.

Other types of income won’t lower your EI benefits

You can earn other types of income without having your EI benefits reduced. These include:

• Pension income from an RRSP or RRIF.

• The Old Age Security pension.

• Pension payments from a legal separation or divorce.

• A pension paid by Veterans Affairs Canada.

• Disability benefits.

• Survivor or dependent benefits.

• Spousal support.

Landing part-time work doesn’t cut off your EI payments. Under the working while on claim rules, you keep 50 cents of EI benefits for every dollar you earn in wages, up to a maximum amount. 

You must report any income you earn while you’re receiving EI. You need to submit your report and declare your earnings online each week. 

You can’t work full-time while getting EI benefits. 

Before applying for employment insurance benefits, collect all the documents and information you’ll need. These include:

• your social insurance number

• your personal identification (for example, your driver’s licence or passport) 

• your bank information for direct deposit

• details of your most recent employment (including your salary and other benefits)

• your detailed version of the circumstances of your leaving your job 

• your record of employment (ROE)

Your ROE is a document that proves you were employed. Your employer can issue your ROE electronically or in paper form. Ask your employer which method they will use. If it’s electronic, you don’t need a copy; your employer will send it directly to Service Canada. If it’s a paper ROE, ask for a copy as soon as your job ends. You will need an ROE from each employer you worked for in the previous 52 weeks. 

If for some reason your employer doesn’t issue your ROE, go to your local Service Canada office for help. There you can fill out a form explaining how you tried to get the ROE. You’ll also have to provide proof of your employment (for example, a pay stub or T4 slip).

You should apply for EI benefits as soon as you stop working. You can apply for benefits even if you receive money when you leave your job, and even if you have not yet received your record of employment. If you delay applying for more than four weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits.

If your application for EI benefits is approved, there may be a one-week waiting period for which you will not be paid.

If your application is denied, Service Canada will contact you by letter or phone to explain why. If you disagree with the decision, you have the right to ask for a reconsideration. 

If your application for EI benefits is denied, your first step to challenge the decision is to request a reconsideration. There is no cost to do this. You must submit your request to Service Canada within 30 days from when the decision was sent to you. If you miss the deadline, you must provide a reason why.

To request a reconsideration, fill out the online request for reconsideration form. Once you’ve filled it out, print, sign and mail the form to your regional Service Canada office noted on the form.

If you disagree with the decision made on your request for reconsideration, you can appeal to the Social Security Tribunal. This is a body similar to a court. It hears appeals on pensions and benefits provided by the federal government.

You must submit your appeal within 30 days of receiving the reconsideration decision. The appeal must be in the prescribed form. Service Canada has more information about how to appeal.

The tribunal will consider your appeal. They may hold a hearing, which could happen by teleconference, in person, or in writing. The tribunal will make a decision on your appeal and send you the decision in writing.

If you disagree with the tribunal’s decision on your appeal, you can ask for “leave” (permission) to make a further appeal to the Appeal Division of the Social Security Tribunal.

In part, yes. You can't get EI regular benefits. But self-employed workers can get EI special benefits in some cases. To be eligible, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and

• register with the government (by signing an agreement), and

• operate your own business, or work for a corporation but control more than 40% of the voting shares, and

• wait 12 months after registering.

There are six types of EI special benefits available to self-employed workers. The Service Canada website describes them in detail, and has instructions on how to apply. 

It depends. If you voluntarily quit your job “without just cause,” you are not eligible for EI regular benefits. What could amount to “just cause” to quit? Some examples include:

• you experienced sexual or other harassment

• you experienced discrimination

• your working conditions were unsafe

• your employer wasn’t paying you the wages you were legally owed

• your employer made major changes to your work duties

The EI program outlines circumstances that can amount to "just cause" to quit.

When you apply for EI, you must show that quitting your job was the only reasonable alternative in your case, considering all the circumstances. In other words, you took all the necessary steps to avoid being unemployed. For example, if your boss isn’t paying you on time, you’ll need to show how you tried to fix the problem — such as by talking to your boss or someone else in management. (We offer tips for talking with your employer.)

You can get regular EI benefits for a period ranging from 14 to 45 weeks. The exact period depends on the unemployment rate in your region, and the number of insurable hours you worked in the qualifying period. See this chart.

In some circumstances, you can leave Canada and still receive employment insurance benefits.

Your EI benefits won’t be interrupted if you’re outside of Canada for up to seven consecutive days to do one of the following:

• Attend the funeral of a member of your immediate family or a close relative.

• Accompany a member of your immediate family to a medical facility, if the treatment isn’t available where they live in Canada.

• Visit a member of your immediate family who is seriously ill or injured.

• Attend a job interview.

You can also be outside of Canada for up to 14 days in a row if you’re looking for a job.

Typically, if you work outside of Canada for a Canadian company or the Canadian government, you’re eligible for EI benefits. However, you can’t collect EI benefits if your job is covered by a similar program in the country you’re working in. 

If you live outside Canada, you may be eligible for some types of EI in certain cases. As well, you may be eligible if you live in Canada or the US and regularly cross the Canada/US border between your home and workplace.

See the Service Canada website for more on EI for workers and residents outside of Canada.