How do I apply for EI benefits?
Changes to regular EI benefits:
- Until October 11, 2025, you do not have to wait one week to get your first payment. And you can get EI payments and other payments at the same time when you leave your job. This includes , , and vacation pay.
- Until July 12, 2025, you may need fewer hours to qualify for EI and could get EI for a few weeks longer. Use this tool to find out how many hours you need to qualify and how many weeks you can get payments.
To apply for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits you must fill out an application online. The online application will give you instructions for sending your documents to Service Canada. If you do not have internet access at home, you can apply at a Service Canada Office using one of their internet kiosks or at a public internet access site like a library.
Before you go to the Service Canada Office in your area, you should call to find out if you need to make an appointment.
If you do not speak English or French, bring someone who can translate for you.
No matter what type of EI benefits you are applying for, you should apply as soon as possible. It is best to apply well before the deadline.
Be sure to apply as soon as you don't have work. If you apply more than 4 weeks after you have an , it may be harder to get approved for EI. If you are approved, you might get less money. This is because there will be a large period of time where you have no hours worked and no money earned.
If you can show there was a good reason why you could not apply within 4 weeks, Service Canada staff might accept your application as though it was filed right away. This is called an “antedate”. To have good cause for the delay, you must show that you did what a reasonable person would have done to figure out the rules and apply on time.
Earnings exemptions
You are allowed to keep some of the money you earn if you work while you are collecting regular benefits, parental benefits, maternity benefits, sickness benefits, compassionate care benefits, or the family caregiver benefit for children. This is called an “earning exemption“.
