I’m going to be a parent. Can I get EI?
If you're going to be a parent and want to get money while you're on leave, you might be able to get Employment Insurance (EI).
There are 2 types of EI benefits for new parents:
- maternity benefits
- parental benefits
You do not get more benefits if:
- more than one child is born, like twins or triplets, or
- you adopt more than one child at the same time.
Maternity benefits
You can get up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits if you:
- choose to leave work because you're pregnant, or
- or cannot work because you're are pregnant.
Only the person who was pregnant can get maternity benefits. For example, if a surrogate gave birth to your child, the surrogate can get maternity benefits.
Parental benefits
Parental benefits are for any parent who is caring for:
- a newborn child,
- a child they recently adopted, or
- a child they plan to adopt soon.
If all of the parents qualify parental benefits, they can share them.
Parents can get standard benefits for up to 35 weeks. Or they can choose to get extended benefits. Extended benefits give the same amount of money as standard benefits. But the money is spread over 61 weeks.
If parents share benefits, they can get:
- an extra 5 weeks of standard benefits, or
- an extra 8 weeks of extended benefits.
For birth parents, parental benefits can start from the date the child is born.
For adoptive parents, parental benefits can usually start from the date the child comes to live with them.
Taking unpaid leave
If you're pregnant, you can also take unpaid time off work without losing your job.
If you're not the parent who was pregnant, there's another type of unpaid leave you can take.