EI Weekly Benefit Calculator (Canada, 2026)

No. The federal weekly EI benefit cap of $729 (or $437 extended parental) applies uniformly in all provinces, INCLUDING Quebec. Quebec's specificity is on the contribution side: Quebec workers pay a lower federal EI premium rate ($1.30 per $100 of insurable earnings vs. $1.63 elsewhere) because Quebec runs the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) for maternity and parental benefits. So Quebec workers fund less of federal EI but receive the same federal weekly cap when claiming regular EI / sickness / compassionate-care benefits. For maternity and parental benefits, Quebec workers go through QPIP instead, with QPIP's own benefit structure.

Depends on the benefit type and (for regular EI) your region's unemployment rate plus your insurable hours. Standard parental: up to 40 weeks at 55%. Extended parental: up to 69 weeks at 33%. Maternity: up to 15 weeks. Sickness: up to 26 weeks. Compassionate care: up to 26 weeks. Regular EI (job loss): 14 to 45 weeks depending on regional unemployment rate (5 bands) and your insurable hours over the previous 52 weeks (420 to 700 hours required to qualify). Service Canada publishes a regional table that updates weekly with Statistics Canada unemployment data — for your specific region, consult their site.

ESDC publishes the maximum weekly benefit rate as a rounded whole-dollar amount each year, set by the Canada Employment Insurance Commission via the Chief Actuary's annual report. For 2026: Maximum Insurable Earnings $68,900 × 55% / 52 = $728.7499 → published as $729 (rounded to the nearest dollar per ESDC convention). Claimants at or above the MIE receive the published $729, not the formula's $728.75. Calculator uses the published cap because that's what claimants actually receive.

When you start parental leave, you choose ONCE between two options: STANDARD (55% rate, up to 40 weeks parental, max $729/week, total benefit cap roughly $29,000) or EXTENDED (33% rate, up to 69 weeks parental, max $437/week, total benefit cap roughly $30,000). Total dollars are similar; the trade-off is concentration vs. duration. Extended is helpful for parents who want more time at home but can manage on a smaller weekly amount. Standard is helpful for parents whose monthly expenses don't compress (mortgage, daycare for an older child, etc.). The choice is irrevocable once payments start. Calculator surfaces both rates so you can compare.

Yes — EI benefits are taxable income. ESDC withholds federal income tax at source on payments (10% in most cases). You may owe more tax at year-end if your total income for the year pushes you into a higher bracket. There's also a clawback: if your net income exceeds approximately $79,000, regular and fishing EI benefits are subject to a 30% repayment of the lesser of (a) 30% of benefits received OR (b) 30% of net income above the threshold. Maternity, parental, sickness, and compassionate-care benefits are NOT subject to the clawback. The Income Tax calculator can help estimate your year-end position once you know how much EI you'll receive.