Who can get EI benefits?
If you are unemployed and looking for work you may be able to get EI benefits. EI benefits are based on the number of hours you worked during a certain “qualifying period”.
Usually, your qualifying period is the past 12 months. Sometimes it can be shorter. For example, if you have been on EI in the past year, your qualifying period will only go back to the start of your last EI claim. Sometimes it can be longer, for example, if there were weeks in the past 12 months when you could not work because you were sick, injured, pregnant, or in jail.
The number of hours you need to have worked in your qualifying period depends on the following things:
If you are new or returning to the workforce:
If you are a “new entrant” or “re-entrant”, you must have worked a total of at least 910 hours during your qualifying period.
You are usually considered a new entrant or re-entrant if you were employed or “attached to the labour force” for less than 490 hours in the year before your qualifying period. But if you received any pregnancy or parental EI benefits in the 4 years before that year, then you are not considered a new entrant or re-entrant.
A few examples of being attached to the labour force are:
- receiving EI benefits, workers’ compensation, or sick pay,
- attending a training program approved by a Service Canada Centre, or
- being on strike or lockout.
If you are not a new entrant or re-entrant:
If you are not considered a new entrant or re-entrant:
- you will usually qualify if you worked 700 hours or more in your qualifying period,
- you might qualify if you worked between 420 and 700 hours in your qualifying period (the higher the rate of unemployment in your area, the fewer the hours you will need),
- you will not qualify if you worked less than 420 hours in your qualifying period.
If you have a record of EI “violations”:
If you have a record of EI violations you might have to work more hours to qualify. Usually, violations result from giving false or misleading information to EI staff.