Part 2: Employment Insurance (EI) benefits
Employment Insurance (EI) has maternity and parental benefits. You might be able to get these benefits if your weekly earnings have gone down by more than 40% because you are:
- pregnant, or
- caring for your new child.
If you are self-employed, you can apply for these benefits if you:
- made at least $8,492 in self-employed earnings after taxes in 2023,
- paid EI premiums for at least 12 months, and
- signed up for EI’s self-employed program.
The amount you have to make to qualify may change from year to year. But it is always based on the past year’s earnings.
To pay premiums as a self‑employed worker, you must set up a MyServiceCanada account. To do this, go to canada.ca/en and type MSCA in the search box.
- How do I qualify for these EI benefits?
- Maternity benefits
- Parental benefits
- How do I apply for EI benefits?
- Can I earn money while I am getting EI?
- Can I get EI benefits if I am outside Canada?
- Can I apply for other EI special benefits?
- What if I do not agree with a decision about EI?
- Leaves and benefits for new and expecting parents