Part 2: Employment Insurance (EI) benefits
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,
- recently gave birth, or
- are caring for your new child.
Self-employed workers
If you’re self-employed, you can apply for these benefits if you:
- signed up for EI’s self-employed program,
- paid EI premiums for at least 12 months before you applied, and
- made a certain amount in self-employed earnings after taxes in the year before. This amount can change from year to year.
For claims in 2026, you need to have earned at least $9,254 after taxes in 2025.
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
- What’s the Family Supplement?
- How do I apply for EI benefits?
- Can I earn money while I’m getting EI?
- Can I get EI benefits if I’m outside Canada?
- Can I apply for other EI special benefits?
- What if I do not agree with a decision about EI?
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