EI Calculator
Calculate your 2026 Employment Insurance premiums and estimate your weekly EI benefits, eligibility hours, and claim length
Your 2026 Employment Details
Gross insurable earnings for 2026. Only the first $68,900 is insurable.
2026 figures: maximum insurable earnings $68,900, employee rate 1.63% (1.30% in Quebec), employer pays 1.4x. Source: Canada Employment Insurance Commission (Sept 2025). Quebec workers also pay QPIP premiums, not shown here.
Results
Your EI Premium (2026)
1.63% of $60,000.00 in insurable earnings, deducted from pay
Employer Premium
1.4x your premium
Total Into EI
Employee + employer combined
2026 Maximum Employee Premium
You pay $145.07 less than the maximum.
Self-employed? You generally do not pay EI premiums and are not covered — unless you opt into EI special benefits (maternity, parental, sickness), in which case you pay the employee rate only, with no employer share.
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Frequently asked questions
How much EI premium do I pay in 2026?
Employees pay 1.63% of insurable earnings ($1.63 per $100) up to the 2026 maximum insurable earnings of $68,900 — a maximum of $1,123.07 for the year. Quebec workers pay a reduced 1.30% (maximum $895.70) because Quebec runs its own parental insurance plan (QPIP). Employers pay 1.4 times the employee premium.
How much EI would I receive per week?
Regular benefits pay 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, calculated from your best-paid 14 to 22 weeks (the number of best weeks depends on your regional unemployment rate), up to the 2026 maximum of $729 per week. Benefits are taxable income. Someone earning $60,000 steadily would get roughly $635 per week.
How many hours do I need to qualify for EI?
For regular benefits you need between 420 and 700 insurable hours in your qualifying period (usually the last 52 weeks), depending on the unemployment rate in your EI economic region — 700 hours where unemployment is 6% or less, sliding down to 420 hours where it exceeds 13%. Special benefits (maternity, parental, sickness, caregiving) require 600 hours everywhere.
How long can I receive EI benefits?
Regular benefits last between 14 and 45 weeks, depending on how many insurable hours you accumulated and the unemployment rate in your region when you apply. Every claim starts with a one-week unpaid waiting period, and you must file bi-weekly reports while on claim.
Do self-employed people pay EI?
Generally no — self-employment income is not insurable and carries no EI coverage. The exception: self-employed Canadians can register with Service Canada to opt into EI special benefits (maternity, parental, sickness, caregiving), paying the employee rate with no employer share. Once you claim benefits, the opt-in becomes permanent.