Employment Insurance Benefits for Parents

Only maternal, adoptive, or lawfully recognised parents receive parental EI when caring for their infant or newly adopted infant. You must sign a certificate declaring the newborn’s date of birth or, in the case of an adoption, the child’s date of placement for adoption purposes, as well as the name and address of the adoption authority, in order to claim parental benefits.

Parental EI can be paid to biological or officially recognised parents from the date of the child’s birth and can only be paid within 52 weeks of the child’s birth or, in the case of adoption, within 52 weeks of the child’s placement with you.

Parental payments will be paid to adoptive parents beginning on the day the child is placed with them for adoption. In situations where the child is not legally adoptable, parental benefits will be paid from the day you certify that the placement is permanent and that you want to adopt the child placed with you as soon as possible. Under these cases, the Commission may require evidence at any point that the child for which you are receiving parental benefits was put with you by a recognised authority and that the placement was not just temporary.

How many weeks of Parental Benefits will I get?

The basic rate used to calculate EI parental benefits varies depending on which choice you select:

The weekly benefit rate for standard parental insurance is 55 percent of your gross weekly insurable earnings, up to a maximum level. This means you can get up to $595 per week for a period of 35 weeks. Parents who share regular parental benefits will be eligible for an additional 5 weeks of benefits beginning March 17th, 2019. Person parents will not receive extra weeks where there is no income sharing.

Within 52 weeks of the child’s birth or adoptive delivery week, you will apply for regular parental benefits.

Extended parental benefits are charged at a rate of 33 percent of the gross weekly insurable earnings, up to a limit. For 2021, this means you will get up to $357 per week for a total of 61 weeks. (If you are qualifying for the Family Supplement, the value of $498 will be increased.) Parents who share expanded parental coverage will be eligible for an additional 8 weeks of benefits starting March 17th, 2019. Person parents will not receive extra weeks where there is no income sharing.

You must apply for extended parental benefits within 78 weeks of the birth or adoption of your child.

The parental benefits period can be prolonged if such requirements are fulfilled, giving the applicant additional time to collect weeks of entitlement.

Both parents must select the same choice (standard or extended), because once the claim is started, it cannot be reversed. In their online EI application, each parent must specify how many weeks they want to get. Benefits may be received by all parents at the same time or at different times. Please visit the Service Canada website for more information.

What is the sum of my EI weekly benefit?

EI maternity payments are calculated at a basic rate of 55 percent of the gross weekly insurable earnings, up to a full total. The gross yearly insurable earnings total is $53,100 as of January 1, 2019. This means you will get up to $562 a week as a limit. The current weekly limit is $562, and it is paid out every two weeks by direct deposit.

For more details, see the EI benefit sum estimation page. If your family is low-income, you could be eligible for higher EI benefits (Family Supplement). Continue reading to learn more.

How many hours do I work in order to qualify?

To satisfy the basic qualifying hours, you would have worked for at least 600 hours in the previous year, beginning on the day you finished working.

How long do I wait for my first payment of Parental Benefits?

It can take up to 28 days for an EI claim to be processed. Within one week, you should receive a first letter in the mail containing an access code and directions for creating your Service Canada online account. Before the first Parental Bonus week starts, you will have a one-week non-paid period. If you signed up for direct deposit, your check should come around a month after you sent your application.

You would not continue to complete the two-week delay time if you are exchanging parental benefits with the child’s mother because it has already been met by the other E.I. applicant.

Is it necessary for me to submit an EI report?

If you want to be excluded from EI. filing, you will be questioned on the online application. You won’t have to fill out your bi-weekly EI survey if you verified “yeah.” If you earn money during your bonus time, you must dial Service Canada’s E.I. service line (1-800-206-7218Call: 1-800-206-7218) and click “0” to talk to a live agent who can manually subtract your earnings from your EI benefit for the same week(s) you earned money.

Start Application of EI Parental Benefit

Follow the step by step of your application here.