EI caregiving benefits: weeks, amount and who qualifies
Taking time off to care for a critically ill family member? EI pays up to 35 weeks. Choose the benefit and see the amount.
Employment Insurance caregiving benefits provide income to people who take time away from work to care for or support someone who is critically ill, injured or needing end-of-life care. There are three benefits. The family caregiver benefit for children pays up to 35 weeks to care for a critically ill or injured person under 18. The family caregiver benefit for adults pays up to 15 weeks for a person aged 18 or over. Compassionate care benefits pay up to 26 weeks to care for a person of any age who has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks. All three pay 55% of average insurable weekly earnings, to a maximum of $729 a week in 2026. With annual earnings of $60,000, the weekly benefit is $635. You need 600 insurable hours in the previous 52 weeks, a drop of more than 40% in your weekly earnings, and a medical certificate. The weeks can be shared among caregivers.
Estimate your caregiving benefit
Weekly benefit, before tax
$635
| Maximum weeks | 35 |
| Maximum total | $22,225 |
| Hours required | 600 |
Updated on · Radif Partners · Editorial policy
The three benefits
| Benefit | Who you are caring for | Maximum weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Family caregiver benefit for children | A critically ill or injured person under 18 | 35 weeks |
| Family caregiver benefit for adults | A critically ill or injured person 18 or over | 15 weeks |
| Compassionate care benefits | A person of any age who requires end-of-life care | 26 weeks |
"Critically ill or injured" means that the person's baseline state of health has changed significantly, their life is at risk as a result of illness or injury, and they need the care or support of at least one caregiver. A chronic condition that is the person's normal state does not qualify on its own. For compassionate care, the criterion is a significant risk of death within 26 weeks.
Amounts by salary
| Annual earnings | Weekly benefit | Adult, 15 weeks | Compassionate care, 26 weeks | Child, 35 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | $370 | $5,550 | $9,620 | $12,950 |
| $50,000 | $529 | $7,935 | $13,754 | $18,515 |
| $60,000 | $635 | $9,525 | $16,510 | $22,225 |
| $68,900 | $729 | $10,935 | $18,954 | $25,515 |
| $90,000 | $729 | $10,935 | $18,954 | $25,515 |
Totals are the maximum for one caregiver taking all the weeks, before income tax. If two people share the weeks, each receives 55% of their own earnings for the weeks they take. Low-income families with children may receive the family supplement on top.
Who qualifies
- You are a family member of the person, or they consider you to be like family.
- Your regular weekly earnings have decreased by more than 40% for at least one week because you need to take time away from work to provide care or support.
- You have 600 insurable hours in the 52 weeks before the claim or since your last claim.
- A doctor or nurse practitioner has certified the person's condition and their need for care or support.
Care or support means providing or taking part in the care, giving psychological or emotional support, or arranging for care by someone else. You do not have to live with the person, and they do not have to live in Canada.
The medical certificate
For the family caregiver benefits, the certificate must confirm that the person is critically ill or injured and needs care or support, and it gives the period during which that is expected. For compassionate care, it must state that the person has a serious condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks. The form is completed by the doctor or nurse practitioner treating the person. The person who is ill, or their legal representative, also signs an authorization to release the certificate. For someone outside Canada, a foreign practitioner can sign.
When the weeks can be taken
Benefits are payable within a 52-week window that starts the week the person is certified as critically ill or in need of end-of-life care, or the week the condition began if the certificate says so. The weeks do not need to be consecutive: you can take a few, go back to work, and take more later within the window. Benefits end if the person dies, at the end of that week, or if they are no longer critically ill.
Sharing between caregivers
For a child, the 35 weeks can be split between, for example, two parents: 20 weeks for one and 15 for the other, taken together or in turn. Each applies on their own claim, with their own earnings determining the weekly amount. Because the higher earner receives a larger benefit, up to the $729 cap, the split affects the family total. The usual one-week waiting period is served only once per sharing arrangement, and is waived altogether for claims established while the temporary measures apply.
Job protection is a separate matter
EI pays the benefit; the right to be absent from work comes from employment standards law. The Canada Labour Code, for federally regulated workplaces, and each provincial and territorial statute provide unpaid leave for compassionate care and for critical illness, with durations that broadly match or exceed the EI weeks. Check the notice and certificate requirements of the law that covers your employer before you leave.
Working and other income
You can work part time while receiving caregiving benefits: under the rules on working while on claim, you keep 50 cents of benefits for each dollar earned, up to 90% of your previous weekly earnings. Paid leave from your employer for the same weeks is deducted, unless it comes from a registered supplemental plan that tops up EI. Benefits are taxable, but special benefits are not subject to the repayment that can apply to regular benefits at higher incomes.
Applying
Apply online as soon as you stop working or reduce your hours, and within four weeks. Select caregiving benefits and the type that fits. You will need the record of employment from your employer, the medical certificate and the authorization to release it. If you are unsure whether the condition qualifies as critical illness or end-of-life care, the practitioner's assessment decides. The page on how to apply for EI explains the reports and the timing of payments.