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EI on a $$30,000 salary (2026): $317 a week, for how many weeks?

Average gross pay before deductions in your best weeks

Full-time ≈ 35–40 h/week. 1 year full-time ≈ 1,820 h

Dependent children

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Estimated weekly EI benefit · Toronto

$317

per week · 38 weeks of benefits · Total over the claim: $12,046

55 %
45 %
EI benefit
Income gap
Regional unemployment rate6.8 % (6–7 %)
Hours required665 h
Best weeks used21
Weeks of benefits38
Waiting period1 week (unpaid)
First payable weekSeptember 25, 2026
Benefits end (estimate)June 18, 2027
Your EI premium$9.40 / wk · $489 / yr

EI benefits are taxable; federal and provincial tax is withheld at source. Net amounts will be lower.

Regional rates valid: September 6, 2026October 10, 2026

Methodology

The one case where EI pays more than 55%

On $30,000 you average $577 a week and EI replaces 55% of it — $317. There is a single provision that pays more, and this is the salary level where it applies: the family supplement. A claimant with children and a family net income at or below $25,921 can have the benefit rate raised as high as 80%, which on these earnings is a materially different payment. It is not claimed separately — Service Canada applies it automatically from the Canada Child Benefit file, which is the reason it is missed by people who have not filed a return. At this income the supplement is worth more than any regional difference in the table below.

Weeks and total EI on $30,000 in every economic region

1,820 insurable hours, the standard full year at 35 hours a week. Weekly benefit before the family supplement: $317.

ProvinceRegionRateWeeksTotal EI
AlbertaCalgary6.5 %38$12,046
AlbertaEdmonton7.0 %38$12,046
AlbertaNorthern Alberta8.8 %42$13,314
AlbertaSouthern Alberta7.4 %40$12,680
British ColumbiaAbbotsford7.3 %40$12,680
British ColumbiaNorthern British Columbia9.0 %42$13,314
British ColumbiaSouthern Coastal British Columbia6.6 %38$12,046
British ColumbiaSouthern Interior British Columbia8.3 %42$13,314
British ColumbiaVancouver6.4 %38$12,046
British ColumbiaVictoria5.7 %36$11,412
ManitobaNorthern Manitoba28.7 %45$14,265
ManitobaSouthern Manitoba5.5 %36$11,412
ManitobaWinnipeg5.3 %36$11,412
New BrunswickFredericton-Moncton-Saint John6.6 %38$12,046
New BrunswickMadawaska-Charlotte5.4 %36$11,412
New BrunswickRestigouche-Albert10.4 %45$14,265
Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland/LabradorFootnote 511.5 %45$14,265
Newfoundland and LabradorSt. John's6.6 %38$12,046
Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest TerritoriesFootnote 710.8 %45$14,265
Northwest TerritoriesYellowknife4.9 %36$11,412
Nova ScotiaEastern Nova Scotia8.6 %42$13,314
Nova ScotiaHalifax5.6 %36$11,412
Nova ScotiaWestern Nova Scotia6.5 %38$12,046
NunavutIqaluit7.1 %40$12,680
NunavutNunavutFootnote 814.6 %45$14,265
OntarioCentral Ontario5.5 %36$11,412
OntarioEastern Ontario6.4 %38$12,046
OntarioHamilton6.5 %38$12,046
OntarioHuron8.7 %42$13,314
OntarioKingston5.5 %36$11,412
OntarioKitchener7.9 %40$12,680
OntarioLondon8.7 %42$13,314
OntarioNiagara7.1 %40$12,680
OntarioNorthern Ontario7.2 %40$12,680
OntarioOshawa8.8 %42$13,314
OntarioOttawa7.4 %40$12,680
OntarioSouth Central Ontario5.7 %36$11,412
OntarioSt. Catharines6.2 %38$12,046
OntarioSudbury6.0 %36$11,412
OntarioThunder Bay5.3 %36$11,412
OntarioToronto6.8 %38$12,046
OntarioWindsor7.6 %40$12,680
Prince Edward IslandCharlottetown5.6 %36$11,412
Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward IslandFootnote 910.0 %44$13,948
QuebecCentral Quebec3.5 %36$11,412
QuebecChicoutimi-Jonquière3.6 %36$11,412
QuebecGaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine10.3 %45$14,265
QuebecHull6.4 %38$12,046
QuebecLower Saint Lawrence and North Shore5.4 %36$11,412
QuebecMontérégie4.3 %36$11,412
QuebecMontreal6.6 %38$12,046
QuebecNorth Western Quebec4.4 %36$11,412
QuebecQuebec4.4 %36$11,412
QuebecSherbrooke4.0 %36$11,412
QuebecSouth Central Quebec2.6 %36$11,412
QuebecTrois-Rivières5.8 %36$11,412
SaskatchewanNorthern Saskatchewan14.5 %45$14,265
SaskatchewanRegina6.2 %38$12,046
SaskatchewanSaskatoon6.6 %38$12,046
SaskatchewanSouthern Saskatchewan7.0 %38$12,046
YukonWhitehorse4.8 %36$11,412
YukonYukonFootnote 67.0 %38$12,046

Every total in the last column is calculated at the base rate of 55%. A claimant eligible for the family supplement receives more than the figure shown — up to 80% of the same average weekly earnings, still bounded by the $729 weekly ceiling, which on $30,000 is not a constraint. The number of weeks does not change: the supplement raises the rate, never the duration.

Other salaries

Frequently asked questions

How much EI do I get on a $30,000 salary?

On a salary of $30,000 the benefit works out at $317 a week, which is 55% of your average weekly earnings of $577. Over a full claim that comes to between $11,412 and $14,265, the difference coming entirely from your economic region, which sets the number of weeks payable.

Do I have to apply for the family supplement?

No. Service Canada applies it from your Canada Child Benefit entitlement, which means it depends on your return being filed and on the family net income for the reference year being at or below $25,921. If no return has been filed, the supplement is not applied even where the income would qualify.

Does my spouse's income count?

Yes — it is family net income, not yours alone, and only one of two claimants in the same family can receive the supplement at a time. The threshold of $25,921 is low enough that a second full-time income generally rules it out.

Related calculators & guides

Sources

Mottalib Radif

Written by Mottalib Radif

INSEAD MBA · Mines Saint-Étienne engineer · Personal finance and benefits

Updated on · Editorial policy · Contact

Rates 2026, last updated 2026-09-16