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EI on a $$90,000 salary (2026): $729 a week, for how many weeks?
Estimated weekly EI benefit · Toronto
$729
per week · 38 weeks of benefits · Total over the claim: $27,702
| Regional unemployment rate | 6.8 % (6–7 %) |
| Hours required | 665 h |
| Best weeks used | 21 |
| Weeks of benefits | 38 |
| Waiting period | 1 week (unpaid) |
| First payable week | September 25, 2026 |
| Benefits end (estimate) | June 18, 2027 |
| Your EI premium | $21.60 / wk · $1,123 / yr |
Capped at the 2026 maximum of $729/week (max insurable earnings $68,900).
EI benefits are taxable; federal and provincial tax is withheld at source. Net amounts will be lower.
Regional rates valid: September 6, 2026 – October 10, 2026
The clawback at $86,125 of net income
At $90,000 a repayment rule enters the picture that lower salaries never meet. Where net income for the year exceeds $86,125 — 1.25 times the maximum insurable earnings — a claimant who has received regular benefits repays 30% of the lesser of the benefits received and the excess over that threshold. A full year at $90,000 is already $3,875 above it. In practice the rule bites when the job is lost late in the year: salary for ten months plus a severance allocation can carry net income past the threshold while benefits have already been paid, and the repayment is settled on the tax return, months after the money was spent.
Weeks and total EI on $90,000 in every economic region
1,820 insurable hours, regional rates in force. Weekly benefit at the $729 ceiling, before any repayment.
| Province | Region | Rate | Weeks | Total EI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Calgary | 6.5 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Alberta | Edmonton | 7.0 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Alberta | Northern Alberta | 8.8 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| Alberta | Southern Alberta | 7.4 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| British Columbia | Abbotsford | 7.3 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| British Columbia | Northern British Columbia | 9.0 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| British Columbia | Southern Coastal British Columbia | 6.6 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| British Columbia | Southern Interior British Columbia | 8.3 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| British Columbia | Vancouver | 6.4 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| British Columbia | Victoria | 5.7 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Manitoba | Northern Manitoba | 28.7 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Manitoba | Southern Manitoba | 5.5 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Manitoba | Winnipeg | 5.3 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| New Brunswick | Fredericton-Moncton-Saint John | 6.6 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| New Brunswick | Madawaska-Charlotte | 5.4 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| New Brunswick | Restigouche-Albert | 10.4 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Newfoundland/LabradorFootnote 5 | 11.5 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | St. John's | 6.6 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Northwest Territories | Northwest TerritoriesFootnote 7 | 10.8 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Northwest Territories | Yellowknife | 4.9 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Nova Scotia | Eastern Nova Scotia | 8.6 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax | 5.6 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Nova Scotia | Western Nova Scotia | 6.5 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Nunavut | Iqaluit | 7.1 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| Nunavut | NunavutFootnote 8 | 14.6 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Ontario | Central Ontario | 5.5 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Ontario | Eastern Ontario | 6.4 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Ontario | Hamilton | 6.5 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Ontario | Huron | 8.7 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| Ontario | Kingston | 5.5 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Ontario | Kitchener | 7.9 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| Ontario | London | 8.7 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| Ontario | Niagara | 7.1 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| Ontario | Northern Ontario | 7.2 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| Ontario | Oshawa | 8.8 % | 42 | $30,618 |
| Ontario | Ottawa | 7.4 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| Ontario | South Central Ontario | 5.7 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Ontario | St. Catharines | 6.2 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Ontario | Sudbury | 6.0 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Ontario | Thunder Bay | 5.3 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Ontario | Toronto | 6.8 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Ontario | Windsor | 7.6 % | 40 | $29,160 |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | 5.6 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward IslandFootnote 9 | 10.0 % | 44 | $32,076 |
| Quebec | Central Quebec | 3.5 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Chicoutimi-Jonquière | 3.6 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine | 10.3 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Quebec | Hull | 6.4 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Quebec | Lower Saint Lawrence and North Shore | 5.4 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Montérégie | 4.3 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Montreal | 6.6 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Quebec | North Western Quebec | 4.4 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Quebec | 4.4 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Sherbrooke | 4.0 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | South Central Quebec | 2.6 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Quebec | Trois-Rivières | 5.8 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Saskatchewan | Northern Saskatchewan | 14.5 % | 45 | $32,805 |
| Saskatchewan | Regina | 6.2 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Saskatchewan | Saskatoon | 6.6 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Saskatchewan | Southern Saskatchewan | 7.0 % | 38 | $27,702 |
| Yukon | Whitehorse | 4.8 % | 36 | $26,244 |
| Yukon | YukonFootnote 6 | 7.0 % | 38 | $27,702 |
Read these totals as gross. A claimant whose net income for the year exceeds $86,125 repays up to 30% of them, which turns the largest figure in the last column into something appreciably smaller. The repayment applies to regular benefits only — maternity, parental and sickness benefits are outside it — and never applies to a first claim in the previous ten years.
Frequently asked questions
How much EI do I get on a $90,000 salary?
On a salary of $90,000 the benefit works out at $729 a week, which is 55% of your average weekly earnings of $1,731, capped by the 2026 maximum of $729. Over a full claim that comes to between $26,244 and $32,805, the difference coming entirely from your economic region, which sets the number of weeks payable.
Is the clawback based on my salary or my net income?
On net income for the tax year, line 23600, which includes the EI benefits themselves, any severance that was paid out rather than allocated, investment income and RRSP deductions taken into account. A large RRSP contribution in the year of a claim can bring net income back under $86,125.
Does it apply if this is my first claim?
No. A claimant who has not received more than one week of regular benefits in the previous ten years is exempt from the repayment whatever their income. The exemption applies once: a second claim within ten years is subject to the rule.
Related calculators & guides
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Sources
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