EI sickness benefits: amount, duration and how to qualify
If illness or injury stops you from working, EI can pay 55% of your earnings for up to 26 weeks. Estimate what you would receive.
Employment Insurance sickness benefits replace part of your income when you cannot work because of illness, injury or quarantine. They pay 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum of $729 a week in 2026, for up to 26 weeks. To qualify you need 600 insurable hours in the 52 weeks before the claim, a drop of more than 40% in your normal weekly earnings for at least one week, and a medical certificate confirming that you are unable to work. With annual earnings of $60,000, the benefit is $635 a week; twelve weeks off work would pay $7,620 before tax, and the full 26 weeks $16,510. The highest possible total, at the maximum weekly rate, is $18,954. The benefits are available in every province, including Quebec, and to self-employed people who have registered for EI special benefits. You must apply as soon as you stop working, without waiting for your record of employment.
Estimate your EI sickness benefit
Weekly benefit, before tax
$635
| Weeks payable | 12 |
| Total for these weeks | $7,620 |
| Maximum, 26 weeks | $16,510 |
Updated on · Radif Partners · Editorial policy
Sickness benefit by salary
| Annual earnings | Weekly earnings | Weekly benefit | 8 weeks | 26 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $577 | $317 | $2,536 | $8,242 |
| $40,000 | $769 | $423 | $3,384 | $10,998 |
| $50,000 | $962 | $529 | $4,232 | $13,754 |
| $60,000 | $1,154 | $635 | $5,080 | $16,510 |
| $68,900 | $1,325 | $729 | $5,832 | $18,954 |
| $90,000 | $1,731 | $729 | $5,832 | $18,954 |
Amounts are before income tax. The benefit is calculated on your best weeks of gross earnings in the qualifying period, the number of best weeks depending on the unemployment rate in your region. Earnings above $68,900 a year are not insured, which is why the last rows show the same $729.
Who qualifies
- You cannot work for medical reasons: illness, injury, quarantine, or any condition that prevents you from working, including mental health conditions and recovery from surgery.
- Your regular weekly earnings have decreased by more than 40% for at least one week.
- You have 600 insurable hours in the 52 weeks before the start of the claim or since the start of your last claim, whichever is shorter.
- You would otherwise be available for work if it were not for your medical condition.
- You can provide a medical certificate.
The medical certificate
The certificate must state that you are incapable of working and indicate the probable duration. Service Canada provides a form, but a letter or the practitioner's own form is accepted if it contains the same information. Doctors, nurse practitioners, dentists, psychologists, chiropractors, optometrists and midwives can sign, within their field. If your absence lasts longer than first estimated, obtain a new certificate covering the additional weeks. Keep the originals for six years.
Waiting period and first payment
Ordinarily the first week of a claim is an unpaid waiting period, comparable to an insurance deductible. If your employer pays sick leave or a short-term disability plan covers that week, the waiting period may be waived or deferred. Under the temporary measures, the waiting period is waived for claims established between March 30, 2025 and October 10, 2026. Service Canada normally issues the first payment within 28 days of a complete application, and you must complete your biweekly reports unless you have been exempted from them.
Employer sick leave, group insurance and EI
EI is usually the last payer. Paid sick days from your employer are earnings: they are deducted from EI for the weeks they cover, so you normally use them first and claim EI afterwards. Benefits from a group wage-loss insurance plan are also deducted dollar for dollar. An employer can, however, register a supplemental plan that tops up EI sickness benefits without reducing them, up to your normal weekly earnings. Workers' compensation covers work-related illness and injury instead of EI. Long-term disability insurance generally begins after the EI period.
Working while sick
If you are able to work a little during your recovery, the rules on working while on claim apply to sickness benefits too: you keep 50 cents of benefits for every dollar earned, up to 90% of your previous weekly earnings. Declare the gross amount in the week you earn it. A gradual return to work is therefore possible without losing the whole benefit.
Combining with other EI benefits
Sickness benefits can be combined with maternity, parental and caregiving benefits in the same benefit period, in which case the period can be extended so that you receive the weeks of each. When regular benefits are part of the mix, the total is generally limited to 50 weeks. A person who becomes ill before a layoff, or after it, often moves from one type to the other; Service Canada converts the claim when you report the change. The special benefits calculator shows maternity and parental amounts.
After 26 weeks
EI sickness benefits end at 26 weeks, even if you are still unable to work. The next options are a long-term disability plan through your employer, the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit for a severe and prolonged disability, the Quebec Pension Plan equivalent, or provincial disability assistance. If you recover and your job no longer exists, you can ask for regular benefits within the same claim, provided weeks remain and you are available for work.
Applying
Apply online as soon as you stop working, and within four weeks of your last day. Choose sickness benefits as the type. Your employer must issue a record of employment showing the last day paid; ask for it even if you expect to return. Have the dates of your incapacity and the name of the practitioner at hand. The page on how to apply for EI covers the documents, the access code and the reports.