How to apply for EI: deadline, documents and first payment
Apply the day you stop working. Every week of delay is a week without benefits: see what waiting costs.
To receive Employment Insurance you have to apply; nothing starts automatically when a job ends. Apply online with Service Canada as soon as you stop working, even if your employer has not yet issued your record of employment. The deadline is 4 weeks after your last day of work: beyond that, you risk losing benefits. Your benefit period begins the week you apply or the week your earnings stopped, whichever is later, so weeks that pass before you apply are not paid. With annual earnings of $60,000, the weekly benefit is $635, and three weeks of delay means $1,905 not received. You will need your social insurance number, your banking details and the names, addresses and dates for every employer in the last 52 weeks. Service Canada normally pays within 28 days of a complete application. After that, you must complete a report every 2 weeks to keep the payments coming.
What does applying late cost?
Benefits not paid for the weeks already gone
$1,905
| Full weeks elapsed | 3 |
| Weekly benefit | $635 |
| Payment every two weeks | $1,270 |
Updated on · Radif Partners · Editorial policy
What a late application costs
| Time since last day of work | Full weeks elapsed | Unpaid, $45,000 earnings | Unpaid, $70,000 earnings | Past the 4-week deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 1 | $476 | $729 | No |
| 14 days | 2 | $952 | $1,458 | No |
| 28 days | 4 | $1,904 | $2,916 | No |
| 42 days | 6 | $2,856 | $4,374 | Yes |
| 70 days | 10 | $4,760 | $7,290 | Yes |
The benefit period cannot start before the week in which you apply, unless Service Canada agrees to backdate the claim. The table multiplies the weekly benefit by the number of full weeks elapsed. Past 4 weeks the risk is larger: hours worked early in your qualifying period can drop out of the 52-week window, which may reduce the number of weeks you get or cost you eligibility.
Step 1: gather what you need
- Social insurance number. If it starts with a 9, you also need proof of your immigration status and work permit.
- Mother's maiden name, used as an identity check.
- Mailing and residential addresses, including postal codes. Your residence determines your EI economic region.
- Banking information for direct deposit: institution, transit and account numbers.
- Every employer in the last 52 weeks: name, address, dates of employment and the reason you stopped working.
- Your gross earnings for your highest paid weeks, and any money received or owed on separation, such as vacation pay or severance.
Step 2: complete the online application
The application takes about an hour and can be saved and resumed for 72 hours. You state the type of benefit, your work history and why the job ended. Be accurate about the reason for separation: Service Canada compares it with what the employer puts on the record of employment, and a quit or a dismissal for misconduct is examined separately, as explained on the page about quitting or being fired. At the end you receive a confirmation number. Print or save it.
Step 3: the record of employment
The record of employment shows your insurable hours and earnings and is the document that proves your claim. Most employers file it electronically, in which case it reaches Service Canada directly and you can see it in your My Service Canada Account. A paper record must be given to you within five calendar days of your last day of work, and you send the original to Service Canada. You need a record from each employer of the last 52 weeks. Check the total hours and the reason code; ask the employer to correct errors, and tell Service Canada if they refuse.
Step 4: access code and reports
After you apply, a benefit statement arrives by mail with your access code. It does not mean the claim is approved. Use the code to complete your first report through the internet reporting service or by phone. Each report covers 2 weeks and asks whether you worked, what you earned before deductions, whether you were available for work, and whether you were out of the country, in training or sick. Report earnings in the week you earned them, not the week you were paid. The rules on working while on claim decide how much is deducted.
Step 5: decision and first payment
Service Canada aims to pay within 28 days. Ordinarily the first week of a claim is an unpaid waiting period. Under the temporary measures, the waiting period is waived for claims established between March 30, 2025 and October 10, 2026, so the first week is payable; the government announced in August 2026 that it intends to extend this. Payments are deposited after each report. The benefit is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, to a maximum of $729 a week in 2026, and federal and provincial income tax is deducted at source.
If you applied late: asking for an antedate
You can ask Service Canada to treat your application as if it had been made earlier. You must show good cause for the whole period of the delay, meaning that you did what a reasonable person would have done in your situation to learn about your rights and obligations. Illness, being misinformed by Service Canada or exceptional circumstances can qualify. Not knowing the rules, or waiting for the record of employment or for a severance package to run out, generally does not.
While your claim is active
A benefit period normally lasts 52 weeks, and the number of payable weeks inside it depends on your hours and your region, as set out on the page about weeks of benefits. You must be ready, willing and able to work each day, look for work and keep a record of your search. Tell Service Canada about any absence from Canada, any training and any change of address. If you return to work and are laid off again within the benefit period, you renew the claim rather than start a new one.
Common mistakes
Waiting for the record of employment before applying. Waiting for severance to run out. Entering net instead of gross earnings on reports. Forgetting to report a few hours of casual work. Not completing reports while the claim is under review. Each of these delays payment or creates an overpayment that has to be repaid later.