EI maternity and parental benefits: What these benefits offer

What these benefits offer

Employment Insurance maternity and parental benefits provide financial assistance to:

  • people who are away from work because they're pregnant or have recently given birth
  • parents who are away from work to care for their newborn or newly adopted child

You could receive 55% of your earnings, up to a maximum of $668 a week.

Residents of Quebec

The Province of Quebec is responsible for providing maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits to its residents. Visit the Québec Parental Insurance Plan for more information.

Maternity benefits

Maternity benefits are only available to the person who is away from work because they're pregnant or have recently given birth. They can't be shared between parents.

The person receiving maternity benefits may also be entitled to parental benefits.

Parental benefits

Parental benefits are available to the parents of a newborn or newly adopted child.

You must choose between 2 options:

  1. standard parental benefits
  2. extended parental benefits

Your choice determines the number of weeks and the weekly amount you'll receive.

If sharing, each parent must choose the same option and submit their own application. Parents can receive their weeks of benefits at the same time or one after another.

Although you don't have to take weeks of parental benefits consecutively, you must take them within specific periods starting the week of your child's date of birth or the week your child is placed with you for the purpose of adoption.

These periods are:

  • standard parental: within 52 weeks (12 months)
  • extended parental: within 78 weeks (18 months)

Before you apply, consider carefully whether standard or extended parental benefits are better for you. You can't change between standard and extended parental benefit options once a week of parental benefits has been paid to you, or if a payment has been made to the other parent when benefits are shared.

Maternity and parental benefits overview

Benefit name Maximum weeks Benefit rate Weekly max
Maternity* (for the person giving birth) up to 15 weeks 55% up to $668
Benefit name Maximum weeks Benefit rate Weekly max
Standard parental up to 40 weeks can be shared between parents, but one parent cannot receive more than 35 weeks of standard benefits 55% up to $668
Extended parental up to 69 weeks can be shared between parents, but one parent cannot receive more than 61 weeks of extended benefits 33% up to $401

*Maternity benefits can be followed by parental benefits. You can apply for both at once.

Examples of maternity and parental benefits

Maternity plus standard parental benefits

Natalie is taking time off work to recover from childbirth. She is sharing parental benefits with her partner to care for their newborn. She takes the maximum:

15 weeks of maternity

+35 weeks of standard parental

=50 weeks total for Natalie

Her partner can apply for up to 5 weeks of standard parental benefits to care for the baby.

If Natalie chooses to take fewer weeks of parental benefits, her partner can apply for more.

Maternity plus extended parental benefits

Kelsey is taking time off work to recover from childbirth. She is sharing extended parental benefits with her partner to care for their newborn. She takes the maximum:

15 weeks of maternity

+61 weeks of extended parental

=76 weeks total for Kelsey

Her partner can apply for up to 8 weeks of extended parental benefits to care for the baby.

If Kelsey chooses to take fewer weeks of parental benefits, her partner can apply for more.

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