EI regular benefits: Do you qualify
Do you qualify
From: Employment and Social Development Canada
On this page
- Eligibility criteria
- Eligibility for specific work situations
- Situations where you may not be eligible
- Find other types of benefits
The information below should be used as a guideline. We encourage you to apply for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits as soon as possible and let us determine if you're eligible.
Eligibility criteria
To receive EI Regular benefits, you need to demonstrate that you:
- were employed in insurable employment
- lost your job through no fault of your own
- are affected by flooding or wildfires
- have been without work and without pay for at least 7 consecutive days in the last 52 weeks
- have worked for the required number of insurable employment hours in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is shorter
- are ready, willing and capable of working each day
- are actively looking for work (you must keep a written record of employers you contact, including when you contacted them)
To prove your eligibility and to receive payments you may be entitled to, you're required to complete bi-weekly reports by internet or telephone. Failure to do so can mean a loss of benefits.
Eligibility for specific work situations
You may still qualify for benefits, even if you work for an employer who is related to you.
Refer to the following links for eligibility information for these specific situations:
Situations where you may not be eligible
- if you voluntarily left your job without just cause
- if you were dismissed for misconduct
- if you're unemployed because you're directly participating in a labour dispute (for example, a strike, lockout or other type of conflict)
- during a period of leave that compensates for a period in which you worked under an agreement with your employer, more hours than are normally worked in full-time employment
COVID-19 vaccination
In most cases, if you lose or quit your job because you didn't comply with your employer's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, you won't be eligible for EI regular benefits. To determine if you're eligible, we may contact you to obtain information such as:
- if your employer clearly communicated a mandatory COVID‑19 vaccination policy to you
- if you were informed that not complying with the policy would result in you losing your employment
- if applying the policy to you was reasonable within your workplace context
- if you have a valid reason for not complying with the policy and your employer didn't provide you an exemption
We'll use the facts provided by you and your employer to determine if you're entitled to benefits.
If you're in jail
You're not entitled to receive EI benefits while you're confined to a jail, penitentiary or other similar institution.
If you've been incarcerated but are later found not guilty by a court of law on all counts in relation to the event that led to your incarceration, your qualifying period and benefit period may be extended upon providing necessary proof.
Once you've applied for EI benefits, you'll be asked to provide us with proof that you were confined to a jail, penitentiary or other similar institution and that you were not found guilty of the offence(s) from the event(s) for which you were being held.
For a qualifying period or benefit period to be extended, you'll be asked to submit the following documents:
- a letter from the institution where you were incarcerated, specifying the dates of your incarceration
- documentation showing that no other outstanding charge(s) in relation to the event(s) that originally led to the incarceration exist, to confirm the time served is not being credited to any other charge(s) in relation to the original event or any other subsequent event
- proof that you have not been found guilty of the charge(s) from the original event that led to your incarceration
Keep these documents in a safe place. We'll contact you and provide you with instructions on how to submit them.
You need to have worked enough hours to be eligible
Based on the unemployment rate in your area, you'll need between 420 and 700 hours of insurable employment during the qualifying period to qualify for regular benefits.
Number of hours of insurable employment required to qualify for EI
The qualifying period is the shorter of:
- the 52-week period immediately before the start date of your claim, or
- the period from the start of a previous benefit period to the start of your new benefit period, if you applied for benefits earlier and your application was approved in the last 52 weeks
Exception: In some cases, the qualifying period may be extended to a maximum of 104 weeks if you weren’t employed in insurable employment or if you weren’t receiving EI benefits.
Determine how many hours you need
The unemployment rate in your area determines how many hours you need to qualify.
Look up EI Economic Region by Postal Code to find out the unemployment rate in your region and the number of hours to qualify for regular benefits.
If you received a notice of violation
If you received a notice of violation regarding prior EI benefit periods, the number of insurable hours required to qualify is increased.
Number of insurable hours required to qualify for EI benefits
| Regional rate of unemployment | Without violation | Minor violation | Serious violation | Very serious violation | Subsequent violation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6% and under | 700 | 875 | 1,050 | 1,225 | 1,400 |
| 6.1% to 7% | 665 | 831 | 998 | 1,164 | 1,330 |
| 7.1% to 8% | 630 | 788 | 945 | 1,103 | 1,260 |
| 8.1% to 9% | 595 | 744 | 893 | 1,041 | 1,190 |
| 9.1% to 10% | 560 | 700 | 840 | 980 | 1,120 |
| 10.1% to 11% | 525 | 656 | 788 | 919 | 1,050 |
| 11.1% to 12% | 490 | 613 | 735 | 858 | 980 |
| 12.1% to 13% | 455 | 569 | 683 | 796 | 910 |
| More than 13% | 420 | 525 | 630 | 735 | 840 |
Find other types of benefits
Are EI regular benefits not applicable to you? Use the Benefits Finder to find other Government of Canada, provincial, or territorial benefits.
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