Apply for Employment Insurance (Service Canada)

This page will provide general information on applying for Employment Insurance through Service Canada¹.

Please note that when a ² appears beside a link, it refers to a link that is outside our CDNPayroll.com Incorporated website. We, therefore, can not verify or be responsible for the contact on the corresponding external web page. The icon beside a phone number means you can click the corresponding link to dial your smartphone. As well, the 📬 icon beside a contact link means that the link will open your e-mail app to send our office an e-mail.

In order to apply for Employment Insurance (EI) with Service Canada, you are required to have:

Accumulated at least:
- For EI Claims up to Sept 24, 2022: 420 insurable hours.
- For EI Claims after Sept 24, 2022: 700 insurable hours
- Note box 15A on your Record of Employment (ROE).
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)

Refer to the following links for eligibility information for these specific situations:

You may not be eligible for EI benefits

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 types 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 with an exemption

Service Canada will 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. Service Canada will contact you and provide you with instructions on how to submit them.

You need at least 420 hours of insurable employment to qualify for EI

Number of hours of insurable employment required to qualify for EI

The qualifying period is 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.

Until September 24, 2022, Temporary

You only need to have accumulated 420 hours of insurable employment during your qualifying period to qualify for EI benefits.

If you were assessed a violation, you might need more insurable hours to qualify for benefits. The required amount rises based on the number and seriousness of misrepresentations that have been recorded in the 5-year period before the start of your claim.

After September 24, 2022

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.

The unemployment rate in your area determines how many hours you need to qualify

Once you have determined the unemployment rate in your area, see the table below for the number of hours required.

Look up EI Economic Region by Postal Code² 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 regarding prior EI benefit periods, the number of insurable hours required to qualify is increased.

The number of hours is shown in the following table:

Number of insurable hours required to qualify for benefits

**Number of insurable hours required to qualify for Employment Insurance benefits**
Regional rate of unemployment	Without violation	Minor violation	Serious violation	Very serious violation	Subsequent violation
6 % and under	700	875	1050	1225	1400
6.1 % to 7 %	665	831	998	1164	1330
7.1 % to 8 %	630	788	945	1103	1260
8.1 % to 9 %	595	744	893	1041	1190
9.1 % to 10 %	560	700	840	980	1120
10.1 % to 11 %	525	656	788	919	1050
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 Finder² to find other Government of Canada, provincial, or territorial benefits.

Before you apply, use this EI Checklist

Note: If you need assistance in making your EI claim, please click here to contact our office. We will then assist you in making your EI claim.

Information you need to apply

Make sure your information is accurate before submitting it. A common mistake, like misspelling your parent's last name at birth, can delay the processing of your claim.

Do not enter your parent's first name, married name, or date of birth.

To complete the online EI application, you will need the following information:

your social insurance number (SIN)
- if your SIN begins with a “9,” you will need to supply proof of your immigration status and work permit
the last name at birth of 1 of your parents
your mailing and residential addresses, including postal codes
your complete banking information to sign up for direct deposit, including:
- the name of your financial institution
- your bank branch number
- your account number
the names, addresses, dates of employment, and reason for separation for all your employers over the last 52 weeks
your detailed version of the facts if you quit or were dismissed from any job in the last 52 weeks
the dates, Sunday to Saturday, and earnings for each of your highest paid weeks of insurable earnings in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is the shorter of these 2 periods
- this information will be used, along with your record(s) of employment, to calculate your weekly EI benefit rate

1. When to apply

Apply as soon as you stop working. You can apply online at home, at any Service Canada Centre using one of the many Internet kiosks available, or at a public Internet access site, such as a public library. The website takes you step by step through the application process.

Records of employment

Missing records of employment (ROEs) can delay the processing of your claim.

If your employer issues ROEs in paper format, you must request copies of all ROEs issued to you during the last 52 weeks and provide them to Service Canada as soon as possible after you submit your EI application. You must either drop off your paper ROEs in person at any Service Canada Centre or mail them to us—we cannot finalize your application until we receive them
If your employer submits ROEs electronically to Service Canada, you do not need to request copies of your ROEs from your employers, and you do not have to provide copies to Service Canada

2. After you apply

You will receive a confirmation number electronically as proof that we received your application. Make a note of this number and of the date you submitted your application for future reference.

Note: If you do not receive a confirmation number, call 1-800-206-7218 (TTY: 1-800-529-3742) from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Mon-Fri) Do not complete another online application.

3. Receiving your EI benefits

The benefit statement is mailed to you shortly after you apply for benefits. The statement includes your access code (4-digit number), which is printed in the shaded area at the top of the benefits statement. Your access code is needed to submit your required bi-weekly reports and to get information about your claim. You are required to complete bi-weekly reports to prove your eligibility and to receive any payment you may be entitled to. Failure to do so can mean a loss of benefits. Access the instructions on when and how to complete your reports with our Internet Reporting Service² or our Telephone Reporting Service².

Note

If you had an EI claim within the last month, you will not receive a new access code in the mail. You can use the same access code that you previously used to complete your bi-weekly reports and access your EI claim information
Keep in mind that receiving the EI benefit statement does not mean that your application has been approved

Get information about your EI claim through My Service Canada Account

Register for My Service Canada Account² to access your EI information online. My Service Canada Account is a fast and convenient way to securely:

View any decision made about your EI application
Sign up for direct deposit
See details on your payments and deductions
View and update your personal information, including changing your address
View and print copies of your T4E tax slip
View records of employment that your employers have submitted electronically in the last 2 years
access sites that can help you find a job

If you have further questions, the phone number for EI (Service Canada) is: 1-800-206-7218 (TTY: 1-800-529-3742) from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Mon-Fri).

If you have been denied EI Benefits

If you have been denied EI Benefits, Please click here to contact our office, as we may be able to assist you in an appeal process.

Note 1: CDNPayroll.com Incorporated provided this page for general information. For more specific information on the details pertaining to your Record of Employment, please either contact your employer or Service Canada (Phone: 1-800-206-7218) (TTY: 1-800-529-3742) from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Mon-Fri).