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EI sickness benefits calculator (2026)
EI sickness benefits pay 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings when illness, injury, or quarantine keeps you off work, up to $729 a week in 2026, for as long as 26 weeks. Enter your salary and your weeks off work to see your weekly benefit and your total, in every province.
EI sickness benefits are a federal program: the same amount in every province, including Quebec.
Your annual salary before you stopped working. Service Canada averages your best weeks to work out your weekly insurable earnings; this calculator divides your salary by 52 as an approximation, so your actual amount may differ.
How many weeks you expect to be unable to work: up to 26 weeks of EI sickness benefits on a claim established on or after December 18, 2022. Enter the weeks on your medical certificate, or the full 26 if you expect to be off that long.
2026 · Canada
Your weekly EI sickness benefit
$550$550 a week for 15 weeks, $8,250 in total
That replaces 55% of your average weekly pay
How the benefit is worked out
| Average weekly insurable earnings | $1,000 |
| EI rate (55% of insurable earnings) | 55% |
| Weekly benefit | $550 |
| Weeks off work | 15 |
| Total paid over the claim | $8,250 |
EI pays 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings. Earnings above the $68,900 yearly maximum ($1,325 a week) do not raise the benefit: the weekly amount stops at $729.
How Service Canada works out your weekly amount
Service Canada does not divide your annual salary by 52. It averages your insurable earnings over your best weeks in the qualifying period, normally the last 52 weeks, so if your pay varies, your actual weekly benefit may differ from this estimate. Enter your average weekly earnings directly as a salary if you know it: multiply it by 52 and enter that figure as your salary.
No waiting period right now
Normally the first week of a claim is an unpaid waiting period. That waiting period is waived for all new claims for EI benefits that start between March 30, 2025 and October 9, 2027, so this calculator charges no waiting-period deduction. The normal 1-week unpaid waiting period returns for claims starting after October 9, 2027.
You need a medical certificate
EI sickness benefits need a medical certificate signed by a medical doctor, chiropractor, podiatrist, optometrist, psychologist, dentist, midwife, nurse practitioner, or, in an isolated area where no doctor is available, a registered nurse. You can use Service Canada's own certificate form, or a certificate on your practitioner's own letterhead, as long as it is legible, carries the practitioner's information, and states the start date and expected duration of the incapacity where known.
The same benefit in every province, including Quebec
EI sickness benefits are a federal program, so the amount is the same in every province. Quebec is included: QPIP replaces only maternity and parental benefits in Quebec, not sickness benefits.
EI benefits are taxable income
EI sickness benefits count as taxable income and must be reported on your tax return. The figures above are the gross benefit before tax.
Do you qualify?
You generally need 600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before the start of your claim, a medical certificate, and regular weekly earnings down by more than 40% for at least one week. Sickness benefits last up to 26 weeks. If you had an EI claim in the past 52 weeks, you may not get the full 26 weeks.
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Worked examples: 2026
| Salary · weeks | Weekly insurable | Weekly benefit | Total paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| $52,000 · 15 weeks | $1,000 | $550 | $8,250 |
| $75,000 · 26 weeks | $1,325 | $729 | $18,954 |
| $40,000 · 8 weeks | $769 | $423 | $3,384 |
| $100,000 · 26 weeks | $1,325 | $729 | $18,954 |
| $60,000 · 20 weeks | $1,154 | $635 | $12,700 |
2026 EI figures · verified 2026-11-10 · how we calculate
FAQ
How much EI sickness benefit will I get if I cannot work?
In 2026, on a $52,000 salary with 15 weeks off work, EI sickness benefits pay $550 a week, $8,250 in total. The benefit is 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings: $52,000 a year is $1,000 a week, and 55% of that is $550. Enter your salary and your weeks above to see your own figure.
How is the weekly EI sickness benefit calculated?
EI pays 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings, up to a weekly maximum of $729 in 2026. Earnings above the $68,900 yearly maximum ($1,325 a week) do not raise the benefit: on a $75,000 salary the weekly insurable earnings stop at $1,325, so the benefit is the capped $729 a week. One caveat: Service Canada averages your best weeks, not your salary divided by 52, so if your pay varies, your actual weekly amount may differ from this estimate.
How long can EI sickness benefits last?
Up to 26 weeks, on a claim established on or after December 18, 2022. The older 15-week maximum still appears in outdated material: if your claim started before that date, the old limit applied. If you had an EI claim in the past 52 weeks, you may not get the full 26 weeks. Enter your weeks above, up to 26, to see the total paid.
What do I need to qualify for EI sickness benefits?
You generally need 600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before the start of your claim, a medical certificate signed by a doctor or another approved practitioner, and regular weekly earnings down by more than 40% for at least one week. You also need to be unable to work because of illness, injury, or quarantine.
Is there a waiting period before EI sickness payments start?
Normally the first week of a claim is an unpaid waiting period. That waiting period is waived for all new claims for EI benefits that start between March 30, 2025 and October 9, 2027, so this calculator charges no waiting-period deduction and the total above starts from week one. The normal 1-week unpaid waiting period returns for claims starting after October 9, 2027.
Is EI the same in Quebec?
Yes. EI sickness benefits are a federal program, so the amount is the same in every province, including Quebec. QPIP replaces only maternity and parental benefits in Quebec, not sickness benefits. A Quebec claimant gets the same weekly benefit as a claimant elsewhere on the same earnings: for example, on a $40,000 salary with 8 weeks, the benefit is $423 a week either way.
Are EI sickness benefits taxable? What about the low-income family supplement?
EI sickness benefits count as taxable income and must be reported on your tax return, so the figures above are the gross benefit before tax. On a $40,000 salary with 8 weeks, the benefit is $423 a week, $3,384 in total, before tax. A separate low-income family supplement can raise the rate to as much as 80% of average weekly insurable earnings. It applies when your net family income is $25,921 or less per year, you have at least one child under 18, and you or your spouse receives the Canada Child Benefit. The supplement amount depends on the number of children in the family and their ages, with an extra amount for each child under 7. It shrinks as income rises, and nothing is payable at $25,921. If you and your spouse both claim EI at the same time, only one of you can receive the supplement, and it is generally better for the spouse with the lower benefit rate to receive it. Even with the supplement, your total weekly benefit cannot exceed $729 in 2026. It exists, but it is not modelled here, so treat the figure above as the standard 55% rate.