EI regular benefit estimate.
Weekly EI
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Total over eligibility
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Your breakdown
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What EI regular benefits actually replace
Employment Insurance regular benefits exist for one situation: you lost a job through no fault of your own and you are available for work. The replacement rate is fixed at 55 percent of your average insurable weekly earnings. That is the number people forget. EI was never designed to keep you whole. It covers a little more than half of a typical paycheque, and it is capped, so higher earners feel the squeeze harder. This calculator takes your average weekly earnings, applies the 55 percent rate, and stops at the weekly ceiling the program sets each year. The average is built from your best weeks of insurable earnings in the qualifying period, typically the 52 weeks before your claim, with the number of weeks used tied to the unemployment rate in your region. A higher regional jobless rate means fewer best weeks are averaged, which can lift the weekly figure for workers with uneven hours.
The two limits that decide your cheque
Your gross benefit is the smaller of two figures: 55 percent of your average weekly earnings, or the program maximum. This tool uses a weekly ceiling of $668. So your replacement rate of 55 percent only applies in full until your average weekly earnings reach about $1,215. Above that, you are pinned to the ceiling regardless of how much you earned. Someone averaging $1,000 a week and someone averaging $2,000 a week earn very different salaries, yet once you cross the cap they can collect the same EI cheque.
A 26-week claim at $1,000 a week
Take the default inputs: average weekly earnings of $1,000 over a 26-week eligibility window. Because $1,000 sits below the cap-triggering threshold, the 55 percent rate applies cleanly. The math runs like this.
The chart shows where the cap bites. The weekly benefit climbs in a straight line at 55 percent until earnings hit roughly $1,215, then it flattens at the $668 ceiling no matter how high your salary goes.
Who this tool fits, and one trap to avoid
This estimate is built for laid-off employees mapping out how long their savings need to stretch. It is not built for the self-employed, who do not pay into regular EI and cannot collect it, though they can opt into a separate special-benefits program for sickness, maternity, and parental leave. The most common mistake people make is treating the gross weekly figure as take-home. EI is taxable income. Service Canada withholds tax at source, but the withholding often undershoots your real marginal rate, which means a surprise balance owing at tax time. A practical tip: set aside a slice of each cheque rather than spending the full amount, especially if you find new work partway through the year and your combined income pushes you into a higher bracket.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a waiting period before EI starts?
Yes. There is a one-week unpaid waiting period at the start of most claims, similar to a deductible on insurance. You serve it once per benefit period, and benefits begin the week after. If you received severance or vacation pay on separation, the start of your EI can be pushed back further, because that money is allocated to the weeks immediately after you leave.
Can I work part-time while collecting EI?
You can, under the Working While on Claim rules. You keep 50 cents of your benefit for every dollar you earn, up to 90 percent of the weekly earnings used to set your claim. Past that ceiling, your benefit is reduced dollar for dollar. It usually pays to take the part-time work, but report every dollar honestly, because unreported earnings are the fastest way to trigger an overpayment and a penalty.