Canadian benefits glossary

Employment Insurance

EI maternity and parental benefits

Temporary income support for birth parents and shared parental leave, with standard or extended payment options.

Choosing standard vs extended changes weekly amounts and total weeks available.

Employment Insurance

EI sickness benefits

Temporary EI payments when you cannot work because of illness, injury, or quarantine and meet insurable hours rules.

Employment Insurance

EI waiting period

A one-week period at the start of an EI claim for which no benefits are paid, serving as a deductible week.

Plan for one week without EI income after your claim begins.

Employment Insurance

Employment Insurance (EI)

Temporary income support for eligible workers who lose their job, are sick, on parental leave, or caring for family in defined situations.

EI is usually the first income support after job loss, before longer-term programs apply.

Employment Insurance

Insurable hours

Hours of work for which EI premiums were paid, counted toward the minimum needed to qualify for benefits.

Part-time or irregular work may make it harder to accumulate enough hours in the qualifying period.

Employment Insurance

Record of Employment (ROE)

A form your employer submits to Service Canada summarizing your insurable earnings and hours when employment ends.

You usually cannot start an EI claim until Service Canada receives your ROE.

Employment Insurance

Voluntary leaving (EI)

Leaving a job without just cause can disqualify you from EI regular benefits for a period.

EI investigates separations, keep documentation if you left for safety or harassment reasons.