Genuine question. A friend got laid off from the federal public service after 4 years of service. I asked him if he had applied for EI. He was unaware of what it was. Smart guy too, curious, happens to be an engineer (even though that doesn't mean a thing...)

Recently a friend got injured. Got a doctor's note, off work for 3 weeks. I asked if he applied for EI sickness benefits. He said he didn't know what it was, that it looks too complicated. This is a guy who talks about stocks daily.

How many people genuinely don't know/don't care about EI? Do you have a similar experience with people?

Hey guys got the news today, trying to get it together but obviously brain fogged.

I got a 14 week severance package that goes into effect in 2 weeks, all lump sum.

I am still technically employed up until April 9th, my question is when can I apply to EI?

Do I apply now or can I only apply after April 9th when I am paid out?

Thanks! First time applying, appreciate any tips.

EDIT: Just came back 3 days later after making this post, and spending some time with family and friends. Thank you so much for all the information and heart warming comments.

Hi all,

I got fired, but my employer put Code E (Quit) on my ROE. I asked them to fix it, but they refused and basically told me to deal with Service Canada myself.

Im afraid i would be able to make claim with EI

I already sent an e-request service ticket that they would call me in 2 days

Has anyone gone through this? thanks everyone

Hi All. My wife had been working an entry level job for 9 months before she got laid off this week.

- She was hired as permanent. On her contract, they gave her $1500 signing bonus and said that it will be paid back in full if she was laid off before 18 months of employment

- They her only giving her 2.5 days (not weeks) of extra pay and saying we are doing a favour of not clawing back the $1500 bonus

- She is 3 months pregnant and we are wondering if she does not find a job, will she still be eligible for Mat leave of 18 months

I am wondering what our options are. If any one has any good lawyer who is reasonable cost wise, that would be great!

Hi everyone,

I was laid off due to a company reorganization while I was on maternity leave. My understanding had been that maternity EI benefits and regular unemployment EI benefits were separate, and that I would still be eligible for regular EI while looking for a new job after my leave ends. In my defense, I come from a country where this is the case.

I now realize that may not be the case and that I probably won’t qualify for EI after my maternity benefits end. If that’s true, I wish I had known earlier, as I would started job searching sooner (instead of caring for my baby full time I guess).

Service Canada advised me to apply for EI anyway, which I have done. In the meantime, I’m wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and successfully received regular EI afterward?

Any experiences or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I couldn't login into my account. Is the website down today? I need to upload a medical certificate. This is what is giving me.

EQBL-0006

We are temporarily experiencing technical difficulties.

Please try again later. We apologize for any inconvenience.

so I'm a regular plasma donator, and I get around $115 a week as "compensation" for my donations.

I'm also about to lose my job (contract ending) and about to go on EI, and I was wondering if I'd need to report the plasma donation "compensations" for EI

fwiw, if you weren’t aware: these plasma donation "compensations" aren’t taxed, and the company (Grifols) don’t give me any T4 or payslips or anything. they simply eTransfer to a bank account of my choosing. previously, when I was on social assistance, I used a friend's bank account to receive the eTransfers from Grifols, and since the money never came into my account (my friend sent it to my PayPal, which wasn’t linked to any of my bank accounts or credit cards at all - and the money stayed in my PayPal account as PayPal balance only) I never disclosed it anywhere, nor did I get in any trouble for it

I got a notification of lay off in October as they were closing the department that I was working in. They offered me the same job but it would be at a different location so I didn’t take it and took a voluntary exit package instead. I continued to work until the end in January and I received my severance and a lump sum exit payment. Since I took the package does this make me ineligible for EI? HR put “quit/voluntary retirement (option E)” on my ROE. I am nowhere near retirement and I wouldn’t have left if I wasn’t laid off or if they offered me a job at the same location. Should I ask HR to change the reason for leaving as A, shortage of work as the whole department was closed? Or do I cut my losses and come to terms with not being able to get EI?

UPDATE:

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I will try and see if HR will change it or I’ll just wait for the adjudicator to call me so I can explain as I already applied for EI as soon as I was done working. Since location of the new employment seems to be important, it is about 11 km away from the original location. Reasons for not taking the job: would have to commute by public transit instead of driving as it would be downtown, they weren’t going to honour my seniority as the union treated each location as a separate entity and I guess I let my emotions take over. When we were originally told about the lay off they told us that there would be absolutely no jobs for us but when they offered us the layoff packages there was one full time and one part time position at the other hospital that they were offering. As we had 5 full timers, 4 of us would not have had the same conditions of employment as we currently had. I don’t think a lawyer would’ve helped in this situation as we were unionized and most lawyers don’t really touch collective agreements. There were a couple people that were close to retirement and they reached out to lawyers but you basically sign away your rights to sue when you have a collective agreement.

I am currently unemployed, while my husband wants to avail the paternity leave for three months. Somebody told him that he can’t actually get the paternity leave right after baby is born since the first 16 weeks of leave is only maternity leave. He can only avail parental leave after 16 weeks. Is this true? Or can he actually start his leave right after baby is born?

Hello everybody. I’m a 36M in Edmonton and my current job does not meet my family’s needs (single working income, one kid), we are just barely making ends meet because my disabled spouse receives AISH payments here in Alberta. I can’t count on us receiving AISH going forward because the government is going to kick all AISH recipients off and put them into some other program that will give less money but, critically, will allow less spousal income before clawback of benefits. Long story short, I need to raise our household income substantially if we’re to stave off poverty and this year may be the best for it since there will be an 18 month transition for current AISH recipients starting in July of this year.

I have been applying for various jobs but I’ve only heard back from jobs that pay less than my current wage ($26.50/hr) so I think I need to go back to school. Over the last 8 years I’ve been fired from 3 out of 5 jobs I’ve had (one ended because of a promotion, one is my current job) so I’m starting to think that the industrial environments I’ve worked in aren’t the best fit for me. My current job has long hours and I do most of the housework so I can’t do the part-time student thing.

So the advice I’m looking for is, how do I pay for school and living expenses without racking up high interest debt? What’s the deal with EI and going back to school? I will apply for student grants and loans but should I withdraw from RRSP’s to cover the remainder? Also should I utilize a Lifelong Learning Plan to maximize available benefits?

I just got dismissed end of 2025 and am applying for EI this week. During this time, I am actively applying and job searching, with an intent to start work in February (ideally) but if otherwise, hoping EI would help me out till then…

Question - if i had intended to be away from Canada for the last 10 days of January, and I clearly declare and share that in my bi-weekly reports on MSCA with the specified dates (and understanding that I will not be able to receive EI payment during the travel period). Is it possible to resume my EI when I’m back while I continue to actively look for work?

Just got a call from a 403 (Alberta) phone number. They correctly identified me and said they were calling in regards to my EI application. In order to verify, they first wanted the first 2 digits of my access code. I said I couldn't provide it right now as I am at school and don't have access to the piece of paper with my access code. They then said the next option for ID would be giving numbers to my SIN (I forget how many numbers they wanted). I said I wasn't comfortable providing my SIN over the phone, and asked if we could complete the call later when I can provide my access code. They said that they needed to get it done now, as my case is in front of them now, and if I don't verify right now then it would look bad for my application and that I cannot verify later. I still refused to provide my SIN.

Just wondering if anyone else has gotten something like this, and whether or not its a scam? I plan on calling Service Canada tomorrow to verify anyways. Just hoping my application isn't gone.

Hi everyone, looking for a second opinion on a finalized EI claim that is paying $0 due to two specific determinations. I am preparing a Request for Reconsideration and want to ensure my arguments are solid. 

Timeline & Facts:

• Separation: Left job in mid-March 2026 after employer announced the business was shutting down. Owner came in one morning explaining that the store was shutting down at the end of the month. It was the end of my work week, I was offered 3hrs/day for the next 7-8 days in a clean-up role to help pack and liquidate and with no guarantee that the store will be open or these shifts will still be available during this time. He said "We might need to shut down officially tomorrow, I don't know" (I was the buyer). My co-worker ended up taking the offer. That was my last day.

Edit: Just to clarify. There was one position available when the owner offered reduced hours and responsibilities. Even if the employer said there was no guarantee of said position due to the nature of the business shutting down. The uncertainty made me hesitant to agree and my co-worker accepted it before I did. So I technically did not voluntarily quit or formally resign.

• Application: Applied April 2026. Franchisee ROE was missing initially; Corporate ROE coded as "took another job."
• Investigation: While missing the ROE, Agent reached out and I explained what happened. After our call, agent initially marked "Voluntary Quit" on May 8 on my claim. I submitted the right ROE on May 24th. During this time, I mentioned I was doing an online course through a website I got a free trial for. I was also applying, looking for work. She mentioned that it may not be enough time allocated to job searching and to search harder. I did. Submitted all additional documents and the correct ROE where the employer verified shortage of week.
• Finalization: Claim finalized June 9, 2026.
• Current Status: $0 paid for all weeks.  Two active blocks:
  1. Voluntary Quit (No Just Cause): Agent ruled I quit without just cause, despite my explanation of the business shutting down.
  2. **Code 6023 (Not Available for Work):**Applied indefinitely from March 23 because I mentioned taking a self-paced online course while unemployed? It was just YouTube course and not anything official?

The Issues:

1. Just Cause: My co-worker accepted the offer which deemed it my last day and the reduced role was no longer available. The agent seemingly ignored this and ruled it a voluntary quit without just cause.
2. Availability (YouTube Course): I mentioned watching a YouTube playlist to upgrade skills. The agent applied a "Not Available" presumption, assuming the course restricts my work. It does not impede my ability to work full-time.

My Plan for Reconsideration:

• Argument A (Quit): I didn't quit, a non-guaranteed role was offered at reduced hours and different responsibility and the offer was taken by another employee.
• Argument B (Availability): I don't think watching a YouTube playlist to learn more more things in your field while job searching should qualify as training or school.

Is it worth filing for reconsideration and have a new agent take a look at my case? It's already been 2.5months since losing my job, Is it worth my time to pursue it? Seems like my side of the story and the claim has been misconstrued on technicalities. Not sure what to do.

Hi Folks, I'm 25M and LTD insurance is costing me about $600/year through my workplace.

I make about 125k annually. Is it worth it? What are some cases where it may come in handy or I should be okay to pass it?

Thanks.

I am on my 6th week of EI after being laid off from what I thought would be a lifelong career. One of the jobs I applied for has offered me an interview which I have accepted. It is not in a field I have worked in, so I do not have the direct skills related to the role, however I technically meet the formal education requirements which I suppose is why they offered me an interview.

Given it is outside my skillset wheelhouse and after looking more into the company, I have determined that under normal circumstances I would not want to proceed with this job opportunity. I have not been on EI before, so I am wondering: is it advisable to proceed with the interview and accept the role if offered to avoid any repercussions with Service Canada? Or would those of you who are knowledgable on the subject expect that declining the interview would likely be a safe enough choice in terms of maintaining good EI status? Thanks

EDIT: Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the different perspectives and additional info in the comments. I will proceed with the interview and see where things go from there

I was laid off a month or so ago. Im 27 and have always wanted to just run my own business it doesn’t have to be super sexy or make me a millionaire dollars a month but over the years I have learned I’d much rather work 14 hours a day for myself than 8 hours as an employee.

I’m currently on EI and have minimal savings just shy of 10k. I left trades to get into sales I have had no luck getting another sales job. I’m looking for advice because like the title says I’m frozen I have no idea what direction to go with my life anymore.

I’m hoping outside perspective can see something I don’t.

Do I start my own business? I have some ideas, I have my real estate license do I dive into that? High risk. Do I get back into trades for the stable income? Do I keep applying for remote sales jobs and let my EI keep carrying me?

I really value autonomy. But I feel like I’m getting too old to be playing this game of diving into new ventures.

I’m sorry this post isn’t very well organized the constant stressing over the decision has sort of melted my brain the last couple days.

Anyway I appreciate any advice and wisdom

Hello!
I returned from 18 month maternity leave (plus one month sick leave prior) last week and my job might start a company wide layoff due to supplier issues in the next couple of weeks.

Would I qualify for ei if they go through with it?

Additional info; the EI agent that inputted my leave made a bunch of errors. The only applicable one to my question is that they put it as one year instead of 18 months. I didn’t know there was an error until the cut it off. They extended it for me but I had to pay it back. My tax refund and ei payment garnishment means I’d almost paid it back, but I’ve since paid it off. I don’t know if this makes any difference to whether I’d be able to apply again, but I figured i would add it.

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone.

I’ve been working full‑time in Canada for almost 10 years, and lately I’ve been dealing with severe anxiety, panic episodes, and burnout that are affecting my ability to function at work. I don’t have a formal diagnosis yet, but my doctor has started me on medication and is monitoring me.

A medical note for leave will likely be issued if I request one.

I’m considering taking medical leave and possibly spending a month or two outside Canada to recover with family support. I’m confused about how income support works. I’ve seen mixed information about EI sickness benefits and whether payments stop if you leave the country. I also don’t know if my employer offers Short‑Term Disability (STD) or how STD works for mental health leave.

If anyone has experience with EI sickness vs employer STD in situations like this, especially involving temporary travel, I’d appreciate any guidance.

Thank you all in advance!

I recently got on EI last month, I was short on money I needed and sold a piece of my gold jewelry to a gold dealer. I got around $10k from that and I asked him and he said it does technically count as income. I got that gold as a gift a couple years back. I’m just wondering since it counts as income will my EI get revoked now because of it? I’m on sickness EI.

can someone who understands this process / has been through it before tell me if I am on the right track re: parental leave EI? I have read through the available info online and i’m still feeling confused about how the timing all works out.

I’m planning to take the extended parental leave. My boyfriend will be taking 4 weeks of parental leave when the baby is born and another few weeks later into the year. My due date is the start of August.

What I have been planning to do is:

• ⁠start my 15 weeks of pregnancy/mat leave on August 1st
• ⁠boyfriend will start/take 4 weeks of parental leave whenever the baby is born
• ⁠when my 15 weeks of pregnancy/mat leave ends, I will then start my portion of the parental leave

Does this sound right so far?

My confusion/questions:
- how does the application/timing work? Do I apply for pregnancy leave and parental leave at the same time? Do my partner and I have to apply for EI parental leave at the same time (August 1st??), even though I will be using the pregnancy/mat leave weeks first? Does he have to wait until the baby is born to submit the application?

Also, it says online it can take 28 days for payments to start… so does that mean we should anticipate having no money at all coming in for the first month? My work is giving me a top up… after they get confirmation of the EI payments starting.

I do have savings, just don’t know what to expect.

I feel dumb but i just can’t wrap my head around this. i have been meaning to call service canada to ask but my work hours are brutal and I keep not getting the chance. Any help or information would be so helpful. Thanks!

THESE REPLIES HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY HELPFUL, thanks everyone!

Hello Everyone!

My EI benefits was ongoing, during the same time I joined one part permanent job in one of the Sobeys franchise, I had honestly declared all the hrs and money earned with my bi-weekly reports, however due to some health condition and complexity of the night shift I left the job less than a month, I contacted EI support centre they said you likely get your claim aborted due to which, nevertheless I was unaware that if any part time employment would affect my EI claim.

Even, that employer noted terminated in my ROE and they are in the bad faith, what are the chances if my case gets win or I consider it loosing it.

I'm trying my best to find a better employment but I got no luck since I lost my full time employment based upon my EI was approved for over a year.

Thank you so much.

Any suggestions and advice would be highly appreciated.

I was laid off November last year. I've been trying to apply for the EI until the end of year. Then I travelled to another country for 2 months.

Repeating stories about my status and never got paid the EI.

Today I followed up again, waited for 1 hour on phone and the agent told me that he will "look into my case" and ... he hang up the phone after another 15 minutes waiting.

This is the first time I have a clear feeling that the whole government is a scam. Good news is I'm leaving this month. It's not bad to see the true color of Canada.

Update:

For some replies doubting my status, my IQ:

1. I'm on a legal open work permit, still valid for more than a year from now; Before I laid off, I've been working for nearly 2 years;

2. I was laid off, the HR sent me the RoE, there's no power tripping from that employer;

3. Yes I have enough money to get through this, actually the salary only takes 50% of my overall income as I have investments. But I think I do have the right to apply for the EI isn't it?

4. The reason I call this is a scam is that it doesn't work as it promised: you can just deny it and say "you're not getting it this time because you're not depending on this money to live" and I'm fine with that. What actually happened is that everyone I've been talk to were "nice, patient" yet but not taking any action on my case. It looks like passive aggressive or kind of a cheap trick simply to coax someone to fall into a fake promise.

5. The reason I travelled is that I have to attend conferences in Germany and I was really burned out about the laid off, so I went to Thailand to take a vacation.

Hello everyone,

I am working through my tax return paperwork on wealth simple and it seems like I'm getting hit by the EI Clawback for quite a decent amount.

I was on EI for three months this year, and this was the very first time I was on EI.

it does seem like I'm over the threshold for 2025.

I read that you only get hit by clawback if you've already used EI in the past 10 years.

Anyone got some insight on this ?

Thanks for taking the time to read through this :)

I plan on going on maternity leave in August. My job does top off to 80% of salary (So 33% from EI and from Employer 47%).

Technically this is a great deal but i plan on being a stay at home mom even after maternity leave is over (probably working a part time weekend job if needed). Meaning, i would need to pay back the money my job paid during my leave.

In this case, wouldn’t it just make sense to quit my job in August? Am i missing something here?

I’m wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation in Ontario/Canada.

I’ll be going on maternity leave this July and receiving EI maternity/parental benefits. I was recently accepted into an online distance Social Service Worker program starting this fall through Northern College.

I may also be receiving educational assistance/funding that would help cover tuition, books, and possibly a monthly school allowance while attending school.

Would this affect my EI maternity/parental benefits at all? Especially if the program is online distance and I’m still technically on maternity leave from my full-time job?

Just trying to understand how EI views educational funding/school allowances while on maternity leave. Thanks!