EI sickness benefits in 2026: 26 weeks, 55% up to $729 a week, and how to qualify

EI sickness benefits pay up to 26 weeks of income replacement when illness, injury or quarantine keeps you from working. The maximum was extended from 15 to 26 weeks for claims starting on or after December 18, 2022. The benefit is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum of $729 a week in 2026, and it is taxable. To qualify, your regular weekly earnings must have dropped by more than 40% because of the medical condition, you need 600 insurable hours in your qualifying period (usually the 52 weeks before the claim), and a medical doctor or other approved medical professional must certify that you cannot work and for roughly how long. There is a one-week waiting period that is not paid. Quebec residents apply to Service Canada like everyone else; the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan does not cover sickness.

This guide is part of the overview of life and disability insurance in Canada.

Eligibility at a glance

Condition	What it means in practice
Unable to work for medical reasons	Illness, injury, quarantine, or medical condition, certified by a medical professional
Earnings reduced by more than 40%	Measured against your normal weekly earnings, for at least one week
600 insurable hours	In the qualifying period, normally the 52 weeks before the claim or since your last claim
Would otherwise be available for work	If you were not sick, you would be working or looking for work
Self-employed	Only if you registered for EI special benefits in advance and met the waiting and earnings conditions

You do not need to have worked for a single employer, and part-time hours count as long as they are insurable. Your record of employment (ROE) from each employer shows your hours and earnings; employers usually file it electronically.

How the amount is calculated

The weekly benefit is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings over your best weeks in the qualifying period (the number of best weeks depends on the unemployment rate in your EI region, between 14 and 22). Earnings above the annual maximum insurable earnings are ignored; that is why the weekly benefit tops out at $729 in 2026.

Worked example 1 (illustrative). Priya earns $52,000 a year, about $1,000 a week. 55% x $1,000 = $550 a week, below the cap. Over 26 weeks, after the unpaid waiting week, she could receive up to 26 x $550 = $14,300 before tax, if her doctor certifies the full period.

Worked example 2 (illustrative). Tom earns $110,000 a year, about $2,115 a week. 55% of that would be $1,163, but the cap applies: $729 a week, which is only about 34% of his gross pay. The higher your income, the smaller the share EI replaces, and the more an employer STD plan or individual disability insurance matters.

Low-income families with children may receive the family supplement, which can raise the rate above 55%, up to 80%, if net family income is below a threshold. Service Canada calculates this automatically from your tax information.

The waiting period and the timeline

Last day of work. Ask your employer for the ROE.
Apply online as soon as you stop working. If you wait more than four weeks after your last day of work, you can lose benefits; late applications need a good reason to be backdated.
Waiting week. Under the normal rules the first week of the claim is not paid. Some employer sick-leave payments can cover it. A temporary federal measure waived the waiting week for claims established from 30 March 2025; it was set to end in 2026, so check Service Canada's current temporary measures for the date your claim starts.
Bi-weekly reports. You complete reports every two weeks, declaring any earnings.
End of benefits. Benefits stop when you can return to work, when the certified period ends, or after 26 paid weeks.

Keep the medical certificate: you do not usually submit it with the application, but Service Canada can ask for it, and the claim can be refused without it.

EI and employer plans

Paid sick leave. Federally regulated employees have up to 10 paid sick days a year under the Canada Labour Code. Provinces set their own rules: British Columbia, for example, requires 5 paid sick days, and Quebec's labour standards provide 2 paid days of absence among the days allowed for sickness or family reasons. Check your province's employment standards.
Short-term disability (STD) plans. Many employers have an STD or wage-loss plan. If the plan is registered under the EI Premium Reduction Program, the employer plan pays first and EI is the second payer; in exchange the employer pays lower EI premiums. Payments from a wage-loss plan are generally deducted from EI benefits.
Group LTD. Elimination periods of 17 or 26 weeks are often set to begin LTD when STD or EI ends. With EI now lasting 26 weeks, check how your LTD elimination period lines up with the end of EI.

Working while sick

Under EI's working-while-on-claim rules, if you can do some work, you keep 50 cents of benefits for every dollar earned, up to 90% of your previous weekly insurable earnings; above that, benefits are reduced dollar for dollar. Declare all earnings in your reports.

When EI is not the answer

EI sickness is designed for temporary conditions. If your condition is expected to be long-term or permanent, apply for CPP or QPP disability benefits early, because processing takes months, and check your group LTD plan. If you have no group coverage, individual disability insurance is the private way to cover the period after EI.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get 26 weeks of sickness benefits twice?

Each claim needs its own qualifying hours. Once you have used the benefits on a claim, you need to build up 600 new insurable hours for a new one.

Are EI sickness benefits taxable?

Yes. Tax is deducted at source, and you receive a T4E slip. If your net income is high, part of regular EI benefits can be repaid at tax time, but special benefits such as sickness are excluded from that repayment.

Can I travel while on sickness benefits?

Generally you can receive sickness benefits outside Canada only in limited situations, such as receiving medical treatment not available nearby. Inform Service Canada before leaving.

What if my claim is refused?

You can ask for a reconsideration within 30 days of the decision, then appeal. Since April 1, 2026, new EI appeals go to the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal rather than the Social Security Tribunal's General Division. See EI and CPP disability reconsiderations.

Sources

EI sickness benefits (canada.ca) — eligibility, amount and how to apply
Government of Canada — My Service Canada Account, records of employment and the EI Premium Reduction Program
Canada Labour Code (Justice Laws) — paid sick leave for federally regulated workers
CNESST — Quebec labour standards on sick days