now for financial support during your time away from work

To ensure you receive Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, it's crucial to apply as soon as possible upon cessation of work. Delaying your application beyond four weeks of your last day of work could potentially cause you to forfeit benefits.

To apply, you need to follow some steps. When completing an EI benefit application, Service Canada collects your personal data to assess your eligibility. By beginning the application, you agree to the privacy notice statement; please read it carefully.

If you're familiar with the program and ready to start your application, click the link. You may commence receiving maternity benefits twelve weeks before your due date or arrival date of your baby. However, it's not possible to acquire these benefits more than seventeen weeks after your due date or delivery date, whichever comes later. You're entitled to a maximum of fifteen weeks of benefits for this purpose.

When you apply for maternity benefits, you can concurrently apply for parental benefits, saving you precious time. You can start receiving parental benefits when your child is born or placed with you for adoption.

When requesting parental benefits, you must select one of two options:

• - Standard parental (up to thirty-five weeks, up to CAD 638 a week)
• - Extended parental (up to sixty-one weeks, up to CAD 383 a week)
• If you already applied for parental benefits while getting maternity benefits, you don't need to apply again.

Once you begin to receive parental benefits, you cannot switch your option. If you intend to share benefits, all parents must choose the same option (standard or extended). Each parent needs to submit their application. If parents choose different options, Service Canada will use the first received application to determine the parental benefit option for all.

When sharing benefits, you get a total number of weeks available:

• - Standard parental (max period: 40 weeks)
• - Extended parental (max period: 69 weeks)

One parent can't receive more than thirty-five weeks of standard parental or sixty-one weeks of extended parental benefits. The remaining five weeks of standard or eight weeks of extended parental benefits are available on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. In other words, if that parent doesn't use it, it can only be taken by the other parent(s). Parents can receive their weeks of benefits at the same time or consecutively.

Let's take an example. Julie and David welcome a baby. Julie avails the full fifteen weeks of maternity benefits, and both decide to take twenty weeks of standard parental benefits simultaneously to care for their child.

Sami and Alex are adopting a child. Sami wants to take thirty-nine weeks of extended parental benefits, leaving Alex to take a maximum of thirty weeks.

You'll need to provide the following information and documentation as part of the application process:

• - Names and addresses of employers from the past fifty-two weeks
• - Dates you were employed with each employer
• - Reasons why you are no longer employed with them
• - Detailed explanation if you quit or were dismissed from a job within the past fifty-two weeks
• - Your mailing address and your home address (if they differ)
• - Social Insurance Number (SIN)
• - SIN of any other parent if you plan to share benefits
• - Your parent's last name at birth
• - Banking information to sign up for direct deposit, including the name of your financial institution, branch (transit) number, and account number
• - Your child’s expected or actual date of birth
• - The date your child was placed with you for adoption
• - Full name and address of the agency handling the adoption

It's crucial not to wait until you have all the documents to apply. Complete and submit your online application once you've gathered all the essential information. You can send the requisite documents after you've applied.

If your child's actual date of birth is different from the expected date of birth you entered in your application, please inform us as soon as possible. You can do this by contacting us at ...

If you need assistance with your employment, you can call 1-800-206-7218 (TTY: 1-800-529-3742) or visit a Service Canada Centre. To determine your eligibility for EI benefits and calculate the amount you're entitled to receive, employers issue records of employment (ROEs) that detail your work history. You can conveniently view ROEs that your past and present employers have issued for you by visiting My Service Canada Account (MSCA). Electronic ROEs are transmitted directly to Service Canada, so you don't need to request your employer for copies to provide us with. However, if you receive paper ROEs, you must obtain copies of all ROEs issued for you in the past 52 weeks or since the start of your recent claim, whichever is shorter. Please submit them to us by mail or by visiting a Service Canada Centre as soon as you've submitted your EI application.

Completing the online application takes approximately one hour, and you can save your progress and return to it later with the temporary password sent to you when you first begin. Your information is stored for 72 hours (three days) from the time you start, during which you must submit your application; otherwise, it will be deleted, and you'll be required to start a fresh application.

Once you've submitted your online application, kindly send us the necessary documents via mail or by visiting a Service Canada Centre. After we've received your application, we'll mail you a benefit statement with a 4-digit access code that you'll require alongside your SIN to pursue your application. It's essential to note that receiving an EI benefit statement doesn't imply that a decision has been made about your claim.

You can monitor the progress of your application by logging into MSCA or contacting Service Canada to enquire. If you aren't already registered with MSCA, you can create an account when you receive your benefit statement and access code.

If you encounter any difficulties using the website, please do not hesitate to contact us. Kindly report any issues or errors on the website, but kindly note that you will not receive a reply to your message. If you have any inquiries, you may contact us through the provided link.

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