EI for Self-Employed Canadians: Special Benefits Explained (2026)

Short answer: Self-employed people in Canada are not covered by Employment Insurance unless they opt in. If you register, you can claim EI special benefits (maternity, parental, sickness, compassionate care and family caregiver benefits), but not regular benefits when work dries up. You must wait 12 months after registering, and to claim in 2026 you need at least $9,254 of net self-employed earnings in 2025. Benefits are 55% of your earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026. Premiums are $1.63 per $100 of earnings, up to $1,123.07 for 2026, and once you have claimed, you can never opt out while you stay self-employed.

The program is run by Service Canada for the Canada Employment Insurance Commission, and the premiums are collected by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) through your tax return. The figures here are for 2026. Employees pay EI automatically through payroll; the difference between the two is set out in contractor vs employee in Canada. Unlike EI, CPP is compulsory for the self-employed, as CPP for the self-employed explains.

Can self-employed people get EI in Canada?

Yes, but only if you register for EI special benefits for self-employed people, and only for special benefits.

Registration is voluntary. You sign an agreement with the Canada Employment Insurance Commission through My Service Canada Account, and from then on you pay premiums on your self-employment earnings. In return you can claim benefits when you have to stop or cut back your work for one of the life events the program covers. It does not cover a slow season, a lost client or a business that closes: EI special benefits for self-employed people are for time away to care for yourself, a new child or a family member.

If you also have a job, the insurable hours from that job are a separate route to EI, under the ordinary rules for employees.

What EI benefits can self-employed people claim?

You can claim maternity, parental, sickness, compassionate care and family caregiver benefits, the same special benefits employees get.

Benefit	Maximum weeks	Rate
Maternity	15	55%
Standard parental	35	55%
Extended parental	61	33%
Sickness	26	55%
Compassionate care	26	55%
Family caregiver benefits (for children, for adults)	Set per benefit	55%

The week limits are from Service Canada’s Digest of Benefit Entitlement Principles for the self-employed. Standard and extended parental benefits are alternatives: you choose one when you claim.

Quebec is different. The Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) already covers maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits for self-employed Quebecers. If you live in Quebec and register for EI, you can claim only sickness, compassionate care and family caregiver benefits, and you pay a lower premium to match.

How much does EI cost if you’re self-employed?

For 2026, you pay $1.63 for every $100 of self-employment earnings, up to $1,123.07; in Quebec, $1.30 per $100, up to $895.70.

2026 premiums	Outside Quebec	Quebec
Rate per $100 of earnings	$1.63	$1.30
Maximum insurable earnings	$68,900	$68,900
Maximum annual premium	$1,123.07	$895.70

These are on Service Canada’s premiums page. You pay only the employee rate; there is no employer share to match, unlike CPP. You work out the premium on Schedule 13 with your tax return, it is added to your balance on line 42120, and you claim a non-refundable credit for it on line 31217.

Example: with $50,000 of net self-employment income in 2026, the premium is $50,000 × 1.63% = $815. It is due with the rest of your balance on April 30, 2027, and if you pay CRA tax instalments, your EI premiums are added to the instalment amounts.

How much do you need to earn to qualify for EI as a self-employed person?

To claim in 2026, you need at least $9,254 of net self-employed earnings in 2025.

The threshold is set each year and always applies to the calendar year before you claim. Service Canada’s eligibility page puts it this way: to be eligible for benefits between January 1 and December 31, 2026, you need to have made at least $9,254 in 2025. If you plan to claim in 2027, the test is your 2026 earnings, against the amount Service Canada publishes for 2027 claims. Check that page before you rely on a figure.

“Net self-employed earnings” means your business profit after expenses, the figure from your Form T2125, not your gross sales.

How long do you have to wait before claiming EI?

Twelve months: your agreement has to have been in place for at least 12 months before you can receive any benefit.

That is the rule that matters most for planning. If you are expecting a child, register at least a year before you expect to stop working; registering once you are pregnant may be too late. You also have to show a real interruption in your earnings. You do not have to close the business, but the time you spend on it has to fall by more than 40% of your normal level. A designer who usually works 40 hours a week and drops to 20 qualifies on that test; one who drops to 30 does not.

How much EI would you receive?

55% of your average weekly self-employed earnings (33% for extended parental), up to $729 a week in 2026.

Example. Maya, a freelance illustrator in Vancouver, registered in 2024 and earned $52,000 of net self-employment income in 2025. Her weekly benefit is $52,000 ÷ 52 × 55% = $550.

Maya’s 2026 claim	Weeks	Weekly	Total
Maternity	15	$550	$8,250
Standard parental	35	$550	$19,250
Total	50		$27,500

Her premiums at that income are about $850 a year. EI benefits are taxable, so set some aside for the return that year, just as you would with business income. Above about $68,900 of earnings, the $729 weekly maximum applies, so higher earners get a smaller share of their income replaced.

Can you opt out of EI as a self-employed person?

You can withdraw only if you have never received benefits; once you have claimed, you pay premiums for as long as you are self-employed.

Service Canada’s withdrawal rules work like this:

When you withdraw	What you pay
Within 60 days of signing the agreement	No premiums at all
More than 60 days after, never having claimed	Premiums until December 31 of the year you withdraw
After receiving any benefit	You cannot withdraw; premiums continue as long as you are self-employed

That last row is the real cost of the program. Maya’s $27,500 of benefits comes with a premium of roughly $850 a year for the rest of her self-employed career. Even over 20 more years that is well below what she received, but it is a commitment you cannot undo.

Is EI worth it if you’re self-employed?

It is usually worth it if you expect to have a child or adopt in the next few years, and much less clear if you only want sickness cover.

• Planning a family. The numbers above are hard to beat: about $850 a year against up to 50 weeks of benefits. Outside Quebec, EI is the main public source of maternity and parental pay for self-employed parents.
• Sickness or caregiving only. You are buying insurance you may never use, and once you claim, premiums continue indefinitely. Compare it with private disability insurance, which can cover long-term illness that EI’s 26 weeks do not.
• Low or uneven income. If your profit might fall below the year’s threshold, you could pay premiums and still not qualify when you need to claim.

If you are just setting up, how to be self-employed in Canada covers the other decisions in your first year, and the self-employed tax calculator shows what your tax and CPP look like before EI is added. The rest of the series is on the Canada guides hub.

…and where does Keel fit?

Keel has nothing to do with registering for EI, calculating premiums or claiming benefits. What it keeps are the records your net self-employed earnings are built from, which decide both whether you qualify and how much you would receive. Keel: Invoice Maker & Receipts is an iPhone app for estimates, PDF invoices, receipts, expenses and business mileage, each kept under its job, with a “who owes you” view and reminder drafts you review and send yourself. Your records stay on your iPhone: no account, no bank connection, no cloud sync, and the App Store privacy label reads “Data Not Collected.”

It is free with no invoice limit (free invoices carry a small “Made with Keel” footer). Keel Lifetime is a one-time purchase ($249.99 USD; the App Store shows your local price) that adds custom branding, a signature, premium templates and accountant-ready exports and advanced reports. Keel: Invoice Maker & Receipts on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

Can self-employed people get EI if their business slows down? No. The self-employed program covers special benefits only: maternity, parental, sickness, compassionate care and family caregiver benefits. EI regular benefits for lost work are not available on self-employment earnings, so a slow season or a lost contract is not covered.

How do I sign up for EI as a self-employed person? Register for EI special benefits for self-employed people through My Service Canada Account, which creates an agreement with the Canada Employment Insurance Commission. You then pay premiums on your self-employment earnings with each tax return, on Schedule 13. You cannot claim until the agreement has been in place for 12 months.

How much is EI for self-employed people in 2026? The premium is $1.63 per $100 of net self-employment earnings, up to $1,123.07 for 2026 on maximum insurable earnings of $68,900. In Quebec, it is $1.30 per $100, up to $895.70, because the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan covers maternity and parental benefits there. Benefits are 55% of your earnings, up to $729 a week.

Can I get EI maternity benefits if I’m self-employed? Yes, outside Quebec, if you registered at least 12 months before your claim and earned at least the year’s threshold in the previous calendar year ($9,254 in 2025 for a 2026 claim). You can receive up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits, plus standard or extended parental benefits. In Quebec, maternity and parental benefits come from the QPIP instead.

Can I stop paying EI premiums after my maternity leave? No. Once you have received any benefit as a self-employed person, you cannot withdraw from the program, and you keep paying premiums for as long as you are self-employed. Only people who have never claimed can withdraw, with no premiums if they do it within 60 days of registering.

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This article is general information, not tax advice. Consult a qualified accountant or tax professional.