If you get Employment Insurance (EI), you must send Service Canada a report every two weeks to keep getting paid. You can do it online with the Internet Reporting Service or by phone at 1-800-531-7555. With direct deposit, your payment arrives 2 to 3 business days after you finish each report.
For how much EI pays and when your first payment comes, see our EI payment dates guide.
What you need before you start
- Your Social Insurance Number (SIN), all nine digits, with no spaces or dashes.
- Your four-digit access code. It comes by mail shortly after you apply, printed in the shaded area at the top of your EI benefit statement.
- Your province of residence (online only).
- Your notes for the two weeks: the dates and hours you worked, your pay before deductions for each week, your employers’ names and contact details, any school or training hours, days you couldn’t work, and any other money you got.
Keep your access code private and store it away from your SIN. Don’t share it with anyone. If you had an EI claim in the past month, you won’t get a new code; use the one you had before.
No access code? If it never arrived, call 1-800-531-7555, Monday to Friday during business hours, and ask to speak to a representative.
A simple tip: write down your hours and gross pay each day on a calendar. EI weeks run from Sunday to Saturday, and Service Canada offers a free printable reporting calendar on its EI reporting page.
How to complete your EI report online
Online reporting is the fastest way, and you don’t need a My Service Canada Account for it.
- Go to the Internet Reporting Service. The safest way to get there is from the EI reporting page on canada.ca, not from a search ad or a link in a text.
- Pick English or French first. You can’t switch languages once you start.
- Enter your SIN, your access code and your province.
- Answer each question for each of the two weeks (see the next section).
- Review your answers carefully before you submit. Once the report is sent, you can’t change it online.
- Write down the date your next report is due. You’re shown it when you finish.
Watch the clock. If you stay on one page for more than 10 minutes, you’ll be disconnected. Have your notes ready before you log in.
How to report by phone
The EI reporting number is 1-800-531-7555 (toll-free). Use it if you don’t have internet access or prefer the phone. You’ll need your SIN and access code, and you answer the same questions as online.
- Hours: round down to the nearest full hour. If you worked 38.5 hours, enter 38.
- Earnings: round to the nearest dollar. $125.49 becomes $125, and $125.50 becomes $126.
- If Service Canada needs more information, your call is passed to an officer, or you’re asked to call back during business hours.
If you can’t report online or by phone, you can mail a paper report instead. It’s the slowest option, so send it as soon as it’s due.
The report questions, explained
The questions are the same online, by phone and on paper. Answer them for each week in the report.
| Question | What it means |
|---|---|
| Were you outside Canada? | Say “Yes” if you were away on any weekday, Monday to Friday. A trip on the weekend only is “No”. Give the dates, times and reason. |
| Did you work or earn money? | Include part-time work, self-employment, and work you’ll be paid for later. Give hours, employers, and your pay before deductions for the week you did the work. |
| Did you start a full-time job? | If you started a job that will last 4 weeks or more, say so. You won’t need to send more reports. |
| Did you go to school or training? | Give your hours and any training allowance you got. |
| Were you ready, willing and able to work? | If you couldn’t take work on some days because you were sick, injured or on vacation, give the dates and the reason. |
| Did you get any other money? | Report vacation pay, severance, workers’ compensation, group wage-loss insurance and pensions, with the source and amount. |
Being away from Canada. You usually can’t get regular benefits while you’re abroad. There are short exceptions, such as up to 7 days in a row for a close family member’s funeral or serious illness, or up to 14 days for a real job search. Service Canada checks border records.
Which pensions count. A Canada Pension Plan (CPP) or Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) retirement pension and employer pensions count as earnings and can reduce your EI. Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, CPP or QPP disability pensions, survivor’s pensions, and RRSP or RRIF withdrawals don’t count. If you built up enough insurable hours after your retirement pension started, and your claim is based on those hours, your pension isn’t deducted.
When your payment follows
EI has no fixed pay day. You’re paid for the two weeks in each report once it’s processed.
- Direct deposit: the money reaches your bank account 2 to 3 business days after you complete your report. If you report on a Monday, expect it by Wednesday or Thursday.
- Your first payment comes about 28 days after you apply, if you’re eligible and Service Canada has everything it needs.
- No report, no payment. You can’t send a report before its due date, and you have 3 weeks from that date to send it. Send it as soon as it’s due to avoid delays.
To see what was paid, sign in to My Service Canada Account and choose “Employment Insurance benefits”, then “View my payments”. Reports sent Sunday to Thursday usually show the next business day. Reports sent Friday or Saturday show on Monday.
How working changes your EI payment
EI pays most people 55% of their average insurable weekly earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026, before tax. If you work while on EI, you keep 50 cents of your EI for every dollar you earn, up to 90% of the weekly earnings your EI was based on. Above that, EI is cut dollar for dollar.
Example: Your EI is $275 a week, based on $500 weekly pay. You earn $300 at a part-time job. Your EI goes down by $150, half of $300, so you get $125 from EI plus your $300 pay.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reporting take-home pay. Always report your pay before tax and other deductions.
- Reporting pay in the week you got the cheque. Report it in the week you did the work, even if you’ll be paid later.
- Guessing. If you estimate and get it wrong, your EI is recalculated. Too low an estimate creates an overpayment you must pay back.
- Forgetting small jobs or other money, such as tips, vacation pay, a few hours of cash work, or a pension.
- Saying “No” to a weekday trip outside Canada. This is a common cause of overpayments and penalties.
- Missing the 3-week window. Set a phone reminder for your next due date.
Made a mistake? You can’t fix a sent report online. Call EI at 1-800-206-7218 as soon as possible. If you don’t, you may be overpaid and have to repay it. If you’re overpaid because you knowingly left something out, you can also face interest and a penalty of up to three times your weekly benefit, and you may need more hours to qualify for EI in the future.
Who can skip the reports
You may be offered a reporting exemption if you get maternity, parental or caregiving benefits, are in an apprenticeship program, or are part of a Work-Sharing agreement.
Even with an exemption, you must contact Service Canada if you work, earn money, or anything else changes that could affect your EI.
What changed in 2026
- Higher maximum. Maximum insurable earnings rose to $68,900 on January 1, 2026, so the top weekly benefit is $729. They rise to $70,800 on January 1, 2027.
- No waiting week for now. For new claims that start between March 30, 2025 and October 10, 2026, there’s no unpaid first week. The government announced on August 25, 2026 that it will extend this by one year, but Service Canada hasn’t posted the new end date yet.
- Separation money. For claims starting in the same period, severance and other money paid when you leave a job isn’t deducted from your EI.
Payment late, missing or different?
- Check that your report went through and that you’ve waited 2 to 3 business days.
- Sign in to My Service Canada Account to see your claim status, payments and messages. Service Canada may be waiting on information from you or a Record of Employment from your employer.
- If the amount is lower, check what you reported for work and other money that week. Tax is also taken off each payment.
- Call EI at 1-800-206-7218 (TTY 1-800-529-3742), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The automated service answers claim questions 24 hours a day. Press 0 to reach an officer. From outside North America, call 1-877-486-1650.
A new bank account or address is a common reason for a missed payment. To change your direct deposit or contact details, call 1-800-206-7218 and press 0 to speak to an officer.
Watch for scams. Service Canada never asks for fees, gift cards, your password or your access code by text or email. Official mail comes in a beige or white envelope with the Canada wordmark. If you’re unsure a call was real, hang up and call Service Canada at 1-800-622-6232. Report scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Other help you might be missing
- Canada Child Benefit: monthly, tax-free money if you have children under 18. If your income dropped, your payments may go up after you file your taxes.
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: the new name for the GST/HST credit. You get it by filing your taxes, and it doesn’t reduce your EI.
- Canada Workers Benefit: a tax credit for people with low work income, useful once you’re back at work.
- Provincial income assistance, if EI runs out or isn’t enough: Ontario Works, BC income assistance, Alberta Income Support or Manitoba EIA.
Common questions
What is the phone number for EI reporting?
The Telephone Reporting Service is 1-800-531-7555, toll-free. For questions about your claim or payment, call 1-800-206-7218 instead.
Where do I find my EI access code?
It’s the four-digit number in the shaded area at the top of the benefit statement mailed to you after you apply. If you had a claim in the past month, use your old code. If it never came, call 1-800-531-7555 during business hours.
How long after my EI report do I get paid?
With direct deposit, 2 to 3 business days after you complete the report. Your first payment comes about 28 days after you apply.
What happens if I miss my EI report?
You aren’t paid for those weeks until you send it. You have 3 weeks from the due date, so send it as soon as you can, and call 1-800-206-7218 if the window has passed.
Do I report my gross or net pay on EI?
Gross pay, before tax and deductions, in the week you did the work, even if you haven’t been paid yet.
