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Back to pre-pandemic rules for Employment Insurance
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The Government of Canada made many temporary changes to the Employment Insurance (EI) program because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last of these changes ended on September 24, 2022.
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Hours needed to qualify
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To get EI during the pandemic, workers needed at least 420 hours of insurable earnings during their qualifying period. The qualifying period is usually the 52 weeks (one year) before applying. |
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Starting September 25, the pre-pandemic rules about the number of hours apply again.
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For regular benefits, this means that workers must have worked at least 420 to 700 hours. How many hours they need depends on the unemployment rate in their region. The higher the unemployment rate, the lower the number of hours workers need to qualify. |
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Reasons for leaving work
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During the pandemic, the government made it easier for workers to get 420 hours of insurable earnings. They did this by expanding the number of past jobs workers could use to earn insurable hours during their qualifying period.
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If the reason they left their most recent job qualified them for EI, a worker could use hours they earned at any jobs in their qualifying period. It did not matter why they lost those jobs. They could have left for reasons that normally don't qualify a person for EI, such as quitting without cause or being fired for misconduct.
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This ended as of September 25. Now it does matter why a worker left past jobs during the qualifying period. Workers can use hours from a past job only if the reason they left that job would have qualified them for EI.
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Getting paid after being fired
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During the pandemic, workers could get EI and separation payments at the same time.
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Starting on September 25, workers once again have to wait to get EI until after they use up any weeks of separation payments they get from an employer. This is pay they get because they permanently lost their job. For example, a worker has to wait if they get severance pay, termination pay, or vacation pay. |
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It's still a good idea for workers to apply for EI as soon as they lose their job. Even if this means waiting to get their first payment.
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Minimum earnings for self-employed workers
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During the pandemic, this amount was reduced to $5,289 in the year before they applied for EI.
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If a worker applies for EI between September 25 and December 31, 2022, they'll need to have $8,092 of self-employed earnings in 2021.
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Related resources
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