How to Apply for EI: Step by Step

What you need before you open the form

The online application doesn't take long to fill in. What takes time is hunting down a date or a bank transit number halfway through. Gather these first:

• Your social insurance number (SIN). If it starts with 9, keep your immigration document and work permit nearby as well.
• The last name at birth of one of your parents. It's used to confirm who you are.
• Your mailing and home addresses, with postal codes. Your postal code also matters for your claim, because it decides which EI economic region (and which hours and weeks table) applies to you.
• Direct deposit details: the name of your bank, the branch (transit) number and your account number. Payments land 2 to 3 business days after your report is processed, which is faster than waiting for a cheque.
• Every job in the past 52 weeks (or since your last claim began, if that's shorter): employer name and address, start and end dates, and why each job ended.
• Your pay for the last week you worked, before deductions, including insurable tips and commissions.
• Any other money from your employer: vacation pay, severance, pay in lieu of notice or pension payments, with amounts and dates if you know them.

A pay stub from your last pay period and a copy of any termination letter cover most of this.

When to apply: the 4-week rule

Apply in the first week after your job ends if you can. Canada.ca warns that waiting more than 4 weeks after your last day of work may cost you benefits. The reason is mechanical: your benefit period normally can't start before the week you apply, so the weeks before it may go unpaid, and older hours can fall out of the 52-week window used to qualify you.

Example: your last day is Friday, October 16, 2026. Your apply-by date is Friday, November 13, 2026. Applying on Monday, October 19 costs nothing and protects everything. If you missed the window for a serious reason, you can ask for your claim to be backdated. Our guide to the 4-week rule and antedating explains how that works and why "I was waiting for my ROE" rarely succeeds.

You don't need your ROE to apply

This is the most common reason people apply late. Your employer sends the Record of Employment to Service Canada, usually electronically, and you can see it in My Service Canada Account once it's filed. Canada.ca says plainly not to wait for it: submit your application and let the paperwork catch up. If you have several employers, apply as soon as the first job ends rather than waiting for every ROE.

If your employer gave you a paper ROE, Service Canada needs the original copy. For deadlines and what to do when an employer is slow, see ROE explained: what if your employer is late?

The questions that need care

Why your job ended

If you were laid off for lack of work, say so. If you quit or were let go for a reason connected to your conduct, the form asks for your side of the story. Be factual and specific: dates, who said what and what you tried before leaving. You still apply in these cases. Service Canada decides whether you had just cause, not the code on your ROE. Under a temporary measure in Pilot Project No. 25, for claims starting October 11, 2026 to October 9, 2027, only your most recent separation is reviewed. If you lost that job through no fault of your own, all your insurable hours in the qualifying period count. This measure is temporary, so check the dates against your claim. The guide on quit, fired or laid off goes deeper.

Money paid when you left

Report severance, vacation pay and pay in lieu of notice even if you think they don't matter. Normally they're spread over the weeks after your job ends and push your payments back. For claims starting October 11, 2026 to October 9, 2027, Pilot Project No. 25 temporarily stops that from happening, but you still have to declare the money. Details are in severance, vacation pay and EI.

An old claim that's still open

If you started a claim in the last 52 weeks and it still has weeks left, submitting a new application usually reactivates that claim automatically. A brand-new claim can sometimes pay more or last longer, but the unused weeks on the old one are lost and you have to qualify again.

What happens after you submit

Service Canada mails you a benefit statement shortly after you apply. It contains your four-digit access code. You need that code and your SIN for every report, so keep it somewhere safe. You report every 2 weeks for as long as you receive benefits, and each report has to be in within 3 weeks of the date you're given.

If you're eligible and nothing is missing, the first payment usually comes about 28 days after you apply. The usual one-week unpaid waiting period is temporarily waived for claims starting October 11, 2026 to October 9, 2027 under Pilot Project No. 25. That waiver isn't permanent; our waiting period guide tracks the dates. In 2026 the amount is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings over your best weeks, up to $729 a week before tax. How much EI will I get? walks through the calculation.

If you can't use the online form, a Service Canada Centre or the EI line (1-800-206-7218) can help you apply. Nobody needs to apply for you, and no one can speed up your claim for a fee. The only official application is on canada.ca.

Every claim is decided by Service Canada, not by MyEI. MyEI is an independent information and estimate tool and is not affiliated with Service Canada or the Government of Canada. For your own file, call Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218 or start from canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html.