Quebec Parents: Why Your Benefits Come from QPIP, Not EI

Who pays what: QPIP and federal EI

Quebec runs its own parental insurance plan, and federal EI steps back from that part of the program for Quebec residents. Canada.ca puts it simply: Quebec is responsible for maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits for people who live there. Everything else in EI stays federal.

So a Quebec parent who is laid off, falls ill or has to care for a critically ill family member deals with Service Canada like anyone else in Canada. Only the birth, adoption and parental-leave part moves to Quebec.

Why your EI premium is lower in Quebec

Because EI doesn't pay maternity and parental benefits in Quebec, Quebec workers pay less for EI. In 2026, Quebec employees pay $1.30 per $100 of insurable earnings, up to $895.70 a year, compared with $1.63 per $100 (up to $1,123.07) elsewhere. The insurable earnings ceiling, $68,900 in 2026, is the same everywhere.

Example (2026): on a $60,000 salary, a Montreal employee pays $60,000 × 1.30% = $780 in EI premiums, while an Ottawa employee on the same salary pays $60,000 × 1.63% = $978. The Montreal employee also pays a separate QPIP premium, shown as its own line on the pay stub; QPIP sets that rate.

For 2027, the announced Quebec EI rate is $1.29 per $100 (and $1.64 outside Quebec). Self-employed Quebec residents who opt in to EI pay the Quebec rate too, and get sickness and caregiving coverage only; see EI for self-employed people.

QPIP at a glance (2026, from Québec.ca)

These are QPIP's own rules, as Québec.ca shows them in 2026. They have nothing to do with the federal EI weeks or rates.

• Eligibility (2026): you live in Quebec on the day your benefit period starts; you earned at least $2,000 of insurable earnings in the qualifying period, however many hours you worked; you paid QPIP or EI premiums in that period; and your usual weekly pay dropped by at least 40%, or you stopped working. Self-employed workers must also have lived in Quebec on December 31 of the year before.
• Amount (2026): for employees, based on average insurable earnings over the last 26 weeks of the qualifying period, with QPIP's maximum insurable earnings set at $103,000 for 2026 ($98,000 in 2025).
• Two plans: a basic plan (more weeks, lower rates) and a special plan (fewer weeks, higher rates). Both parents must use the same plan; the first parent to apply sets it, and it can't be changed once the application is received, except in exceptional cases.

QPIP also has benefits for adoption, surrogacy, multiple births and single parents. Use QPIP's simulator and its customer service for your own numbers; MyEI doesn't estimate QPIP benefits.

What stays federal: two examples

Sickness before the baby: Élodie, in Laval, stops work for an illness unrelated to her pregnancy. Sickness benefits are federal, so she applies to Service Canada: in 2026, 55% of her average insurable weekly earnings, up to $729 a week, for up to 26 weeks, if she has 600 insured hours and a medical certificate. Her QPIP benefits for the birth are a separate file with Quebec. See EI sickness benefits.

Caring for a critically ill child: Marc, in Sherbrooke, took QPIP parental weeks last year. When his daughter becomes critically ill, he can claim the federal family caregiver benefit for children (up to 35 weeks, shared) from Service Canada. See caregiving and compassionate care.

Regular benefits after a layoff work the same way in Quebec as elsewhere, using your region's rate; check yours on the regions page. The temporary waiting-period waiver for EI claims starting March 30, 2025 to October 9, 2027 applies to these federal claims, not to QPIP.

Moving, or living and working on different sides of the border

QPIP's test looks at where you live on the day your benefit period starts, and it accepts premiums paid to either QPIP or EI in the qualifying period. So a parent living in Gatineau who works in Ottawa generally looks to QPIP, while a parent living in Ottawa who works in Gatineau generally looks to federal EI. If you're moving to or from Quebec around the birth or adoption, confirm with both plans before you apply, because the start date of your benefit period decides which one handles you.

Two files, two applications. A Quebec parent can end up with both: for example, federal EI sickness benefits during an illness, then QPIP benefits once the parental leave begins. Each plan has its own online application, its own rules about when to apply, and its own decisions. Apply for QPIP through Québec.ca, and for any federal benefit through canada.ca within 4 weeks of your last day of work. Keep both sets of letters, because each plan may ask about money paid by the other.

MyEI is an independent information and estimate tool, not affiliated with Service Canada, the Government of Canada or the Government of Quebec. For QPIP, contact QPIP customer service through Québec.ca. For federal EI benefits, call Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218.