Quit, Fired or Laid Off: How the Reason Changes Everything

Three ways a job ends, three different questions

When you apply, you tell Service Canada why each job in your qualifying period ended, and your employer gives a reason on your Record of Employment (ROE). The reason decides which question Service Canada asks next:

The ROE code is your employer's description, not the decision. Service Canada gathers both sides before it decides, so tell your side clearly when you apply. See ROE explained for how the form works.

Laid off: the simplest case

A layoff, a contract that wasn't renewed or a season that ended counts as losing your job through no fault of your own. What matters then are the usual tests: enough insurable hours for your region (420 to 700 in 2026; check your region and how many hours you need), at least 7 days in a row without work and pay, and being ready, willing and able to work and actively looking.

Severance and vacation pay on separation normally delay or reduce benefits. Under a temporary measure, they are not deducted for claims that start between October 11, 2026 and October 9, 2027 (Pilot Project No. 25); see severance, vacation pay and EI.

Quitting: what just cause means in plain language

Quitting on its own doesn't rule you out. The question Service Canada asks is whether, given everything going on, leaving was the only reasonable thing you could do. That has two parts: a serious reason, and having tried, or being able to explain why you couldn't try, the reasonable alternatives first.

canada.ca gives examples of situations that may amount to just cause, including harassment, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, moving with a spouse or dependent child, caring for a child or close family member, having a reasonable assurance of another job starting soon, major changes to your pay or duties, excessive or unpaid overtime, an employer breaking the law, and pressure from your employer or coworkers to quit. The list isn't complete, and none of these is automatic: each case is decided on its facts.

Alternatives usually means things like raising the problem with your employer or union, asking for a transfer, a schedule change or a leave of absence, or using workplace safety and human rights processes. If you didn't try them, you'll be asked why.

Watch the timing: if you quit without just cause within 3 weeks of a layoff you'd already been told about, or of your contract's end date, you can't get regular benefits until that expected end date.

MyEI can't tell you whether your reason is just cause. Only Service Canada decides, based on what you and your employer tell them.

Fired: being let go isn't the same as misconduct

Being dismissed doesn't automatically disqualify you. Service Canada has to find that you did something that counts as misconduct and that it's why you lost the job.

In plain terms, misconduct means acting or failing to act knowingly, on purpose, or with little regard for the consequences, when you knew or should have known it could cost you your job. canada.ca's examples include unexcused absences or lateness, refusing instructions, aggressive or violent behaviour, and breaking workplace rules on safety or impairment. Not being good enough at the job, on its own, isn't misconduct.

Service Canada asks your employer what happened, what evidence they relied on and whether you knew the rules, and asks you whether you agree and what led to it. Witnesses may be contacted. Have your own notes, emails and documents ready.

If you're disqualified, and the temporary 'most recent reason' rule

A disqualification for quitting without just cause or for misconduct stops regular benefits from that separation. canada.ca says you may still get sickness, maternity, parental or caregiving benefits if you meet their conditions, and you can qualify for regular benefits again after building up the required hours in later work. You have 30 days from the date a decision is communicated to you to ask for a reconsideration (the official reconsideration page is listed in the sources below). If you still disagree, you have 30 days to appeal to the EI Board of Appeal, which replaced the Social Security Tribunal's General Division for these appeals on April 1, 2026.

Temporary rule (October 11, 2026 to October 9, 2027): for claims that start in this window, only the reason for your most recent job separation is reviewed. Normally, an earlier job you quit without just cause, or lost through misconduct, during your qualifying period could also be reviewed, and the hours from before it might not count. This measure is part of Pilot Project No. 25 and is not permanent.

Worked example: Sam's region needs 700 hours. In March 2026 he quit a warehouse job after 500 hours, without a reason that would be just cause. He then worked 400 hours in retail and was laid off in November 2026. Outside the temporary window, if the March quit were reviewed and found to be without just cause, the 500 hours before it might not count, leaving 400, short of 700. Because his claim starts inside the window, only the November layoff is reviewed, and all 900 hours (500 + 400) count toward his claim. Service Canada still decides the actual outcome.

For your own situation, contact Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218 or start at canada.ca/ei. Nothing here is legal advice.