Maximum amounts
Three numbers set the ceiling on every EI claim: the maximum insurable earnings (MIE), the benefit rate (55%), and the resulting maximum weekly benefit. The MIE is adjusted every January 1, so the maximum benefit moves with it. For 2025 the MIE is $65,700 and the maximum weekly benefit is $695; for 2026 the MIE is $68,900 and the maximum is $729. If your average weekly earnings are at or above the MIE divided by 52, you receive the maximum — no matter how much more you earned.
The same January adjustment sets the premiums. Employees pay a rate per $100 of insurable earnings up to the MIE; employers pay 1.4 times the employee rate. Because both the benefit maximum and the premium maximum are tied to the MIE, a single table covers the whole program's money limits for the year.
- 2025: MIE $65,700; maximum weekly benefit $695; employee premium $1.64 per $100 (maximum $1,077.48 per year).
- 2026: MIE $68,900; maximum weekly benefit $729; employee premium $1.63 per $100 (maximum $1,123.07 per year).
- The benefit rate is always 55% — the maximum only caps the result. Earnings above the MIE do not raise your benefit.
- Quebec employees pay a lower EI premium rate, because maternity and parental benefits there are delivered through QPIP.
The annual table
| Year | Maximum insurable earnings | Maximum weekly benefit | Employee premium | Maximum annual employee premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,700 | $695 | $1.64 per $100 | $1,077.48 |
| 2026 | $68,900 | $729 | $1.63 per $100 | $1,123.07 |
How the maximum is derived: divide the MIE by 52 weeks, then take 55%. For 2025: $65,700 ÷ 52 = $1,263.46 per week; 55% of that is $694.90, rounded to the $695 maximum. For 2026: $68,900 ÷ 52 = $1,325.00; 55% is $728.75, rounded to $729. Your own weekly benefit is 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings (worked out from your best weeks — see how your benefit is calculated), capped at the maximum for the year your claim starts.
Note on 2027 figures: secondary sources report 2027 maximum insurable earnings of $70,800 and a maximum weekly benefit of $749. Those figures are not yet the official Service Canada announcement for this guide's purposes — treat them as reported, and confirm the current maximum with Service Canada before relying on them. Every rates page on this site carries the same caution: EI figures reset each January 1, so always check the current year.
Premiums: what you and your employer pay
As an employee, you pay the premium on every dollar of insurable earnings up to the MIE — once your earnings pass the MIE, no further EI premium is deducted that year. Your employer pays 1.4 times your premium on the same earnings: for 2025, $2.296 per $100 (maximum $1,508.47); for 2026, $2.282 per $100 (maximum $1,572.30). Self-employed people who opt into special benefits pay premiums through their annual tax return instead, at the employee rate, on their net self-employed earnings.
Two common misunderstandings are worth clearing up. First, paying the maximum premium does not entitle you to the maximum benefit — the benefit depends on your earnings and hours, and the premium is simply the price of coverage. Second, EI premiums are not a savings account: if you never claim, you do not get them back. The program pools risk across all insured workers, which is why a worker who paid in for years and one who paid in for months can receive the same weekly amount if their earnings and hours are the same.
The family supplement: when the rate can reach 80%
Low-income families with children can receive more than 55%. If your net family income is $25,921 or less and you or your spouse or common-law partner receives the Canada Child Benefit, the family supplement can raise your benefit rate to as much as 80% of your average weekly insurable earnings — but the annual maximum still applies, so the supplement helps most at lower earnings. Only one spouse can receive the supplement at a time when both are claiming, and it usually makes sense for the lower-earning spouse to claim it. The $25,921 threshold is the figure Service Canada publishes for the supplement; if your family income is near it, confirm the current threshold before applying.
Sources to check: Service Canada, EI premium rates and maximums (2025 and 2026); Sun Life, Increase in EI maximum insurable earnings (2025 announcement); CLEO, How much will I get (2025 and 2026 maxima, family supplement threshold $25,921).