Please be advised that this site is not affiliated with the Service Canada office.
It was created to provide general EI information only.
Employment Insurance (EI) caregiving benefits provide financial assistance while you’re away from work to care for or support a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care. You could receive 55% of your earnings, up to a maximum of $638 a week.
As a caregiver, you don’t have to be related to or live with the person you care for or support, but they must consider you to be like a family member.
Categories of EI caregiving benefits
1. Family caregiver benefit for children
Provide up to 35 weeks of maximum payable week where you are providing care to a critically ill or injured person under 18.
2. Family caregiver benefit for adults
Provide up to 15 weeks of maximum payable week where you are providing care to a critically ill or injured person 18 or over.
3. Compassionate care benefits
Provide up to 26 weeks of maximum payable week where you are providing care to a person of any age who requires an end-of-life care.
Note: You can receive benefits during the 52 weeks following the date the person is certified by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner to be critically ill or injured or in need of end-of-life care. You can take the weeks of benefits within this timeframe either all at once or in separate periods.
The weeks of benefits can be shared by eligible caregivers, either at the same time or one after another.
Definitions
Caregiver
A caregiver is a family member or someone who is considered to be like family providing care or support to the person who is critically ill or injured or needing end-of-life care.
Care or support
Care is defined as participating in the care of a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care. Support is defined as providing psychological or emotional support to a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care.
Critically ill or injured person
A critically ill or injured person is someone whose baseline state of health has changed significantly because of illness or injury. As a result, their life is at risk and they need the care or support of at least 1 caregiver. Their condition must be certified by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.
If the person is already living with a chronic medical condition, caregivers aren’t eligible for benefits unless the person’s health changes significantly because of a new and acute life-threatening event.
End-of-life care
End-of-life care is defined as providing care or support to a person who has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks (6 months). The person also requires the care or support of at least 1 caregiver. Their condition must be certified by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.
Family member
A family member includes immediate family as well as other relatives and individuals considered to be like family, whether or not related by marriage, common-law partnership, or any legal parent-child relationship.
How to qualify
The information below should be used as a guideline. We encourage you to apply for benefits as soon as possible and let us determine if you’re eligible.
You need to demonstrate that:
- you’re a family member of the person who is critically ill or injured or needing end-of-life care, or you’re considered to be like a family member
- your regular weekly earnings from work have decreased by more than 40% for at least 1 week because you need to take time away from work to provide care or support to the person
- until September 24, 2022: you accumulated 420 insured hours* of work in the 52 weeks before the start of your claim, or since the start of your last claim, whichever is shorter Temporary
- a medical doctor or nurse practitioner has certified that the person you are providing care or support to is critically ill or injured or needing end-of-life care
*As an example, 420 hours are equivalent to 12 weeks of work at 35 hours a week.
If you’re not a family member
If the person you’re caring for lives outside Canada
If you leave Canada to provide care or support to a person who is critically ill or injured or needing end-of-life care, you may still be eligible to receive these benefits. You must submit an application and supporting documents with the same type of proof that is required for someone living in Canada.
The medical certificate for the person who is critically ill or injured or needing end-of-life care should be completed by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner in the country where they’re receiving care.