Please be advised that this site is not affiliated with the Service Canada office.
It was created to provide general EI information only.
Sickness Benefits
You are qualified to receive sickness benefit if:
- have earned insurable employment (employer deducted your EI premium on your paycheque)
- you fall sick or injured (from work or not) and needs extensive period to recover
- your normal weekly earnings have been reduced by more than 40% due to sickness
How many hours do I need to qualify?
You need to have a minimum of 600 cumulative hours in the past year, from the day you stopped working, to meet the basic qualifying hours.
New* – COVID-19 temporary change to Sickness EI qualification. Please visit Canada.ca for more detail.
- the waiting period may be waived
- you don’t need to get a medical certificate
- you only need 120 insured hours to qualify for benefits because you’ll get a one-time credit of 480 insured hours to help you meet the required 600 insured hours of work
- you’ll receive at least $500 per week before taxes but you could receive more
- if you received the CERB, the 52-week period to accumulate insured hours will be extended
The above changes are in effect until September 25, 2021.
How much EI weekly benefit amount will I receive?
Current maximum is $595 per week and is paid out every two weeks through mailed cheque or direct deposit. Please refer to our EI benefit amount estimation page for more details.
You may receive higher EI benefit (Family Supplement) if you are low-income family. Read more.
How many weeks of sickness EI will I receive?
Sickness EI is consider under special benefits category. It only pays to a maximum of 15 weeks only (excluding 1 weeks waiting period). Since Service Canada may ask you to submit proof of sickness, ensure you have a medical doctor’s note to confirm the weeks of your sickness.
What documents do I need to provide for my sickness benefit application?
- Record of Employment(s). Make sure to submit all your ROE within the past 52 weeks to boost your insurable earning, therefore to receive higher benefit week amount.
- Medical certificate. You may ask your doctor to fill up the template provided by Service Canada (form INS 5140) or use doctor’s note. Make sure your doctor indicate clearly 1) the reason of illness and 2) period of recovery (from when to when). Remember, your maximum payable 15 weeks of sickness benefit is only payable within the recovery period. Make sure to add an extra 2 weeks that covers the waiting period. So that makes a total of 17 weeks.
How long will I wait to receive my first sickness benefit payment?
The typical wait time to process an EI claim is up to 28 days. You should receive a first letter from mail, providing you an access code and instructions to create your Service Canada online account. There will be a 1 weeks non-paid weeks before your first sickness benefit week begins. If you have registered for direct deposit, you should expect your payment to arrive roughly 1 month after your application.
The two-week waiting period can be waived or deferred under specific situations. For example:
- if you receive sick leave pay from your employer after your last day worked, the waiting period may be waived; or
- if you receive group insurance payments, you can serve the two-week waiting period during the last two weeks you receive these insurance payments.
You don’t need to serve another 2 weeks waiting period if you are converting your claim from regular EI benefit.
Do I need to complete EI report?
Yes, you are required to complete your EI online report. Ensure that you are “not available” to work when completing your EI report.
Medical certificates requirements
You need to get a medical certificate signed by a medical practitioner when you apply for Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits. You have 2 options. You can ask your medical practitioner to complete and sign one of the following:
- Service Canada’s Medical certificate for Employment Insurance sickness benefits or
- their own medical certificate form. This certificate must:
- be readable
- contain your medical practitioner’s letterhead or official stamp
- indicate your name
- contain the start date and expected duration (if known) of your incapacity due to illness, injury or quarantine
- contain your medical practitioner’s handwritten, electronic or stamped signature
Who can complete and sign your medical certificate?
Here is a list of medical practitioners who can complete and sign your medical certificate. They must practice in Canada or the United States and the illness they’re treating must be in their field.
- medical doctor
- chiropractor
- optometrist
- psychologist
- dentist
- midwife (except Prince Edward Island and Yukon)
- nurse practitioner (except Yukon)
- registered nurse (in isolated areas when a doctor is unavailable)
Once you have your medical certificate, keep it in a safe place. We’ll let you know if you need to submit it to Service Canada. Keep it for 6 years in case we require it later.