EI Caregiving Benefits 2026: How Many Weeks and How Much You Get Paid

October 5, 2026 · updated October 4, 2026 · 9 min read

Adult son applying for EI caregiving benefits while sitting in a hospital family room

The oncologist used the word “months”. You have a job, and you have a father who is going to need someone in the room. Nobody at work has said anything unkind, but you’ve done the math on your savings and it gets you about five weeks. What you probably don’t know is that Employment Insurance will pay you to be there, and that the application takes an afternoon.

The short answer: EI caregiving benefits pay 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, to a maximum of $729 a week in 2026, while you take time off to care for someone who is critically ill or dying. There are three streams: 26 weeks of compassionate care benefits for someone needing end-of-life care, 15 weeks of family caregiver benefits for a critically ill adult, and 35 weeks for a critically ill child. You need 600 insured hours in the last 52 weeks, your weekly earnings must drop by more than 40%, and a doctor or nurse practitioner has to sign a medical certificate. Benefits are taxable and tax comes off the payment. Apply at Service Canada: 1-800-206-7218.

Which of the three you need

Service Canada groups these under one application, but they are different benefits with different lengths, and picking the wrong one costs you weeks.

Benefit	Weeks	Who it’s for
Compassionate care benefits	26	Someone who “requires end-of-life care”
Family caregiver benefit for adults	15	A critically ill or injured person 18 or older
Family caregiver benefit for children	35	A critically ill or injured child under 18

For most people reading this, the choice is between the first two, and it turns on one question: is the doctor certifying that this person is at significant risk of death within 26 weeks? If yes, it’s compassionate care and you get 26 weeks. If your mother has had a devastating stroke and her life is in danger but death is not the expectation, it’s the adult caregiver benefit and you get 15.

That’s a difference of eleven weeks of pay. It is decided by what the physician writes on the certificate, so it is worth asking them directly which one they’re certifying before the form is filled in.

What you’ll actually be paid

The rate is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings. The ceiling comes from the maximum yearly insurable earnings, which rose to $68,900 for 2026. Divide that by 52 and take 55%, and you get the cap: $729 a week.

Be clear-eyed about what that means. If you earn $70,000, you are not getting 55% of $70,000. You’re hitting the ceiling, so you’re getting $729 a week gross, which is about 54% of your normal pay. If you earn $130,000, that same $729 is roughly 29% of your pay. The higher your salary, the worse this program treats you, and nobody tells you that until the first deposit lands.

And it’s gross, not net. Canada.ca is blunt: “EI benefits are taxable, no matter what type of benefits you receive. Federal and provincial or territorial taxes, where applicable, will be deducted from your payment.”

One exception worth knowing if money is tight: if your net family income is $25,921 or less, you have children, and you or your spouse receive the Canada Child Benefit, the family supplement can raise your rate to as much as 80% of your average insurable earnings.

Whether you qualify

Four things have to be true. Most people fail on the first or the third.

600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before your claim starts. That’s roughly 15 weeks of full-time work. Part-time and contract workers are the ones who get caught here.
Your weekly earnings drop by more than 40% for at least one week because of the time off. Taking one day a week does not qualify you.
A medical doctor or nurse practitioner certifies that the person you’re caring for is critically ill or injured, or needs end-of-life care.
You’re a family member, or considered to be like a family member. This is wider than people assume, and we come back to it below.

Self-employed people can qualify, but only if you registered for the EI special benefits program at least 12 months earlier and had net self-employed earnings of at least $9,254 in 2025 for a 2026 claim. If you’re self-employed and haven’t registered, there is nothing you can do about it today for a crisis that happens this month. That is the single strongest argument for registering before you need it.

“Like a family member” is the part people miss

You do not have to be related by blood or marriage. Service Canada accepts someone “considered to be like a family member”, established with an attestation form that the person needing care, or their legal representative, completes. The neighbour who has been the de facto daughter for fifteen years counts. Say so on the form rather than assuming you’re excluded.

The waiting period, and the deadline you may be about to miss

Normally there is a one-week waiting period at the start of a claim that you don’t get paid for. If several caregivers are sharing the benefit for the same person, “only 1 caregiver serves the waiting period”, and you nominate who in the online application.

Here is the time-sensitive part, and it’s worth acting on this week. A temporary measure states that “the waiting period is waived for all new claims for EI benefits that start between March 30, 2025, and October 10, 2026”. No extension past that date has been announced.

Be aware of a wrinkle: the temporary measures page says “all new claims for EI benefits”, while the caregiving pages still describe the one-week waiting period and don’t mention the waiver. We’re not going to pretend that’s unambiguous. If you’re close to applying anyway, starting a claim before October 10 2026 is worth a phone call to 1-800-206-7218 to confirm, because one week at the maximum rate is $729.

Sharing the weeks between siblings

The weeks attach to the patient, not to you. For compassionate care, the 26 weeks is the total available whether “only 1 caregiver is claiming the 26 weeks of benefits, or if benefits are being shared”. Two siblings do not get 26 weeks each.

Used well, this is the best feature of the program. Thirteen weeks each lets two of you alternate without either one losing a job, which in practice is what makes a death at home survivable for a working family. Sit down and carve up the calendar before anyone applies.

For compassionate care, the weeks have to be used “during the 52 weeks following the date the person is certified”. You don’t have to take them consecutively.

How to apply without losing a month

Get the right medical certificate signed. There are two forms: the Medical Certificate for Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefits and the Medical Certificate for Employment Insurance Family Caregiver Benefits. Ask the physician which one matches what they can certify.
Apply online as soon as the last day of work happens. Don’t wait for the certificate or for your Record of Employment. You can send documents after.
Nominate who serves the waiting period if you’re sharing.
Complete the attestation form if you’re not a blood relative.
Expect about 28 days. Service Canada says you’ll get your first payment “about 28 days after you apply” if everything is in. Plan your cash flow for a month of nothing.

That 28-day gap is the practical reason to apply the week it happens rather than the week you can face the paperwork.

What this does not cover

EI caregiving benefits replace some of your income. They don’t pay for care. If what you need is somebody in the house while you’re at work, that’s a different budget, and our in-home respite care guide is the more useful page for you.

They also don’t stack usefully with much. You can’t collect these and regular EI for the same weeks. And they’re separate from the tax side: if you’ve been supporting a parent financially, the Canada caregiver credit is worth up to $8,773 for 2026 and is claimed on your return, not through Service Canada. Most families who qualify for one qualify for the other and claim neither.

If you’re trying to work out whether your father’s situation is palliative or end-of-life in the sense the certificate means, the difference between hospice and palliative care explains the vocabulary the hospital is using.

Frequently asked questions

How much do EI caregiving benefits pay in 2026?

55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, to a maximum of $729 a week. The cap comes from the 2026 maximum yearly insurable earnings of $68,900. Benefits are taxable and federal and provincial tax is deducted from each payment.

How many weeks of EI caregiving benefits can I get?

26 weeks of compassionate care benefits for someone requiring end-of-life care, 15 weeks of family caregiver benefits for a critically ill adult, and 35 weeks for a critically ill child under 18. The weeks belong to the patient, so caregivers sharing the benefit split one allotment rather than each getting the full amount.

Do I have to be related to the person I’m caring for?

No. Service Canada accepts a family member or someone “considered to be like a family member”. The person needing care, or their legal representative, completes an attestation form confirming the relationship.

Can I get EI caregiving benefits if I’m self-employed?

Only if you registered for the EI special benefits program for self-employed people at least 12 months before your claim and had net self-employed earnings of at least $9,254 in 2025 for a 2026 claim. You cannot register after the crisis starts and claim for it.

How long until the first payment arrives?

About 28 days after you apply, if Service Canada has everything it needs. Apply the week the time off starts rather than waiting to assemble documents, because you can submit the medical certificate and Record of Employment afterwards.

Where to get help

Employment Insurance, Service Canada: 1-800-206-7218, Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. TTY 1-800-529-3742.
The treating physician or nurse practitioner for the medical certificate. Ask which of the two certificates they can sign.
Your employer’s HR for the Record of Employment and for the job-protected leave your province provides, which is separate from the money and does not happen automatically.
Canada Revenue Agency: 1-800-959-8281 for the caregiver credit side.

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Sources

The three benefit types and their 26, 15 and 35 week maximums, and who each is for: Employment and Social Development Canada, EI caregiving benefits. The 600 insured hours, the more than 40% earnings reduction, the medical certification requirement, the family member or like a family member condition and the attestation form, and the self-employed conditions including the $9,254 in 2025 earnings minimum: EI caregiving benefits, eligibility. The 55% rate, the 2026 maximum yearly insurable earnings of $68,900, the $729 weekly maximum, the statement that EI benefits are taxable with federal and provincial tax deducted, and the family supplement at a net family income of $25,921: EI regular benefits, how much you could receive. The names of the two medical certificates, the 52 week window for compassionate care and the shared 26 weeks: EI caregiving benefits, how to apply. The one week waiting period, the rule that only one caregiver serves it, and the roughly 28 days to first payment: EI caregiving benefits, after applying. The waiver of the waiting period for new claims starting between March 30 2025 and October 10 2026: temporary Employment Insurance measures to respond to major changes in economic conditions. Telephone numbers and hours: Employment Insurance contact information. All read October 4 2026. EI maximums are set each January, so the date on this page tells you when it was last checked.