The one-week waiting period is waived for claims starting by 9 October 2027. What else changed on 11 October 2026.
ESTIMATE
Estimates as of 3 November 2026, for information only — not legal advice or a decision on your claim; Service Canada decides eligibility and the exact amount. 2026 figures from Canada.ca: 55% benefit rate, maximum insurable earnings $68,900, maximum $729 a week (extended parental 33%, $437). Regional rates for 11 October to 7 November 2026.
For EI claims that start between 11 October 2026 and 9 October 2027, the one-week waiting period is waived, so you are paid from your first week of unemployment. The waiver was introduced on 30 March 2025 for workers affected by tariffs, extended twice, and continued without a gap by EI Pilot Project No. 25 (Canada Gazette, 7 October 2026) — together with three other temporary rules.
Temporary EI rules, November 2026
Apply to benefit periods that begin inside each window.
Normally the first week of an EI claim is an unpaid “waiting period” — the deductible of the insurance. Benefits start in week two, and in most claims you serve only one waiting period (parents sharing parental benefits serve only one between them). On a $600 weekly benefit that week is worth $600; at the maximum it is worth $729. The waiver adds that week back without making the claim longer or shorter overall.
The four temporary measures (Pilot Project No. 25)
Measure
Claims starting
What it does
Waiting period waived
11 October 2026 – 9 October 2027
Regular, sickness, maternity, parental, caregiving and fishing claims are paid from week one.
Separation money not deducted
11 October 2026 – 9 October 2027
Severance, pay in lieu of notice and vacation pay paid on separation no longer delay or reduce EI.
Extra weeks for long-tenured workers
11 October 2026 – 12 June 2027
Up to 20 more weeks of regular benefits (benefit period up to 70 weeks).
Most recent separation only
11 October 2026 – 9 October 2027
Only the reason you left your last job is assessed; if it was not your fault, all hours count.
Earlier claims (from 30 March 2025) were covered by Pilot Project No. 24 and the March 2026 extension; the new separation rule applies only from 11 October 2026.
Severance and EI: before and now
Under the permanent rules, money paid because your job ended is “allocated” to the weeks after the layoff at your normal weekly earnings, and EI starts only when it runs out. Someone laid off with 8 weeks of severance would wait 8 weeks (plus the waiting week) before the first payment, and would lose those weeks if the claim later ran out of time. For claims starting by 9 October 2027, that allocation is switched off: you can collect severance and EI at the same time. Severance still counts as taxable income and as net income for the EI repayment test, so a large package can bring back part of your benefits at tax time.
Example: 8 weeks of severance, waiting week, a 37-week entitlement that fits inside the benefit period.
Who counts as a long-tenured worker?
You get up to 20 extra weeks automatically if, on a claim starting by 12 June 2027: you paid at least 30% of the maximum annual employee EI premium in at least 7 of the previous 10 years (30% of the 2026 maximum is $336.92, roughly $20,670 of insurable earnings), and you received fewer than 36 weeks of regular benefits in the 156 weeks before your claim. You must also receive at least one week of regular benefits on the claim. A Toronto worker entitled to 38 weeks could then be paid for up to 58.
The new “most recent separation” rule
Before 11 October 2026, Service Canada looked at every job you left during the qualifying period; hours from a job you quit without just cause or lost through misconduct couldn’t be used. For claims starting from 11 October 2026 to 9 October 2027, only the reason for your most recent separation is assessed. If that last job ended through no fault of your own — a layoff, a contract ending — all your insurable hours and earnings in the qualifying period count, including those from a job you quit earlier. See EI if you quit or are fired.
Check your take-home pay before and after
The Ontario take-home pay calculator shows your 2026 net pay after tax, CPP and EI premiums — the income your EI benefit is replacing.
Not for claims that start between 11 October 2026 and 9 October 2027: the one-week waiting period is waived under EI Pilot Project No. 25. Claims that started from 30 March 2025 were covered by the earlier waiver.
Does severance pay affect EI in 2026?
For claims starting by 9 October 2027, money paid on separation (severance, pay in lieu of notice, vacation pay on separation) is not deducted from EI. It is still taxable income.
Who gets 20 extra weeks of EI?
Long-tenured workers on claims starting by 12 June 2027: at least 30% of the maximum annual premium paid in 7 of the last 10 years and fewer than 36 weeks of regular benefits in the last 156 weeks.
Does the waiting period waiver apply to maternity and sickness benefits?
Yes. The pilot covers regular, special (including sickness, maternity and parental) and fishing benefits.
When do the temporary EI measures end?
The waiting-week waiver, separation-money rule and most-recent-separation rule cover claims starting up to 9 October 2027; the extra weeks cover claims starting up to 12 June 2027. They could be extended again.
Benefit rate and maximums: Canada.ca “EI regular benefits: How much you could receive” and the maternity/parental and sickness benefit-amount pages — 55% of average insurable weekly earnings; maximum yearly insurable earnings $68,900 from 1 January 2026 ($65,700 in 2025); maximum $729 a week ($695 in 2025); extended parental 33%, maximum $437.
Best weeks (14 to 22) and the weeks you can be paid come from the regional unemployment rate: Employment Insurance Act, Schedule I, and Service Canada’s “EI Program Characteristics” for 11 October to 7 November 2026 (rates are updated every four weeks).
2026 temporary measures: Canada Gazette Part II, SOR/2026-203 (EI Pilot Project No. 25, in force 11 October 2026) — waiting week waived and separation money not deducted for claims starting up to 9 October 2027; up to 20 extra weeks for long-tenured workers for claims starting up to 12 June 2027; only the most recent separation assessed.
Repayment (clawback): 30% of the lesser of regular benefits or net income above $86,125 (2026 = 1.25 × maximum insurable earnings). Premiums 2026: 1.63% of insurable earnings (Quebec 1.30%), maximum $1,123.07.
Tax withheld is our estimate: the weekly benefit annualized through 2026 federal and Ontario tax brackets with basic personal amounts (and the Ontario Health Premium). Service Canada’s actual deduction and your final tax depend on your total income for the year. Take-home pay while working: 2026 Ontario, from our Canada salary after tax engine.