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EI maternity and parental leave calculator (Canada 2026 and 2027)

How much is EI maternity and parental leave in 2026?

Maternity and standard parental benefits pay 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings, up to $729 a week in 2026 ($749 for claims from January 2027). Extended parental pays 33%, up to $437 (about $449 in 2027). On $60,000 a year that is $635 a week: 15 weeks of maternity and 35 of standard parental come to $31,750 before tax.

Standard or extended is the big choice, and both parents must pick the same one. Extended stretches parental benefits over up to 61 weeks at a lower weekly amount; standard pays more each week for up to 35.

Enter your yearly insurable earnings, the option and the weeks you plan to take to see the weekly amount, the total and the dates.

Use the calculator All free tools

Built by Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Rates and rules from Canada.ca and the Canada Gazette, linked at the bottom of the page. Worked out in your browser.

The calculator

Work out your EI benefits

Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.

Counted up to $68,900 for 2026 claims, $70,800 for claims from 1 January 2027.
Sets the year's maximums, the waiting week and your dates.
2026 rates

How EI maternity and parental benefits are worked out

EI adds up your insurable earnings over your best weeks (14 to 22 weeks, depending on the unemployment rate where you live), divides by that number of weeks, and pays 55% of the result for maternity and standard parental benefits, or 33% for extended parental. The 2026 maximums are $729 a week and $437 a week, because earnings above $68,900 a year don't count ($68,900 ÷ 52 = $1,325; 55% is $728.75). For claims starting from 1 January 2027 the maximum insurable earnings are $70,800 and the maximum weekly benefit is $749; 33% of $70,800 ÷ 52 gives about $449 for extended parental. This page uses yearly earnings ÷ 52 as a simple stand-in for your best weeks.

  • Maternity: up to 15 weeks, only for the person who gave birth. It can start up to 12 weeks before the due date and can't be paid more than 17 weeks after the due date or birth.
  • Standard parental: up to 35 weeks for one parent, 40 shared, within 52 weeks of the birth.
  • Extended parental: up to 61 weeks for one parent, 69 shared, within 78 weeks.
  • You usually need 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before the claim.
Real numbers

Worked examples

$60,000 a year, standard. $60,000 ÷ 52 = $1,153.85 a week; 55% is $634.62, so about $635. 15 weeks of maternity and 35 of parental: 50 × $635 = $31,750.

$90,000 a year, extended, claim starting in 2026. Only $68,900 counts, so maternity is the $729 maximum (15 weeks = $10,935) and extended parental the $437 maximum (61 weeks = $26,657): $37,592 over 76 paid weeks. Standard would be $36,450 over 50 weeks: extended pays a little more in total, but $292 a week less. The same claim starting in 2027 pays $749 and about $449: $38,624 extended or $37,450 standard.

One unpaid week

The waiting week

EI normally has a one-week waiting period at the start of a claim, like a deductible. If you claim maternity and parental benefits together you serve it once, and when parents share parental benefits only one of them serves it. Canada.ca's temporary measures page says the waiting period is waived for new claims starting between 30 March 2025 and 9 October 2027; the Canada Gazette regulation (SOR/2026-203) says the Commission "may" waive it. Check when you apply. If an employer top-up plan pays you, serving the waiting week may be to your advantage.

Before you choose

Mistakes to avoid

  • Using an old maximum. The 2025 figure was $695; for 2026 it is $729 (extended $437).
  • Assuming you can switch. Once a parental week has been paid you can't change between standard and extended.
  • Forgetting the shared weeks. Sharing unlocks 5 extra standard weeks (40 in total) or 8 extended (69), but one parent still can't take more than 35 or 61.
  • Living in Quebec. Quebec residents get maternity, paternity and parental benefits from the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, not EI.
  • Treating it as take-home pay. EI benefits are taxable.
Before you rely on this

What this will not tell you

The 2027 extended maximum (about $449) is worked out from the published $70,800, not quoted by Canada.ca. This uses yearly earnings ÷ 52 in place of your best weeks, and rounds to the dollar. It does not cover the family supplement, earnings while on claim, sickness benefits, adoption, the partner's weeks, employer top-ups or Quebec's QPIP; the paid kit plans both parents week by week, with top-ups and QPIP. Estimates for planning only, not legal or financial advice. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Questions

Questions people actually ask

What is the maximum EI maternity benefit in 2026?

$729 a week for maternity and standard parental benefits, and $437 a week for extended parental benefits. Earnings above $68,900 a year don't count. For claims starting from 1 January 2027 the maximum is $749 a week, with earnings counted up to $70,800.

Is extended or standard parental leave better?

It depends on your budget. Standard pays 55% for up to 35 weeks; extended pays 33% for up to 61 weeks. At the maximum, extended pays slightly more in total ($26,657 vs $25,515 for one parent's parental weeks) but $292 a week less.

How many weeks of mat leave do you get in Canada?

15 weeks of maternity benefits plus up to 35 weeks of standard parental (or 61 extended) for one parent. Two parents sharing can get up to 40 standard or 69 extended parental weeks.

Is there a waiting period for EI maternity?

Normally one unpaid week, served once even if you claim maternity and parental benefits. Canada.ca says it is waived for claims starting 30 March 2025 to 9 October 2027 under temporary measures.

How is EI maternity calculated?

55% of your average weekly insurable earnings over your best 14 to 22 weeks, up to $729 a week in 2026.

Does Quebec use EI for maternity leave?

No. Quebec residents are covered by the Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP), which has its own basic and special plans.

Where every rule comes from

Sources

Checked against these official pages on 2 November 2026. EI maximums change each January; if a source below has changed, the source wins over this page.

  1. Canada.ca, EI maternity and parental benefits: how much you could receive: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/benefit-amount.html
  2. Canada.ca, EI maternity and parental benefits: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html
  3. Canada.ca, EI maternity and parental: eligibility: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/eligibility.html
  4. Canada.ca, EI maternity and parental: after you apply (waiting period): https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/after-applying.html
  5. Canada.ca, 2026 maximum insurable earnings: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/ei-employers/premium-reduction-program/2026-maximum-insurable-earnings.html
  6. Canada.ca, 2027 EI premium rate summary (2027 maximums): https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/premium/rates2027.html
  7. Canada.ca, temporary EI measures (waiting period waiver): https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/temporary-measures-for-major-economic-conditions.html
  8. Canada Gazette, SOR/2026-203: https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2026/2026-10-07/html/sor-dors203-eng.html
Citation

Cite this tool

Free to use and free to quote. If a figure here is useful in something you are writing, a link back is all that is asked.

Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. EI Maternity and Parental Leave Calculator (Canada). Shahzeb Speaks. https://www.shahzebspeaks.com/ei-parental-leave-calculator/

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Planning both parents' leave, or a top-up?

The Parental Leave Pay Timeline kit builds a week-by-week calendar with dates for both parents: maternity, standard or extended parental, the shared weeks, the waiting week and employer top-ups, with the gap against your normal household income. It covers Quebec's QPIP and the UK too. Excel, Google Sheets and an offline web version.

Get the full planner, $19