How this calculator works
Enter average weekly insurable earnings for the year and choose the benefits you are claiming. EI pays 55% of insurable earnings for maternity and standard parental benefits, up to the 2026 maximum of $729 a week. Extended parental benefits pay 33%, up to $437 a week. Maternity lasts 15 weeks. Standard parental lasts 35 weeks, or 40 weeks in total when both parents share; extended parental lasts 61 weeks, or 69 weeks in total when both parents share. A person cannot receive more than 35 standard or 61 extended parental weeks. One unpaid waiting period of one week applies before benefits start, and only one parent serves it when parental benefits are shared. Eligibility requires 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before the claim and a drop in weekly earnings of more than 40%. Maternity benefits can start up to 12 weeks before the due date. This page models one claimant, not a couple sharing parental weeks, and it applies the 2026 maximum insurable earnings of $68,900 a year, which produces the $729 weekly maximum. Out of scope: the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, which replaces EI maternity and parental benefits in Quebec; employer top-ups; the family supplement; EI regular benefits; taxation; and any week taken by a second parent. Canada differs from the United States here: these are federal insurance benefits with a fixed national maximum, not a state disability or family leave program.
Formula
Weekly benefit = 55% x insurable weekly earnings, capped at $729 for maternity and standard parental, or 33% x insurable weekly earnings, capped at $437 for extended parental. Maternity benefit = weekly benefit x 15 weeks. Parental benefit = weekly benefit x 35 standard weeks or 61 extended weeks. Total = maternity benefit + parental benefit. The one-week waiting period is unpaid and is not included in the weeks paid.
Worked example
On $1,000 a week, the standard weekly benefit is $550. Maternity pays $550 x 15, or $8,250. Standard parental pays $550 x 35, or $19,250, so maternity and standard parental together pay $27,500 over 50 weeks, before the one-week waiting period. At $2,000 a week, the benefit is capped at $729, so maternity pays $10,935 and extended parental pays $437 x 61, or $26,657.
Frequently asked questions
How much is EI maternity leave in 2026?
EI maternity benefits pay 55% of average weekly insurable earnings for 15 weeks, to a maximum of $729 a week in 2026. At $1,000 a week, that is $550 a week, or $8,250 before tax.
How many weeks of parental leave can I take in Canada?
Standard parental benefits last 35 weeks at 55%, and extended parental benefits last 61 weeks at 33%. When both parents share, the totals rise to 40 standard weeks or 69 extended weeks, but one parent cannot receive more than 35 standard or 61 extended weeks.
Do both parents serve the one-week waiting period?
No. When parental benefits are shared for the same child, only one parent serves the unpaid one-week waiting period. The same waiting period also covers maternity benefits and parental benefits claimed by one person.
Does Quebec use EI maternity and parental benefits?
No. Quebec residents receive maternity and parental benefits from the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan instead. This calculator covers the federal EI plan outside Quebec and does not model QPIP.
Sources
- Service Canada: EI maternity and parental benefits, how much you could receive
- Service Canada: EI maternity and parental benefits, after you apply
- Service Canada: EI maternity and parental benefits, eligibility
- ESDC: Important notice about maximum insurable earnings for 2026
- CRA: EI premium rates and maximums