EI parental benefits: standard or extended?
Every parent applying for EI parental benefits chooses between two options. They pay a different share of your earnings for a different number of weeks, and the choice is hard to change once made.
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What is the difference between standard and extended EI parental benefits?
Standard parental benefits pay 55% of your average insurable earnings, to $729 a week, for up to 35 weeks for one parent (40 shared). Extended parental benefits pay 33%, to $437 a week, for up to 61 weeks for one parent (69 shared). The claim window is 52 weeks for standard and 78 for extended.
The two options side by side
Maternity benefits, up to 15 weeks at 55%, are paid separately to the parent who gave birth, and the parental options follow them.
| Standard | Extended | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 55% of average insurable earnings | 33% of average insurable earnings |
| Maximum weekly benefit | $729 | $437 |
| Weeks for one parent | Up to 35 | Up to 61 |
| Weeks if shared between parents | Up to 40 | Up to 69 |
| Claim window | 52 weeks | 78 weeks |
Both parents must choose the same option if they share. The remaining 5 weeks of standard, or 8 weeks of extended, can be used only by the other parent if they take them.
What it adds up to
For someone earning $60,000 a year, standard parental benefits pay $634.62 a week for 35 weeks, $22,212. Extended pays $380.77 a week for 61 weeks, $23,227. With maternity benefits of $9,519 first, the standard plan runs 50 weeks and the extended plan 76 weeks.
Extended pays more in total in this case, but the weekly amount is 40% lower, so the real question is whether the household can live on the smaller weekly figure for longer. Use the EI maternity and parental calculator with your own earnings.
When the weekly maximum bites
The maximums cap the benefit for higher earners. At 55% the cap of $729 is reached at about $68,900 of yearly earnings, the 2026 maximum insurable earnings. At 33% the cap is $437 and is reached at the same earnings. Above that earnings level, both options pay the same weekly amount regardless of salary, so the choice depends only on weeks versus rate.
Quebec is different
Quebec residents get maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits through the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, not EI.