EI maternity and parental benefits calculator
Enter your yearly insurable earnings. You get the weekly benefit and the total for the standard plan (55%, 50 weeks with maternity) and the extended plan (33%, 76 weeks).
Free · no signup Runs in your browser
Working with a different rate? Edit the rates this calculator uses
These are the figures we verified on 2026-10-23. Change them to work with a historic period, or with a new rate that has been announced but which we have not published yet.
How much is EI maternity and parental leave in Canada?
EI maternity benefits are up to 15 weeks at 55% of your average insurable earnings, to a $729 weekly maximum in 2026. Standard parental benefits are up to 35 weeks for one parent (40 shared) at the same 55%. Extended parental benefits are up to 61 weeks (69 shared) at 33%, to a $437 weekly maximum. Quebec residents claim through QPIP instead.
Why we built this calculator
Parents choosing between standard and extended parental leave are really choosing between a higher weekly amount for fewer weeks, or a lower one for more. The two options pay different total amounts, and the gap depends on your earnings because of the weekly maximums.
This calculator puts both plans side by side using the 2026 figures: the weekly amount, the number of weeks, and the total. It builds on the same earnings rules as the EI calculator, which covers regular benefits.
It runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere, and there is no sign-up.
When to use it
- Deciding between standard and extended parental benefits before you apply
- Planning household income across a leave, with both parents' earnings
- Checking whether your earnings put you at the weekly maximum
- Estimating how much your benefit falls short of your normal pay
Mistakes it helps you avoid
- Assuming extended leave pays the same weekly amount. It pays 33%, not 55%.
- Forgetting the weekly maximum, which caps the benefit for anyone earning above about $68,900 a year.
- Counting weeks that belong to the other parent. Some weeks are available only if the other parent takes them.
- Missing the claim window, which is 52 weeks for standard and 78 weeks for extended.
How the benefit is worked out
The weekly benefit is a share of your average weekly insurable earnings, capped at a weekly maximum.
average weekly earnings = insurable earnings (up to $68,900) ÷ 52maternity and standard parental: the lesser of 55% × average and $729 a weekextended parental: the lesser of 33% × average and $437 a weekweeks: maternity 15 · standard parental 35 (40 shared) · extended parental 61 (69 shared)total = weekly benefit × weeks
Service Canada averages your highest weeks of insurable earnings, between 14 and 22 depending on the unemployment rate where you live, so a worker with uneven pay can get a figure higher or lower than yearly pay divided by 52. If you know your average, enter it in the second field. The $729 maximum is 55% of $68,900 divided by 52, which is $728.75, rounded up to the whole dollar, so someone at the earnings ceiling will see about $728.75 here. Both parents must choose the same parental option if they share. The page says the weeks beyond one parent's maximum, 5 for standard and 8 for extended, can be used only by the other parent.
Worked example: $60,000 a year, birth parent
You earn $60,000 a year in insurable earnings and take maternity benefits followed by parental benefits.
- Average weekly earnings: 60,000 ÷ 52$1,153.85
- Standard weekly benefit: 55% (below the $729 maximum)$634.62
- Extended weekly benefit: 33% (below the $437 maximum)$380.77
- Maternity: 15 weeks × standard weekly$9,519.23
- Standard parental: 35 weeks$22,211.54
- Extended parental: 61 weeks × extended weekly$23,226.92
The standard plan pays $31,730.77 over 50 weeks. The extended plan pays $32,746.15 over 76 weeks.
Extended leave pays $1,015.38 more in total, but $253.85 less each week, and it runs 26 weeks longer.
Eligibility in brief
- You need 600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before your claim, or since your last claim if that period is shorter
- Maternity benefits can start as early as 12 weeks before your due date or the date you give birth
- Standard parental benefits must be claimed within 52 weeks, and extended within 78 weeks
- Both parents must choose the same parental option if they share it
What this does not cover
Quebec has its own plan, QPIP, for maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits. Service Canada's Family Supplement tops up benefits for low-income families and is not modelled. Employer top-ups vary by workplace. For regular unemployment benefits see the EI calculator, and for benefits you may also receive, the Canada Child Benefit calculator.
Terms on this page
- Insurable earnings
- Earnings on which you pay EI premiums, up to the yearly maximum of $68,900 in 2026.
- Standard parental benefits
- Up to 35 weeks for one parent, 40 shared, at 55% of average earnings.
- Extended parental benefits
- Up to 61 weeks for one parent, 69 shared, at 33% of average earnings.
- QPIP
- The Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, which replaces EI maternity and parental benefits for Quebec residents.
What has changed, and when
Rates on this page have not always been what they are today. If you are working on an earlier period, use the figure that applied at the time rather than the current one.
- 2026 Maximum insurable earnings of $68,900 and a maximum weekly benefit of $729, up from $65,700 and $695 in 2025.
Common questions
How many weeks of EI maternity and parental leave can I get?
Up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits, plus up to 35 weeks of standard parental benefits (40 if shared between parents) or up to 61 weeks of extended parental benefits (69 if shared). A birth parent can take 50 weeks with the standard option or 76 with the extended.
What is the maximum EI maternity benefit in 2026?
$729 a week, which is 55% of $68,900 divided by 52, rounded. Extended parental benefits are 33%, up to $437 a week.
Is standard or extended parental leave better?
Standard pays 55% for fewer weeks and extended pays 33% for more weeks. For a $60,000 earner the extended plan pays slightly more in total over 26 more weeks, but each week is smaller. The right choice depends on how much you can live on each week.
How many hours do I need to qualify?
600 insured hours of work in the 52 weeks before the start of your claim, or since your last claim if that period is shorter.
Do Quebec residents use EI for parental leave?
No. Quebec administers maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits for its residents through the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, QPIP.
What to work out next
- EI benefits calculatorBetween jobs rather than on leave? Estimate regular benefits.
- Canada Child BenefitNew baby? See your Canada Child Benefit.
- RESP grant (CESG)Start an education savings plan and see the grant.
- Income taxSee the tax on your benefits and your take-home pay.
- Benefit payment datesSee when benefits are paid in 2026.
Where these numbers come from
- Service Canada — EI maternity and parental benefits 15 weeks of maternity benefits, standard and extended parental benefits, and the 2026 maximums.
- Service Canada — EI maternity and parental benefits: eligibility 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before your claim, and when benefits can start.
- Service Canada — EI maternity and parental benefits: how much you could receive The 55% and 33% rates and how your best weeks of earnings are used.
- Employment and Social Development Canada — 2026 maximum insurable earnings $68,900 maximum insurable earnings and the $729 maximum weekly benefit.
Last verified 2026-10-23 Rates on this page are checked against the sources above at least once a year, and whenever the governing authority announces a change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
Related calculators
EI benefits calculator
Estimate your weekly Employment Insurance benefit from your best weeks of insurable earnings.
Open calculatorCanada Child Benefit
Your monthly CCB from family income and children's ages, with the clawback rate that actually applies to you.
Open calculatorIncome tax
Federal and provincial tax, CPP, EI and take-home pay on the 2026 brackets — including Ontario's surtax.
Open calculatorBenefit payment dates
When CPP, OAS, the Canada Child Benefit and the rest actually land in 2026.
Open calculatorGST/HST credit (CGEB)
Estimate the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, the renamed GST/HST credit, for July 2026 to June 2027.
Open calculatorCLB converter
Convert CELPIP, IELTS or PTE Core scores to Canadian Language Benchmarks.
Open calculatorRead the guide
🛂 Benefit and immigration calculators
Government publishes the rules and the rates. It rarely publishes a calculator. These fill that gap.
See all 24 calculators in this section