When a job ends and the Record of Employment (ROE) doesn’t arrive, it can feel as though your EI claim is stuck. It isn’t: you can apply without it, and Service Canada can chase the employer for it. This page covers what the employer is required to do, the steps to take when it won’t, and how to read the reason code once the ROE does arrive. For other problems with an employer, see the workplace rights and employee benefits hub.
The short answer
Apply for EI now, without waiting for the ROE. Ask the employer for it in writing, and if it still doesn’t issue one, tell Service Canada. When the ROE arrives, check the reason code, because a wrong code can hold up or change your claim.
When your employer has to issue the ROE
An employer has to issue an ROE each time an employee has an interruption of earnings (generally 7 days in a row with no work and no insurable earnings), and when Service Canada asks for one. It doesn’t depend on whether you plan to claim EI. The deadlines:
| How the employer issues it | Deadline |
|---|---|
| On paper | Within 5 calendar days of the first day of the interruption of earnings, or of the day the employer becomes aware of it |
| Electronically, weekly, biweekly or semi-monthly pay | Up to 5 calendar days after the end of the pay period in which the interruption happened |
| Electronically, monthly pay or 13 pay periods a year | The earlier of 5 calendar days after the end of that pay period, or 15 calendar days after the first day of the interruption |
Source: Service Canada, How to complete the Record of Employment form.
Most ROEs are now electronic. An electronic ROE goes straight to Service Canada and you won’t get a paper copy, but you can view and print it in My Service Canada Account. So before deciding the employer hasn’t issued it, check your account: it may already be there.
The deadline runs from the interruption of earnings, not from the end of any other disagreement. A dispute over final pay, returned equipment or anything else doesn’t change it.
Step 1: Apply for EI now
Service Canada needs your ROEs to decide the claim, but you don’t need to have one in hand to apply, and “You can send required documents after you apply.” Waiting has a cost: “If you apply for Employment Insurance (EI) more than 4 weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits.” What you need for the application and what happens next are on how to apply for EI.
Step 2: Ask the employer in writing
Email the employer or payroll: your last day of work, that you need your ROE to claim EI, and the deadline above. Keep a copy. Small employers sometimes simply don’t know how ROEs work, and a written request is often enough.
Step 3: Tell Service Canada
If the ROE still isn’t issued, call the EI line at 1-800-206-7218 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and report that your employer hasn’t issued it. Service Canada can request it from the employer directly, and your claim can go ahead in the meantime. Have your pay stubs, last day of work and the employer’s contact details ready, along with your written request.
If the employer has also held back your final pay, that is a separate claim: see what to do when your employer hasn’t paid you and the guide to filing an employment standards complaint.
Step 4: Check the reason code
Block 16 of the ROE gives the reason it was issued, as a one-letter code. The code tells Service Canada which kind of benefit to look at, but it doesn’t decide the claim by itself.
| Code | Reason | What it usually means for EI |
|---|---|---|
| A | Shortage of work (layoff) | Regular benefits, if you have enough insurable hours |
| B | Strike or lockout | You may not be eligible while you’re directly taking part in a labour dispute |
| D | Illness or injury | EI sickness benefits; your job protection while off sick is on sick leave rights by province |
| E | Quit | Service Canada looks at whether you had just cause; see EI after quitting |
| F | Maternity | EI maternity and parental benefits |
| G | Retirement (mandatory, or an approved work force reduction) | Voluntary retirement is coded E (quit) instead, so the code matters |
| H | Work-Sharing | Work-Sharing benefits; see your rights when your employer cuts your hours |
| J | Apprentice training | Apprentices in approved training have their own EI rules |
| K | Other | An explanation should be in the comments block |
| M | Dismissal or suspension | Service Canada looks at whether it was for misconduct; see can you be denied EI |
| N | Leave of absence | Depends on the reason for the leave; the job protection for each leave is on the leave overview |
| P | Parental | EI parental benefits; job protection is on maternity and parental leave by province |
| Z | Compassionate care or family caregiver | EI caregiving benefits |
Codes from the Service Canada ROE guide. Code C (return to school) is being phased out.
If the code is wrong, for example M when you were laid off, or E when you were let go, ask the employer to issue an amended ROE, and tell Service Canada when you apply, with any termination letter, emails or texts that show what happened. You’ll be asked for your version of the facts anyway if you quit or were dismissed. The ROE guide warns employers that “It is a serious offence to misrepresent the reason for issuing an ROE. If you knowingly enter a false or misleading reason for issuing an ROE, you may be subject to fines or prosecution.”
Questions about a missing ROE
Does the EI waiting period start later if my ROE is late? The unpaid waiting period is 1 week on a new claim. The bigger risk from a late ROE is a late application, which is why applying first matters.
My employer says I’m not entitled to an ROE because I was a contractor. If you worked as an employee in practice, that may be wrong: the employee vs contractor status test is what decides it, and the CRA can rule on whether your work was insurable.
I’m part-time or on call. Do I still get an ROE? Employers don’t have to issue one for every short break in casual or on-call work, but they must issue one when you ask for it after an interruption of earnings, when you come off the active employee list, or after 30 days with no work or insurable earnings.
Related reading
- How to apply for EI
- My employer hasn’t paid me: what to do
- My employer owes me vacation pay
- Before you quit your job: a financial checklist
- Workplace rights and employee benefits in Canada
→ Back to: Personal Finance Guide
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026. How we check facts.
- Employment and Social Development Canada: EI: Employers: How to complete the record of employment (ROE) form
- Employment and Social Development Canada: Employment Insurance contact information for individuals
- Government of Canada: EI regular benefits: Apply