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How Long Does It Take to Get Your First EI Payment?

Updated

If you’re eligible and Service Canada has what it needs, your first Employment Insurance (EI) payment should arrive within about 28 days of applying, and often sooner. This page covers what happens in that time and how to avoid delays.

The timeline

Service Canada’s standard is to send your first payment, or a notice that you won’t be paid, within 28 days of applying, 80% of the time. From April 1 to August 31, 2025, it met that standard for 90.2% of claims, and the average time to a first payment was 16 days. Source: ESDC, question period note on EI service.

StepWhat happens
You applyOnline, as soon as you stop working
Service Canada gets your Record of EmploymentUsually electronically from your employer
You receive a benefit statementWith the four-digit access code for your reports
You file your first reportReports are due every 2 weeks
Your claim is decided and paidPayment is deposited 2 to 3 business days after you complete a report

Source: Service Canada, after you apply.

The waiting week

Most claims start with one unpaid week, the waiting period. It has been 1 week since 2017, when it was cut from two. The waiting week was waived for claims that start between March 30, 2025 and October 9, 2027, so a claim that starts after that date has an unpaid first week again. Source: Service Canada, temporary EI measures.

What causes delays

  • No Record of Employment yet. Service Canada needs an ROE from each employer in the last 52 weeks. Apply anyway, and ask your employer to file it; see your Record of Employment.
  • Missing or unclear information on your application.
  • Questions about why you left, for example if you quit or were dismissed; Service Canada may contact you or your employer.
  • Reports not filed. You’re only paid after you file your reports.
  • Money paid when you left, such as vacation or severance pay, normally delays benefits (suspended for claims or allocations that start between March 30, 2025 and October 9, 2027).

How to check your claim

  • My Service Canada Account shows your claim status, payments and any documents Service Canada is waiting for.
  • Phone: 1-800-206-7218, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

If it’s been more than 28 days and you’ve heard nothing, check My Service Canada Account for requests first, confirm your employer filed your ROE, then call. If you disagree with a decision, you can ask for a reconsideration within 30 days.

Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 23, 2026 and October 7, 2026. How we check facts.