About Employment Insurance (EI)
The Employment Insurance (EI) is a program that offers temporary income support to those people who are unemployed while they wish to upgrade skills or look for employment. The EI program provides some benefits to employees who take time off work especially for specific life events, such as:
- caring for a newborn or/and newly adopted child
- illness
- pregnancy
- injured or a critically ill person
- a family member who is ill with a significant risk of death, etc.
Employees generally receive employment insurance advantages only if they have paid premiums in the earlier year and meet required entitlement and qualifying conditions. Also, some self-employed people can participate in EI and get some benefits.
The Canada Employment Insurance Commission (i.e., CEIC) plays a major role in overseeing the EI program. The CEIC is responsible for setting the yearly EI premium rate. Service Canada's special roles are:
- to provide accurate and timely EI benefit services and payments
- to support EI clients within each step of the service delivery process by:
- giving important information
- responding to all enquiries
- assisting employers
- providing the means to appeal decisions and processing claims
- conducting client identification and authentication
- detecting, preventing and deterring abuse and fraud.
While the worker is receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, he/she should fill out a report every 2 weeks to prove that he/she is still eligible and wants to continue receiving EI benefits. For the per week of the EI report, the worker needs to:
- Indicate hours and dates worked together with earnings before deductions
- Give the contact information of any employers
- Enter hours spent in a training course or at a school
- Indicate whether the worker was available for work
- Report other money, even if he/she will receive it later.
How to submit EI reports
As soon as the person applies for benefits, Service Canada will immediately mail him/her a benefit statement. This statement consists of a 4-digit access code. The person needs this code to use together with his or her social insurance number (SIN) to submit EI reports. People may submit their EI reports via the Internet Reporting Service or with the Telephone Reporting Service. The EI reporting calendar can be helpful for you to help you keep track of your hours spent and earnings.
EI Internet Reporting Service
Here are some recommendations for using EI Internet Reporting Service:
- If a person has good Internet access, then the EI reporting service recommends using the Internet Reporting Service, which is fast, simple, safe, secure and convenient.
- If a person stays on a page for over 10 minutes, then he/she will be disconnected.
- If EI needs further details to process a person’s report, he/she will receive a message at the end of his/her report asking to call EI.
EI Telephone Reporting Service
Here is what you need to know about EI Telephone Reporting Service:
- If a person does not has proper Internet access, he/she may use the Telephone Reporting Service by dialling 1-800-531-7555.
- If EI needs more details to process a report, EI will transfer a person’s call to an agent or a person will get a message to call back during working hours.
- The average wait time and a service standard are the same as for the EI Telephone Information Service.
When to submit reports and reporting exemption
Once a person submits a report, he/she will be given the date that his/her next EI report is due. Then this person must mark this particular date on the calendar. He/she will not be allowed to submit an EI report right before that scheduled date, but the person has around 3 weeks from this date to submit the report.
Reporting exemption - For some cases and types of Employment Insurance benefits, the person can select to be exempted from the EI reporting. For example, ff that person is eligible, then he or she can request a reporting exemption, or even cancel it. That can be done at any time during this person's claim. One can also agree to this exemption as soon as the person submits his or her own EI benefits application. If a person wants to be exempted, then he or she can contact EI itself. You can then choose to be exempted if:
- You are getting maternity, parental, or caregiving benefits;
- You are a member of an apprenticeship program;
- You are a part of a Work-Sharing agreement.
How to login to the EI reporting system (Internet Reporting Service)
First, you should choose to complete the Employment Insurance (EI) report in a certain language, which is on most occasions, preferable to be English. Note that you will not be allowed to change to French, for example, once you start an online session in English. If you wish to change the language then you must do it before you begin the session.
Besides, you should provide the following:
– Social Insurance Number (SIN):
– Access Code
– Province of Residence
– Choose your province
Here are more detailed instructions to explain each of the above-mentioned:
– Social Insurance Number (SIN). You must enter a valid 9-digit Social Insurance Number. Be aware of the fact that you are prompted to enter all 9 digits as they are indicated right on your Social Insurance Number card, with no spaces and hyphens.
– Access Code. The Access Code is the 4-digit code that is usually sent to a person by email right after he or she applies for EI benefits. A person’s Access Code is his or her electronic signature which is necessary, along with that person’s Social Insurance Number (SIN).
– Generally, the Access Code detects a person using it and ensures that his or her privacy is secure, safe, and protected. Note that you do not have to share your Access Code with anyone, so you must store it in a safe place separate from the SIN number. If you did not get the Access Code, then you must immediately call 1-800-531-7555 from Monday to Friday, within working hours to ask for assistance from a representative.