MyEligible
Start

Accessibility settings

Job loss guide · Canada-wide

Lost your job in Canada? Start here.

Job loss is stressful. This Canada-wide guide helps you understand immediate steps, Employment Insurance (EI), your Record of Employment (ROE), how severance may interact with EI, and other programs that may apply where you live. Not everyone qualifies for EI.

Find all benefits

Choose your province and what happened to see programs that may apply. You can use this guide without taking the benefits quiz.

What you can do here

Canada-wide guide · information only. Pick your province and situation to see programs that may apply. Does not determine EI or benefit eligibility.

  • Review first-week steps, including your ROE and EI application timing
  • Compare federal and provincial income supports for your situation
  • Follow links to official Service Canada and provincial program pages

Last reviewed August 2026 · official sources linked on this page

Personalize this guide

We'll include programs available in your province.

What happened?

Choose the closest match. We'll highlight information that may matter for your situation. Not sure is fine too.

First few days

Start with these

Practical first steps many people take in the first days after employment ends.

  1. Apply for or check Employment Insurance (EI)

    Apply as soon as you stop working. You can apply before your ROE arrives. Service Canada decides eligibility based on your hours, reason for separation, and other rules.

    Apply for EICheck EI eligibility

  2. Check your Record of Employment (ROE)

    Your ROE shows your insurable hours and why employment ended. Most employers submit ROEs electronically to Service Canada. You do not need to wait for your ROE before applying for EI if you have stopped working.

    Learn about your ROE

  3. Keep your termination documents

    Save your layoff or termination letter, ROE, final pay statement, employment contract, recent pay stubs, workplace benefit summaries, pension information, and any severance paperwork. These help with EI, WEPP, employment standards questions, and tax filing.

  4. Check what happens to workplace benefits

    Ask what ends when employment ends: prescription coverage, dental, short- or long-term disability, health spending accounts, pension contributions, and life insurance. Some plans allow conversion or grace periods.

  5. Look at training and re-employment help

    Provinces fund employment services, skills training, and career supports. Scroll to the training section below for programs in your area.

Money

Money you may be able to access

Federal and provincial programs may help replace income or cover essentials.

Immediate income to check

Other money that may still apply

  • Canada Workers Benefit

    Federal

    Refundable credit for low-income workers; up to about half may arrive in automatic advance instalments, with the rest at tax time.

    See how CWB works

  • Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB)

    Federal

    Quarterly tax-free payment to offset sales tax for low- and modest-income households. Replaced the GST/HST (goods and services tax / harmonized sales tax credit) credit in July 2026 with a 25% increase for five years.

    Official information

  • Canada Training Credit (CTC)

    Federal

    Refundable federal credit against eligible tuition and fees, funded from a Canada training credit limit that grows when you file returns and meet age/residence rules.

    Official information

In your province or territory · Ontario

  • Ontario Works, financial assistance

    Ontario

    Income- and asset-tested last-resort monthly financial assistance for Ontario residents who need help with basic needs and shelter costs.

    Official information

Illness or disability

Separate from workplace injury: sickness, chronic illness, or disability may open different benefit pathways.

  • EI (Employment Insurance) Sickness Benefits

    Federal

    Up to 26 weeks if you cannot work for medical reasons.

    Official information

  • CPP (Canada Pension Plan) Disability Benefit

    Federal

    Monthly CPP (Canada Pension Plan) disability pension for contributors under age 65 with severe and prolonged disability.

    Official information

  • Canada Disability Benefit

    Federal

    New federal monthly disability income support for eligible adults ages 18 to 64.

    Official information

See disability guides on MyEligible for provincial disability income programs and stacking with federal benefits.

Financial and government supports during cancer treatment (cancer support guide).

Estimate the federal PSW tax credit if you work in personal support (PSW tax credit check).

Training and getting back to work

Government-funded employment services, skills training, and career supports in your province or territory.

Ontario

  • Employment Ontario

    Ontario

    Ontario's hub for employment services, training, and apprenticeship supports.

    Official information

Canada-wide training supports

  • Canada Training Credit (CTC)

    Federal

    Refundable federal credit against eligible tuition and fees, funded from a Canada training credit limit that grows when you file returns and meet age/residence rules.

    Official information

If money is getting tight

Rent help, emergency assistance, food supports, and other essentials programs MyEligible tracks in your province.

  • Ontario Works, financial assistance

    Ontario

    Income- and asset-tested last-resort monthly financial assistance for Ontario residents who need help with basic needs and shelter costs.

    Official information

  • Ontario Trillium Benefit

    Ontario

    Combines sales tax credit, energy & property tax credit, and northern energy credit.

    Official information

  • Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

    Ontario

    Income- and asset-tested provincial monthly income support and health-related benefits for adults 18 or older who meet Ontario's disability and financial tests, separate from the federal Disability Tax Credit and CPP-D (Canada Pension Plan Disability).

    Official information
See all housing & essentials help

Benefits you may already receive

Job loss may change household income, but many family and tax benefits are based on annual or adjusted family income. Recalculation timing varies. Losing a job does not automatically increase these immediately.

  • Canada Child Benefit

    Federal

    Tax-free monthly payment for families with children under 18.

    Official information

  • Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB)

    Federal

    Quarterly tax-free payment to offset sales tax for low- and modest-income households. Replaced the GST/HST (goods and services tax / harmonized sales tax credit) credit in July 2026 with a 25% increase for five years.

    Official information

Tax-time supports

File your taxes even with little or no current employment income. Refundable credits may still apply based on the year as a whole.

  • Canada Workers Benefit

    Federal

    Refundable credit for low-income workers; up to about half may arrive in automatic advance instalments, with the rest at tax time.

    See how CWB works

  • Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB)

    Federal

    Quarterly tax-free payment to offset sales tax for low- and modest-income households. Replaced the GST/HST (goods and services tax / harmonized sales tax credit) credit in July 2026 with a 25% increase for five years.

    Official information

Documents to keep

Record of Employment, termination or layoff letter, final pay and vacation pay statements, employment contract, recent pay stubs, workplace benefit and pension summaries, severance agreements, and any workers' compensation or medical paperwork if injury or illness is involved.

Frequently asked questions about EI after job loss

Short answers grounded in official Service Canada pages. Service Canada decides eligibility, not MyEligible.

Can I apply for EI before I get my Record of Employment (ROE)?
Yes. Service Canada says you should apply as soon as you stop working. You can apply before your ROE arrives. Your ROE shows your insurable hours and why employment ended. Most employers send it electronically. Service Canada decides eligibility using your hours, separation reason, and other rules.
What is the EI waiting period?
Before EI payments start, there is usually one unpaid week called the waiting period. Federal temporary measures may waive it for claims that begin between March 30, 2025 and October 10, 2026, unless a Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) plan makes serving that week more advantageous. Outside those dates, the standard waiting period may apply. See the official temporary measures and regular benefit pages on canada.ca for your claim start date.
How does severance, vacation pay, or pay in lieu of notice affect EI?
Normally, money paid when employment ends can be treated as earnings and may delay or reduce EI until those amounts are allocated. Under federal temporary measures through October 10, 2026, separation payments such as severance and vacation pay may not be deducted from benefits for qualifying claims started in that window. When temporary rules are not in effect, Canada publishes an earnings chart for separation payments. Rules and dates change; confirm on canada.ca for your situation.
Can I get regular EI if I quit my job?
Voluntarily leaving can affect regular EI. Service Canada may not pay regular EI if you quit without just cause. Some serious circumstances may still qualify if leaving was your only reasonable option. Service Canada decides based on your facts. You can still apply; read the official page on quitting and employment insurance before assuming you cannot qualify.
Can I get EI if I was fired or dismissed?
Being dismissed does not automatically make you ineligible. Service Canada reviews why employment ended. If they decide you lost the job because of misconduct, regular EI may not be payable. Employers sometimes use terms like "for cause," but you can still apply. Service Canada makes the decision, not your employer or MyEligible.
When should I apply for EI sickness benefits instead of regular EI?
Regular EI is for job loss when you are ready and able to work but cannot find a job. EI sickness benefits are for when a medical condition prevents you from working for a limited period. If illness or disability, not job loss, is why you cannot work, check sickness benefits and longer-term options on canada.ca rather than starting with regular EI alone.
Can I work while receiving EI?
You may work part-time or occasionally while on EI, but you must report all employment income in your biweekly reports. Even small amounts can reduce your benefit for that period. Service Canada publishes rules on employment insurance reports and how earnings affect payments. Report accurately to avoid overpayment.
What if I disagree with an EI decision?
If Service Canada denies benefits or issues a repayment decision, you may request a reconsideration within 30 days of the decision (late requests need a reasonable explanation). If you still disagree after reconsideration, further appeal options exist. This guide does not provide legal advice. Use the official Request for reconsideration page on canada.ca.

There may be other benefits too

MyEligible tracks federal, provincial, and local programs beyond job-loss supports.

Find benefits for my situation
Lost Your Job in Canada? EI and Support Guide | MyEligible