EI premiums rise to $1.64 per $100 in 2027

Updated Oct. 18, 2026

Canadian workers will pay Employment Insurance premiums of $1.64 per $100 of insurable earnings in 2027, up one cent from $1.63 this year, on earnings of up to $70,800. That puts the most an employee can pay in 2027 at $1,161.12, which is $38.05 more than the 2026 maximum, according to the 2027 EI premium rate summary from Employment and Social Development Canada.

The rate was set by the Canada Employment Insurance Commission, and the government page was issued Sept. 14, 2026. The maximum insurable earnings figure, the ceiling on how much of a worker’s pay is charged EI premiums, rises to $70,800 from $68,900 in 2026.

Employers pay 1.4 times the employee rate, or $2.30 per $100, to a maximum of $1,625.57 per employee in 2027. Employers pay $53.27 more at the maximum than they did in 2026, based on the earlier figures reported by Insurance Business.

Workers in Quebec pay a lower EI rate because the province runs its own parental insurance plan. The 2027 Quebec rate is $1.29 per $100 for employees, to a maximum of $913.32, and $1.81 per $100 for employers, to a maximum of $1,278.65.

The amounts are straightforward arithmetic on the posted rate. A worker earning $50,000 in 2027 would pay $820 in EI premiums at $1.64 per $100, compared with $815 at this year’s $1.63. Anyone earning $70,800 or more reaches the $1,161.12 cap, and premiums stop for the rest of the year once earnings pass the ceiling. Employers normally deduct the premiums from each paycheque, so the change shows up as a slightly smaller take-home amount rather than a separate bill.

The government said the maximum weekly EI benefit also rises, to $749 in 2027 from $729 in 2026. The benefit is tied to the same insurable earnings ceiling.

The rate is meant to keep the EI account balanced over seven years, which the agency calls the break-even rate. The summary of the actuarial report said the forecast rests on assumptions about the economy. A change of 0.5 percentage points in the average unemployment rate for 2027 to 2033 would move the break-even rate by about six cents, it said. A one-cent change in the premium rate would shift the cumulative balance by about $1.888 billion.

The one-cent increase includes two cents to cover measures announced after July 22, 2026, according to the summary. Its Table 3 projects a cumulative deficit of $16.726 billion in the EI account by Dec. 31, 2027.

The federal government has also been adjusting EI rules in response to U.S. tariffs. Our earlier report on the extension of EI tariff measures beyond Oct. 10 covers that separate change.

Other costs and benefits are also resetting for the new year. Readers can compare the premium change with minimum wage rates by province, check the November benefit payment dates and note the Oct. 31 deadline for a pre-filled CRA tax return.

This article explains official rules only and is not personal financial advice. Workers and employers with questions about their own deductions can check with the Canada Revenue Agency or their payroll provider.

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Sources: Summary of the 2027 Actuarial Report on the Employment Insurance Premium Rate, Employment and Social Development Canada; Insurance Business.