Quick answer: Apply for Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits through Service Canada’s online application as soon as possible after you stop working for medical reasons. Do not wait for every document to arrive. You will need a medical certificate from a treating professional, and Service Canada will use your Record of Employment (ROE) to assess the claim.
What this means: EI sickness is a separate benefit from regular EI. Service Canada checks your medical inability to work, the drop in your earnings and your insured hours. An application or mailed access code does not mean you have been approved. Service Canada makes that decision.
What to do next: Check the official qualifying conditions, start the EI application, ask your treating professional for a certificate, and check My Service Canada Account for your ROE and claim status.
What EI sickness benefits are for
EI sickness benefits are for people unable to work for medical reasons, including illness or injury. Service Canada says the program can provide up to 26 weeks of assistance, subject to eligibility and claim details. The number of weeks and amount for any person are not something this guide can approve or calculate from a diagnosis alone.
Before applying, Service Canada suggests checking whether your employer has paid sick leave or a short-term disability plan. Knowing that information helps you answer application questions accurately. It does not mean you should wait to submit an EI application until every workplace detail or document is settled.
Check the qualifying conditions without deciding your own claim
Service Canada’s qualifying page says you must show that you cannot work for medical reasons, that your regular weekly earnings from work have dropped by more than 40% for at least one week, and that you accumulated 600 insured hours in the 52 weeks before the claim or since the start of your last claim, whichever is shorter. These are program guidelines; Service Canada encourages people to apply promptly and lets the agency determine eligibility.
A recent EI claim may affect how many weeks of sickness benefits are available. If you received EI in the last 52 weeks, Service Canada says you may not receive the maximum number of weeks, though a new claim may be possible if you have enough work since the last one. Ask Service Canada about your situation rather than assuming the old claim blocks or guarantees a new one.
While receiving EI sickness, Service Canada says you must otherwise be available for work if it were not for the medical condition. This is not the same as saying you must work while you are medically unable. If your condition or ability to work changes, report the change to Service Canada.
Apply promptly, even if an ROE is missing
Service Canada says to apply as soon as possible after you stop working. If you apply more than four weeks after your last day of work, you may lose benefits. That is a warning about possible loss, not an automatic rejection. The official application instructions also say not to wait until you have every required document; you can send documents after applying.
Gather the names and addresses of your employers over the period Service Canada asks about, employment dates and reasons work ended, your Social Insurance Number, address, and banking details if you want direct deposit. Answer the application from your own records. If you quit or were dismissed from another job during the period asked about, Service Canada asks for your explanation of the facts.
Use the online application linked from the official EI sickness apply page. Service Canada says it takes about an hour and can save an unfinished application for 72 hours using the temporary password it gives you. Submit it rather than leaving it unfinished while chasing a document.
Electronic ROEs go straight from employers to Service Canada. Paper ROEs need to be provided by you according to Service Canada’s instructions. Check the missing-ROE guide if an employer has not issued one, but do not delay the application solely because the ROE is not yet visible.
Get the medical certificate from a treating professional
Service Canada requires a signed medical certificate for an EI sickness claim. Your treating medical professional can use Service Canada’s certificate or their own form that meets the agency’s requirements. For their own form, Service Canada specifies readable identification, professional letterhead or official stamp, your name, the start and expected duration of the incapacity if known, and a signature.
Service Canada’s qualifying page lists the types of medical professionals who may sign, including doctors, nurse practitioners and several other regulated professionals, when the condition is in their field of expertise. Do not assume that a note from any person or a screenshot of an appointment is enough. Ask the treating professional to complete the appropriate document.
Service Canada may ask you to submit the certificate with the application. If it does not, keep it for six years in case it asks later. If asked to provide it, the apply page lists upload through My Service Canada Account, mail and in-person routes. A practitioner may charge for preparing it; Service Canada says it does not reimburse that fee. There is no single official fee quoted here because the professional may set one.
What happens after the application?
Service Canada mails a benefit statement and a four-digit access code after receiving the application. The code helps you use its reporting service; it does not mean a decision has been made. Check your claim status and messages in My Service Canada Account rather than treating that mail as an approval notice.
You must submit EI reports every two weeks while receiving benefits. Service Canada uses them to check ongoing eligibility and pay the amount due. Report any work or earnings on the report, even if you think the work was small or the pay arrives later. The site’s working-while-on-EI guide explains why reporting the week of work matters, but your sickness claim may have its own conditions.
Service Canada says a first payment arrives about 28 days after application if you are eligible and have provided all required information. There is usually a one-week unpaid waiting period, but the current temporary EI measure waives it for new claims starting between March 30, 2025 and October 10, 2026. Service Canada notes that a person may still serve it if that is to their advantage because of a Supplemental Unemployment Benefit plan. Check the rule for your claim’s start date; neither the waiver nor the 28-day estimate promises a particular deposit.
If your condition or claim changes
Tell Service Canada if you recover sooner than expected or need more time away from work. If you travel outside Canada, Service Canada asks you to report the absence through My Service Canada Account or your biweekly report; sickness benefits generally are not payable outside Canada, with a possible exception for qualifying medical treatment. Ask Service Canada about the facts of your claim rather than relying on a general example.
If Service Canada says you are not eligible and you disagree, there is a separate reconsideration process. The EI reconsideration guide explains that pathway. An access code, unanswered document request and formal denial are different stages; read the actual decision before choosing the next step.
A practical example
Suppose someone stops working because of an illness and has not yet received a paper ROE. They can start the EI sickness application promptly, give accurate employer and work details, arrange for a treating professional to sign the medical certificate, and submit the paper ROE when it becomes available. After the application, they watch My Service Canada Account and complete the reports Service Canada requires. The sequence does not establish their insured hours or guarantee approval.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I apply for EI sickness before my ROE arrives?
- Yes. Service Canada says to apply promptly and send required documents afterward. Check whether the ROE is electronic or paper so you know who must submit it.
- Do I need a medical certificate?
- Yes. A treating medical professional must sign a certificate. Service Canada may ask you to send it with the application; otherwise keep it for six years in case it asks later.
- How many insured hours do I need?
- Service Canada’s current guideline says 600 insured hours in the relevant 52-week period or since the start of the last claim if shorter. Service Canada decides the claim using its records.
- Does the access code mean I was approved?
- No. Service Canada says the mailed benefit statement and access code do not mean it has decided your application.
- When should a first EI sickness payment arrive?
- Service Canada says about 28 days after you apply if you are eligible and have supplied all required information. Check your claim status for your own file.
Related guides
- What to do when an EI Record of Employment is missing
- How work and earnings affect EI reporting
- What to do if you disagree with an EI decision
Rules and process basis
This guide follows Service Canada’s EI sickness eligibility, application and after-applying pages, checked 2026-09-26. It describes the general application path, not an individual eligibility decision or medical assessment. Service Canada’s live pages and your claim messages control the documents, reports and next steps for your file.