Employment Insurance Act

Marginal note:Beginning of benefit period

• 152.11 (1) A benefit period begins on the later of

  • (a) the Sunday of the week in which the interruption of earnings occurs,

  and

  • (b) the Sunday of the week in which the initial claim for benefits is made.

• Marginal note:Length of benefit period

  (2) The length of a benefit period is 52 weeks, except as otherwise provided in subsections (11) to (19).

• Marginal note:Prior benefit period

  (3) Subject to any change or cancellation of a benefit period under this section, a benefit period shall not be established for a self-employed person if a prior benefit period has not ended.

• Marginal note:Late initial claim

  (4) An initial claim for benefits made after the day on which the self-employed person first qualified to make the claim shall be regarded as having been made on an earlier day if the self-employed person shows that they qualified to receive benefits on the earlier day and that there was good cause for the delay throughout the period that begins on the earlier day and ends on the day on which the initial claim was made.

• Marginal note:Other late claims

  (5) A claim for benefits, other than an initial claim for benefits, made after the time prescribed for making the claim shall be regarded as having been made on an earlier day if the self-employed person shows that there was good cause for the delay throughout the period that begins on the earlier day and ends on the day on which their claim was made.

• Marginal note:Late claims — clause 152.07(1)(d)(i)(A)

  (5.1) For the purposes of subsections (4) and (5), the fact that, but for clause 152.07(1)(d)(i)(A), the claimant would not have qualified to receive benefits is good cause for a delay in making a claim for those benefits.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (6) A claim for benefits referred to in section 152.06 with respect to a family member shall not be regarded as having been made on an earlier day under subsection (4) or (5) if

  • (a) at the time the claim is made, all benefits that may otherwise have been payable in relation to that claim have already been exhausted;

  • (b) the beginning of the period referred to in subsection 152.06(3) has already been determined with respect to that family member and the claim would have the effect of moving the beginning of that period to an earlier date; or

  • (c) the claim is made in any other circumstances set out in the regulations.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (6.1) A claim for benefits referred to in section 152.061 with respect to a critically ill child must not be regarded as having been made on an earlier day under subsection (4) or (5) if

  • (a) at the time the claim is made, all benefits that may otherwise have been payable in relation to that claim have already been exhausted;

  • (b) the beginning of the period referred to in subsection 152.061(3) has already been determined with respect to that child and the claim would have the effect of moving the beginning of that period to an earlier date; or

  • (c) the claim is made in any other circumstances set out in the regulations.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (6.2) A claim for benefits referred to in section 152.062 with respect to a critically ill adult must not be regarded as having been made on an earlier day under subsection (4) or (5) if

  • (a) at the time the claim is made, all benefits that may otherwise have been payable in relation to that claim have already been exhausted;

  • (b) the beginning of the period referred to in subsection 152.062(3) has already been determined with respect to that adult and the claim would have the effect of moving the beginning of that period to an earlier date; or

  • (c) the claim is made in any other circumstances set out in the regulations.

• Marginal note:Cancelling benefit period

  (7) Once a benefit period has been established for a self-employed person, the Commission may

  • (a) cancel the benefit period if it has ended and no benefits were paid or payable during the period; or

  • (b) whether or not the period has ended, cancel at the request of the self-employed person that portion of the benefit period immediately before the first week for which benefits were paid or payable, if the self-employed person

    • (i) establishes under this Part — or establishes under Part 1, as an insured person — a new benefit period beginning the first week for which benefits were paid or payable, and

    • (ii) shows that there was good cause for the delay in making the request throughout the period that begins on the day on which benefits were first paid or payable and ends on the day on which the request for cancellation was made.

• Marginal note:Effect of cancellation

  (8) A cancelled benefit period or portion of a benefit period is deemed never to have begun.

• Marginal note:End of benefit period

  (9) A benefit period ends when any of the following first occurs:

  • (a) no further benefits are payable to the self-employed person in their benefit period, including for the reason that benefits have been paid for the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid under section 152.14;

  • (b) the benefit period would otherwise end under this section; or

  • (c) the self-employed person

    • (i) requests that their benefit period end,

    • (ii) makes a new initial claim for benefits, and

    • (iii) qualifies to receive benefits under this Part or qualifies, as an insured person, to receive benefits under Part I.

• Marginal note:Late requests

  (10) Whether or not the benefit period has ended, a request under paragraph (9)(c) shall be regarded as having been made on an earlier day if the self-employed person shows that there was good cause for the delay throughout the period that begins on the earlier day and ends on the day on which the request was made.

• Marginal note:Extension of benefit period

  (11) A self-employed person’s benefit period is extended by the aggregate of any weeks during the benefit period for which the self-employed person proves, in the manner that the Commission may direct, that they were not entitled to benefits because they were

  • (a) confined in a jail, penitentiary or other similar institution and were not found guilty of the offence for which they were being held or any other offence arising out of the same transaction;

  • (b) [Repealed, 2021, c. 23, s. 322]

  • (c) in receipt of workers’ compensation payments for an illness or injury; or

  • (d) in receipt of payments under a provincial law on the basis of having ceased to work because continuing to work would have resulted in danger to the self-employed person, her unborn child or a child whom she was breast-feeding.

• Marginal note:Further extension of benefit period

  (12) A self-employed person’s benefit period is extended by the aggregate of any weeks during an extension of a benefit period under subsection (11) for which the self-employed person proves, in the manner that the Commission may direct, that they were not entitled to benefits because of a reason specified in that subsection.

• Marginal note:Extension of benefit period — child in hospital

  (13) If the child or children referred to in subsection 152.05(1) are hospitalized during the period referred to in subsection 152.05(2), the benefit period is extended by the number of weeks during which the child or children are hospitalized.

• Marginal note:Extension of benefit period

  (14) If, during a self-employed person’s benefit period, benefits were paid to the person for more than one of the reasons mentioned in paragraphs 152.14(1)(a) to (f), at least one of those benefits was paid for fewer than the applicable maximum number of weeks established for those reasons and the maximum total number of weeks established for those reasons is greater than 50, the benefit period is extended so that those benefits may be paid up to that maximum total number of weeks.

• Marginal note:Extension of benefit period — reason mentioned in paragraph 152.14(1)(b)

  (14.1) If, during a self-employed person’s benefit period, benefits were not paid for any reason mentioned in paragraph 152.14(1)(a), (c), (d), (e) or (f), and benefits were paid to the person for the reason mentioned in paragraph 152.14(1)(b) in the case where the applicable maximum number of weeks is established under subparagraph 152.14(1)(b)(ii), the benefit period is extended by 26 weeks so that benefits may be paid up to that maximum number of weeks.

• Marginal note:Maximum extension under subsections (11) to (14.1)

  (15) An extension under one or more of subsections (11) to (14.1) must not result in a benefit period of more than 104 weeks.

• Marginal note:Maximum extension under subsection (14)

  (16) Subject to subsection (15), unless the benefit period is also extended under any of subsections (11) to (13), an extension under subsection (14) must not result in a benefit period of more than the sum of two weeks and the total of the maximum number of weeks established under subsection 152.14(1) for each of the benefits paid to the self-employed person for one of the reasons mentioned in paragraphs 152.14(1)(a) to (f) during the person’s benefit period before it was extended under subsection (14).

• (17) to (19) [Repealed, 2012, c. 27, s. 24]