Employment Insurance Benefits and Farmers
If you are a farmer1 who engages in farming2 activities in Canada and you also work in insurable employment (usually under a contract of service, as an employee), you may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.
If you are a farmer who has income from operating a farm, you may be able to register for EI special benefits for self-employed people.
If you are unsure of your employment status (employee or self-employed) or whether or not your employment is insurable, please contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Under the Employment Insurance Act, CRA is responsible for determining whether or not your employment is insurable.
Eligibility details
The following eligibility criteria for farmers for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits are based on insurable employment.
You may be eligible for EI benefits if:
- you have accumulated enough insurable hours to qualify for EI benefits, even if you have self-employment earnings;
- you meet the entitlement criteria for the type of EI benefit you applied to receive;
- you demonstrate that you are unemployed through no fault of your own for each week you claim EI benefits;
- you are actively looking for another job and are ready, willing, and capable of working each day (in the case of EI regular benefits); and
- your farming activities (self-employment) are determined to be minor in extent3.
You are not entitled to EI benefits if you are working a full work week4. If your main source of income is from operating a business, including farming, and your self-employment/farming activities are not considered to be minor in extent, you are considered to be working a full work week. Therefore, you are not unemployed.
As a self-employed farmer, you are considered to be working a full work week during the period from April 1 to September 1. However, during the period between the week of October 1 and the week following March 31, you may be able to receive EI benefits if you accumulated insurable hours elsewhere while working for an employer and your self-employment activities on the farm are so small that it is not your principal means of living during that period.
What you need before you start
- your Social Insurance Number (SIN). If your SIN begins with a 9, you must provide proof of your immigration status and your work permit;
- your mother’s maiden name;
- your mailing and residential addresses, including the postal codes;
- your complete bank information, as shown on your cheque or bank statement, or from a voided personalized blank cheque from your current account. This will ensure that your payment of benefits will be made directly to your bank account with Direct deposit;
- the name, address, dates of employment, and reason for separation for all your employers for the last 52 weeks;
- your detailed version of facts if you quit or were dismissed from any job in the last 52 weeks; and
- the dates (Sunday to Saturday) and earnings for each of your highest paid weeks of insurable earnings in the last 52 weeks or since the start of your last EI claim, whichever is the shorter period. This information will be used, along with your Record(s) of Employment, to calculate your weekly EI benefit rate.
You may also have to provide the following details if you are reactivating an existing claim:
- the salary amount before deductions you received for the last week you worked (from Sunday to your last day of work), including tips and commissions; and
- any other amounts you received or will receive (for example, vacation pay, severance pay, pension payments, pay in lieu of notice, and other money).
You may also have to gather the following related information, depending on your situation:
- If you are applying for parental benefits, you must provide the SIN of the other parent.
- If you are applying for sickness benefits, you must obtain a medical certificate.
- If you are applying for compassionate care benefits, you must provide a medical certificate and information about the gravely ill family member, such as first and last name, date of birth, and residential address.
After you submit your application
Shortly after applying for EI, you will receive a benefit statement in the mail with your access code and instructions on how to complete and submit EI reports every two weeks. Receiving the benefit statement does not mean that your EI application has been approved.
Use your access code to register for a My Service Canada Account, where you can view and update your EI information.
Additional Information
Service Canada will let you know in writing if you are entitled to receive EI benefits. If you disagree with the decision, you have the right to request a reconsideration.
You can work while receiving EI benefits, but you must report your earnings and hours worked. Your benefits may be reduced due to these earnings and hours.
Earnings that you receive as a result of operating a farm are considered to be self-employment earnings.
To find out more about the Farming Benefit, please read the EI and self-employed, farmers and independent workers Guide, contact your nearest Service Canada office or call our EI Telephone Information Service at 1-800-206-7218 (TTY: 1-800-529-3742).