Updated: April 2025  |  bremo.io financial guides

Maternity Leave for Self-Employed Canadians

Self-employed Canadians are not automatically enrolled in Employment Insurance. Unlike salaried employees who have EI premiums automatically deducted from their paycheques, sole proprietors, freelancers, and incorporated business owners must actively opt into EI's special benefits program to access maternity and parental leave payments.

EI Special Benefits for Self-Employed People

The Government of Canada created a voluntary EI program for self-employed workers that covers four types of special benefits:

• Maternity benefits (15 weeks)
• Parental benefits (standard 35 weeks or extended 61 weeks)
• Sickness benefits (up to 26 weeks)
• Compassionate care and family caregiver benefits

You can access all of these once enrolled and after the 12-month waiting period has passed.

How to Register

Registering is done through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). You'll need to:

1. Log into your My CRA Account (or create one)
2. Navigate to the EI for Self-Employed section
3. Agree to the terms of the program
4. Begin paying EI premiums on your net self-employment income

Premiums are paid when you file your tax return. Your self-employed EI premium rate for 2025 is the same as the employee rate applied to your net self-employment income.

What You'll Receive

Benefits are calculated the same way as for employees — 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings (up to $63,200/year maximum insurable earnings in 2025). For self-employed individuals, insurable earnings are based on your net self-employment income from the previous tax year.

The 12-Month Waiting Period Explained

After you register, you must wait at least 12 months and pay at least one full year of EI premiums before making any claim. This means:

• If you plan to have a baby in Spring 2026, you should register no later than Spring 2025
• If you register after getting pregnant, you'll likely be ineligible for maternity benefits
• The waiting period applies to your first claim only

What If You're Not Enrolled?

If you haven't opted in and are already expecting, you won't qualify for EI maternity or parental benefits. Your options include:

• Register now so you can access parental benefits for future children or use other special benefits in the future
• Build your own "leave fund" — set aside savings equivalent to what EI would have paid
• Check whether your province has any self-employed parent support programs
• If you have a spouse/partner who is employed, they may still be able to claim parental benefits

Can You Work While Receiving Benefits?

As a self-employed person on EI special benefits, you can earn up to a threshold while still receiving partial benefits. The working-while-on-claim rules allow you to keep 50 cents in benefits for every dollar you earn, up to your weekly benefit amount. Any earnings above your weekly benefit are fully deducted from your payments.

Is It Worth Opting In?

For most self-employed Canadians who plan to have children or want access to sickness and compassionate care benefits, opting in is worthwhile. The premium cost is modest — a few hundred dollars per year — and the potential benefit is thousands of dollars over a maternity/parental leave. The key is planning ahead and registering early.