EI Contact information – Individuals

Information on Employment Insurance

Online

You can complete the following tasks online:

By phone

You can submit your EI reports using the Telephone Reporting Service.

Employment Insurance Telephone Information Service

The Employment Insurance Telephone Information Service is an automated telephone service that provides general and more specific information on the EI program. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When you call, you can use self-service options to:

  • submit electronic reports
  • get information on benefits, including your specific claim

To get more information or make changes to your claim, you may speak with an EI representative during business hours.

For information about Canada Emergency Response Benefit claims filed with Service Canada, please also contact this telephone service. Please note that the period to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit is now closed.

To access information about your claim, you will need your SIN and access code, which you will find on the benefit statement that is mailed to you after you apply for benefits.

Toll-Free: 1-800-206-7218
TTY: 1-800-529-3742

The hours of operation are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm local time, Monday to Friday.

Average wait times

Our service standard is to answer your call within 10 minutes. Please see below our average wait times for the week of January 16, 2023.

Definition of average wait time

This is the average length of time that callers wait in queue before speaking to an agent.

Days Average wait time
Monday January 16, 2023 38 minutes
Tuesday January 17, 2023 26 minutes
Wednesday January 18, 2023 17 minutes
Thursday January 19, 2023 8 minutes
Friday January 20, 2023 18 minutes
Average wait time for the week of January 16, 2023 22 minutes

To resolve your enquiry without waiting to speak to a representative, you may use one of our online self-service options or one of the telephone self-service options described above.

Weekly average wait times
Weeks Average wait time
The week of January 9 to 13 27 minutes
The week of January 2 to 9 35 minutes
The week of December 26 to 30 32 minutes
The week of December 19 to 23 9 minutes
Monthly average wait times
Months Average wait time
December 2022 10 minutes
November 2022 8 minutes
October 2022 7 minutes
September 2022 7 minutes
August 2022 27 minutes
July 2022 43 minutes
June 2022 14 minutes
May 2022 22 minutes
April 2022 30 minutes
March 2022 25 minutes
February 2022 22 minutes
January 2022 57 minutes

By mail

You can complete the following tasks by mail:

  • submit your EI claimant reports
  • submit supporting documentation
Mailing addresses for returning reports and sending supporting documents
Province Returning reports Sending supporting documents
Alberta Service Canada
Employment Insurance Program
PO Box 2100
Vancouver BC  V6B 3T4
Service Canada Centre
P.O. Box 245
Edmonton AB  T5J 2J1
British Columbia
Manitoba
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Saskatchewan
Yukon
New Brunswick Service Canada
Employment Insurance Program
PO Box 6080
Moncton NB  E1C 0A7
Service Canada Centre
P.O. Box 8548
St. John's NL  A1B 3P3
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador Service Canada
Employment Insurance Program
P.O. Box 8548
St. John's NL  A1B 3P3
Service Canada Centre
P.O. Box 8548
St. John's NL  A1B 3P3
Ontario Service Canada
Employment Insurance Program
PO Box 4500
Belleville ON  K8N 5C1
Service Canada Centre
P.O. Box 2602
Mississauga ON  L4T 0B1
Quebec Service Canada
Employment Insurance Program
PO Box 60
Boucherville QC  J4B 5E6
Service Canada Centre
P.O. Box 60
Boucherville QC  J4B 5E6

In person

Service changes due to COVID-19

We urge you not to visit Service Canada Centres unless absolutely necessary.

Ask us to help you with the following programs by using eServiceCanada:

  • Employment Insurance (EI)
  • Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) benefits
  • Social Insurance Numbers (SIN)
  • Veterans Affairs Canada Services

We will call you back within 2 business days.

You can complete the following tasks at a Service Canada Centre:

  • submit supporting documents
  • accept Proof of Identity documents
  • authenticate appointed representatives and third parties
  • telephone interpretation services
  • obtain a temporary access code

Find a Service Canada office near you

Protecting your information

You now need to show valid ID and answer verification questions at Service Canada Centres to access your file.

To be accepted, your valid ID needs to show your legal name, photo, signature and/or date of birth.

Examples of accepted ID include:

  • One of the following:
    • a passport (Canadian or foreign) or permanent resident card
    • a Certificate of Indian Status issued by the Government of Canada
    • a provincial or territorial ID card or drivers license
  • or 2 of the following:
    • a birth certificate (provincial or territorial)
    • a certificate of Canadian citizenship
    • a certificate of registration of birth abroad
    • any other government-issued ID

No ID is required to ask about our programs or services.

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