Employment Insurance (EI)

Employment Insurance payroll deduction and matching employer contribution applied to insurable earnings in Canadian payroll.

Employment Insurance (EI)

EI is the Employment Insurance payroll premium deducted from employee pay and matched by the employer in Canadian payroll.

In payroll workflow, EI depends on insurable earnings. Payroll has to calculate the employee premium, record the employer contribution, and keep the supporting earnings and hours records accurate enough for later review.

Why It Matters

EI matters because it affects:

  • the employee’s net pay
  • the employer’s matching payroll cost
  • insurable-earnings calculations
  • ROE and year-end reporting review

This is why an EI problem can show up across the pay stub, payroll register, remittance, and interruption-of-earnings records.

Where It Appears In Payroll Workflow

EI appears after payroll determines insurable earnings for the period. In practice, payroll teams may:

  • calculate the employee-side EI-related amount
  • calculate the employer-side EI contribution
  • show the employee premium on the pay stub
  • carry the figures into payroll registers, remittances, and year-end records
  • review insurable earnings and hours if an ROE question comes up

That makes EI both an employee-facing deduction and an employer-side obligation.

Practical Example

An employee’s pay period includes earnings that count as insurable. Payroll calculates the EI premium, reduces the employee’s net pay, and records the employer contribution for remittance and reporting.

If employment later ends, the same payroll records help support ROE work.

Revised on Friday, April 24, 2026