What to do when I have to close my daycare early for maternity leave??

[CrazyEight]

You can normally claim EI up to 8 weeks before your due date, but if you only started paying into EI for self-employment last June then you're right, you wouldn't be able to claim it until June, since you have to pay for a full year to qualify. Although, it would be worth calling and checking into short-term disability. I don't know if you can get that just by paying into the EI program, and I don't know if the year's waiting period is the same, but it couldn't hurt to call and ask.

[LizzyGrant]

Another thing I wonder is...how will they know when during those 52 weeks I stopped receiving payments?? That's one part I am unclear on! :/

[Lee-Bee]

Before you get the ei you will have to fill out a detailed work report. I had to list all periods I didn't work (I think anything over a week) and the reason why you had no income. Again I don't recall all details as it was almost 3yrs ago since I did the paperwork but I recall having to list all periods I didn't work and why. in doing this I had to note how much I made when. And since my income was variable my ei payments were not just an average of the 12months but rather a certain number of weeks in the year period. My EI came from my supply teaching and private nanny work (they paid into ei for me) so it might be a bit different as I was an employee not self employed. I do recall my mat leave pay was not the amount I expected it would be, based on them using those certain weeks and not the general average… for me it was actually higher than I expected.

[Rachael]

Another thing I wonder is...how will they know when during those 52 weeks I stopped receiving payments?? That's one part I am unclear on! :/

They will usually get you to complete a declaration of when you stopped and it will be one of those "knowingly making a false statement is a criminal offense/fraudelent act" blah, blah. Then they will undertake random audits to verify statements being made.