CPP & EI Maximums 2026

The maximum employee CPP contribution for 2026 is $4,646.45 — $4,230.45 of CPP1 (5.95% on earnings between the $3,500 basic exemption and the $74,600 YMPE) plus $416.00 of CPP2 (4.00% on earnings between the YMPE and the $85,000 YAMPE). Your employer matches this dollar-for-dollar; self-employed workers pay both shares, up to $9,292.90.

An employee outside Quebec pays at most $5,769.52 in 2026: $4,646.45 of CPP (CPP1 plus CPP2) and $1,123.07 of EI. The employer pays up to $6,218.75 for that employee, because it matches CPP and pays 1.4× the EI premium. A self-employed worker pays up to $9,292.90 of CPP and no EI unless they opt in to EI special benefits.

The maximum CPP contribution ($4,646.45) is what you pay in. The maximum CPP retirement pension paid out to someone starting at 65 in 2026 is $1,507.65 a month, but the average new pension at 65 was $858.34 a month (July 2026), because few people contribute at the maximum for their whole career.

Partly. The base part of your CPP1 contribution is a non-refundable tax credit at line 30800 (up to $3,519.45 in 2026). The enhanced part, which is the first additional contribution (up to $711.00) plus all of CPP2 (up to $416.00), is deducted from income at line 22215, up to $1,127.00. EI premiums are a credit at line 31200.

YMPE stands for Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings — the CRA/CPP ceiling on which base CPP (CPP1) contributions are calculated. For 2026 the YMPE is $74,600, up from $71,300 in 2025. A second, higher ceiling — the YAMPE (Year's Additional Maximum Pensionable Earnings, $85,000 in 2026) — governs the CPP2 second-tier contribution introduced in 2024.

Once your year-to-date pensionable earnings reach the YAMPE ($85,000 in 2026), both CPP1 and CPP2 deductions stop for the rest of the calendar year and your take-home pay rises. If you have only one employer, payroll software tracks this automatically. Separately, CPP contributions become optional between age 65 and 70 for anyone still working and collecting a CPP retirement pension, by filing Form CPT30.

Yes. If you worked for more than one employer in the year and your combined CPP and/or EI deductions exceeded the annual maximum, the excess is refunded automatically when you file your T1 tax return (CRA calculates it from your T4 slips — no separate application needed). This is common for people who changed jobs mid-year or held multiple jobs at once.

The maximum employee EI premium for 2026 is $1,123.07 (1.63% on insurable earnings up to the $68,900 Maximum Insurable Earnings), or $895.70 for Quebec residents (1.30%, reduced because QPIP covers parental benefits). Employers pay 1.4× the employee premium — up to $1,572.30 per employee outside Quebec.

Quebec residents contribute to the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) instead of CPP — 6.30% in 2026 on the same $3,500–$74,600 band, for a maximum QPP1 contribution of $4,479.30 — plus the same 4.00% QPP2 second tier. They also pay a reduced EI rate (1.30%) and a separate QPIP (Quebec Parental Insurance Plan) premium of 0.43% up to $103,000 of insurable earnings, maxing at $442.90.