Employment insurance maternity and parental benefits are offered to those who have given birth or who are carrying a child. In both of these cases, the parent is not capable of working and this is where the state gets involved and offers some financial help. Those who are adopting a child or taking care of a newborn baby can also apply for these benefits. In most cases, getting this type of financial help is quite easy and usually takes less than one month.


Applying

Most of the time, applying for this type of financial help is only possible if the parent can prove that his or hers earnings have decreased by at least 40% in the previous month. Those who are interested in applying should know that the sooner you make your claim, the higher the chances to be accepted. Those who notice a 40% decrease in earning should accelerate the process because if too many months go by, they might not be eligible anymore. A few years ago, self-employed people weren’t eligible, but now everyone can apply for employment insurance maternity and parental benefits. There are a few documents that will have to be presented, but they differ from state to state.


Payment details

After being accepted, the first payment will be made 28 days after the date of the application. Those who are not accepted will receive a notice in 14 days. The maximum amount that can be offered is around $450 per week, but this will mainly depend on the insured amount. Employment insurance maternity and parental benefits can be offered for a total of 50 weeks combined. Maternity benefits will usually cover the mother for 15 weeks and the checks can only be collected between 8 weeks before the birth and 17 weeks after it. If the child has to be hospitalized, the 17 week deadline can be extended.

Parental benefits can be collected for a maximum of 35 weeks and these checks are offered to both natural and adoptive parents. Similar to the extension offered for maternity benefits, parental benefits can be offered for up to 104 weeks if the child is hospitalized. These timelines may differ from state to state, but one thing is certain; employment insurance maternity and parental benefits are currently offered to parents who can’t go to work and need some financial help. Anyone who is in this situation should consider applying for this type of financial help.

Every parent or soon to be parent should take a closer look at employment insurance maternity and parental benefits. Most people who are about to bring a baby into their family could use the help and getting it is quite easy as long as you fit the requirements. Applying for this type of financial help only takes a few minutes and it can make an important difference in the long run.