CPP & EI Contribution Calculator

Enter your income to see this year’s CPP base contribution, the CPP2 layer above the first ceiling, and EI premiums — with the employer match alongside. Ceilings and rates are current for the 2025 tax year.

2025 tax year rates All 13 provinces Updates as you type

Your income

$

How it works. CPP has two layers: the base 5.95% on earnings between the $3,500 exemption and the $71,300 ceiling (YMPE), and CPP2 at 4% on the band from $71,300 to $81,200 (YAMPE). EI takes 1.64% of insurable earnings up to $65,700. Self-employed people pay both CPP halves and pay no EI unless they opt in for special benefits.

Your contributions this year

$0

Employee contributions on $0 of income

CPP $0 EI $0
CPP base (5.95% up to $71,300)$0
CPP2 (4% from $71,300 to $81,200)$0
EI (1.64% up to $65,700)$0
Your employer also pays (CPP match + 1.4 × EI)$0
Total you pay$0

Self-employed workers pay both halves of CPP; EI is optional for them through the special-benefits opt-in. Contributions stop for the year once each ceiling is reached.

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This calculator uses published rates. Your actual position depends on the credits, deductions and structure behind your numbers.

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How CPP and EI contributions are built

The Canada Pension Plan takes 5.95% of earnings between the $3,500 basic exemption and the year's maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE) of $71,300. A second layer, CPP2, takes 4% of the band between the YMPE and the additional ceiling (YAMPE) of $81,200 — so higher earners contribute on more of their income than the single ceiling used to allow. EI premiums run at 1.64% of insurable earnings up to $65,700. Employers match CPP and CPP2 dollar for dollar and pay 1.4 times the employee's EI premium on top. In return, CPP builds retirement, disability and survivor benefits, and EI funds income support between jobs and during parental leave.

Self-employed people fund both CPP halves themselves — flip the status above and the calculator doubles the contribution — and pay no EI unless they opt into the special-benefits program. If you run payroll for staff, our payroll service handles the withholding, and the take-home pay calculator shows the same deductions from the employee's side of the cheque.

What this calculator does not cover

Quebec runs its own plan: workers there contribute to the QPP, not the CPP, at Quebec's own rates and ceilings, so these figures do not apply to Quebec payroll. Some employers also qualify for a reduced EI rate when they provide a qualifying short-term wage-loss plan, which this tool does not model, and it does not estimate the pension or benefits your contributions will eventually pay out. For withholding set-up and remittances, see our payroll service.

2025 CPP and EI parameters
Parameter2025
CPP earnings ceiling (YMPE) $71,300
CPP2 ceiling (YAMPE) $81,200
Basic exemption $3,500
CPP rate (each side) 5.95%
CPP2 rate 4.00%
EI insurable maximum $65,700
EI employee rate 1.64%

Rates reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Certified Tax Accountant. Federal and provincial rates change annually, and this tool is an estimate for planning rather than tax advice. Confirm current figures before relying on them for a filing.

Frequently asked questions

An employee maxes out at $4,034 of base CPP — 5.95% of the gap between the $3,500 exemption and the $71,300 ceiling — plus $396 of CPP2, about $4,430 in total. A self-employed person pays both halves, so the ceiling is roughly $8,860. Earn at or above $81,200 and you hit both maximums.
It is a second contribution band that sits on top of the traditional ceiling: 4% of earnings between the YMPE of $71,300 and the YAMPE of $81,200, matched by the employer. If you earn less than $71,300 you never pay it; at $81,200 or more it adds $396 per side for the year.
Not by default — EI is optional for the self-employed. You can register for the special-benefits program to access maternity, parental, sickness and caregiving benefits, and you then pay the employee premium on your earnings. Regular job-loss benefits are not part of that deal, so many self-employed people skip it.
CPP and EI are withheld per cheque until your cumulative earnings reach each ceiling — $71,300 for base CPP, $81,200 for CPP2 and $65,700 for EI. Higher earners hit the maximums partway through the year, which is why late-year paycheques are noticeably larger than January ones.
Your employer matches your CPP and CPP2 dollar for dollar and pays 1.4 times your EI premium. On the default $90,000 income that is roughly $5,939 of employer-side cost that never shows on your pay stub. The calculator prints the match line whenever you select employee.
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