CPP & EI Maximum Calculator
Find out roughly when your CPP/QPP and EI deductions stop this year — and why a CPP2 line shows up.
Written and reviewed by Rocco Clayfield, Founder & DirectorLast reviewed
Short answer
CPP and EI are only deducted up to an annual maximum. Enter your salary and pay frequency and this tool estimates which pay period each one stops, using verified 2026 CRA and Revenu Québec figures. It is an estimate that assumes steady earnings and one employer.
Once you hit the annual ceiling, CPP (and CPP2) and EI stop for the rest of the year and your net pay usually rises. Quebec uses QPP, QPIP and a lower EI rate — tick the box for that.
Work out when CPP and EI stop
Uses verified 2026 CRA / Revenu Québec figures. An estimate only: it assumes equal earnings each pay period, one employer, and a full year starting in January. A mid-year start, raise, or second job changes the timing.
Enter your salary and pay frequency to estimate which pay period your CPP/QPP and EI deductions stop — and why a CPP2 line can appear.
FAQs
Why do my CPP and EI deductions stop partway through the year?
CPP and EI are only deducted up to an annual maximum. Once your year-to-date pensionable earnings reach the CPP ceiling, or your insurable earnings reach the EI maximum, those deductions stop for the rest of the year — which is why your take-home pay often rises later in the year.
What is the CPP2 line that appears mid-year?
CPP2 is a second contribution on earnings above the first CPP ceiling and up to a higher ceiling. It can appear once you pass the first ceiling, so it is not a double deduction — it is the next band of CPP.
How accurate is this estimate?
It uses verified 2026 figures but assumes equal earnings each pay period, one employer and a full year from January. A mid-year start, a raise, a bonus, or a second job will change the timing. For exact amounts, check the CRA (or Revenu Québec in Quebec).
Does this work for Quebec?
Yes. Tick the Quebec box and it uses QPP, QPIP and the lower Quebec EI rate instead of CPP and the standard EI rate.
Related guides & checkers
Official sources for this page
Every figure here is derived from these. Where a number matters to you, read it at the source — PayStub IQ Canada explains the rules, it does not set them.
- Guide T4127, Payroll Deductions Formulas — Canada Revenue Agency
- CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions — Canada Revenue Agency
- EI premium rates and maximums — Canada Revenue Agency
- QPP maximum pensionable earnings and contribution rate — Revenu Québec
- QPIP premium rates and maximum insurable earnings — Quebec Parental Insurance Plan
- Payroll Deductions Online Calculator — Canada Revenue Agency
Helpful guidance, not advice
PayStub IQ Canada provides educational payroll explanations based on the information visible in your document. It does not provide legal, tax, accounting, payroll, CRA, Revenu Québec, or employment standards advice. For official decisions or corrections, contact your employer, payroll department, CRA, Revenu Québec, your provincial or territorial employment standards office, or a qualified professional.