How to reach Service Canada by phone
Call the line for your benefit: 1-800-206-7218 for Employment Insurance or 1-800-277-9914 for the Canada Pension Plan, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with your SIN ready. Or let your simp wait on hold for up to 6 minutes, then let you know so you can take over, because the conversation about your file is yours.
What you can do yourself.
Everything here is from Service Canada's own contact pages, read on the date under the steps.
Employment Insurance1-800-206-7218 from Canada and the US, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Have your SIN and the access code Service Canada mailed you.
Canada Pension Plan1-800-277-9914 from Canada and the US, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, local time. Have your SIN ready.
Know the published waitService Canada's standard is to answer within 10 minutes. On the EI line, the average for the week of September 28, 2026 was 11 minutes. If the queue is longer than 6 minutes, your simp lets you know so you can take over, and the call ends if you don't.
Calling for someone else?Through My Service Canada Account, they can authorize someone to communicate with Service Canada on their behalf.
The catch: none of this shortens the queue. You still wait, and it's your file, so you're the one the officer needs to talk to.
How a simp does it.
Alex had a question about an Employment Insurance claim. Colleen waited through the menu and the hold music, told the officer who it was calling for, and Alex tapped Take over.
Colleen - Hold for Service CanadaOutgoing - AI number - 5:07- 00:00 - Phone menuThank you for calling. Your call will be answered by the next available officer.
- 04:41 - OfficerThanks for waiting. How can I help?
- 04:44 - ColleenHi, this is Colleen, an AI calling from Simp for Alex. This call is transcribed. Alex has a question about an Employment Insurance claim and will speak with you directly.
- 04:55 - OfficerOkay. I'll need to confirm the claimant's identity before we discuss the file.
- 04:59 - ColleenPlease hold - I'm connecting you to Alex. This call will continue to be transcribed for their records.
Alex took over for the identity check. 4 minutes of hold music Alex didn't hear.
Your simp holds. You take over.
Tell your simp who to call and why. It works through the phone menu and waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. Follow the call live in the Simp app, and when a person answers, tap Take over: your simp tells them it's connecting you, and the call rings through to your phone.
Keep the app to hand while it waits.
Your claim or pension file is about you, so your simp leaves that conversation to you rather than speaking for you. Follow the call live in the app, and tap Take over when an officer answers.
- Your simp waitsThrough the phone menu, and on hold for up to 6 minutes. If nobody answers by then, it lets you know so you can take over.
- A person answersYour simp says it's an AI calling for you, by your first name.
- You tap Take overYour simp tells them it's connecting you, and the call rings through to your phone.
Questions about calling Service Canada.
Can my simp talk to Service Canada for me?
It can wait on hold for up to 6 minutes, then let you know so you can take over, and if an officer answers first, you tap Take over. Your file is about you, and Service Canada's route for anyone else is to be authorized through My Service Canada Account, so the conversation is yours.
See the steps aboveHow do I take over the call?
Follow the call live in the Simp app and tap Take over. Your simp tells the person it's connecting you, and the call rings through to your phone. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. Any call your simp is handling ends after 10 minutes. You can also end the call from the app at any time.
What your simp is allowed to doWill they know they're talking to an AI?
Yes. At the start of every call your simp says it's an AI calling for you, by your first name, and that the call is transcribed.
What your simp is allowed to doDoes it use my AI minutes?
Yes. The whole call counts towards your monthly AI minutes, time on hold included. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. You can top up in the app if you run low.
Compare the plans
Let your simp do the waiting.
Every plan comes with a simp that waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over.
More guides.
All guides- LiamExample call - 4:38How to get through to the CRAThe line, the hours and what to have ready - then tap Take over when an agent answers.Alex took over for the identity check. 4 minutes of hold music Alex didn't hear.
GordExample call - 3:31How to get through to your utilityThe number on your bill, what to have ready, and what to do if it isn't sorted.Alex took over for the identity check. 3 minutes of hold music Alex didn't hear.- LiamExample call - 5:00How to get through to a humanThe menu options that skip the queue, and the times lines are quietest.You tapped Take over. 4 minutes of hold music you did not hear.