Maternity and parental leave and benefits
Important Information: This webpage reflects the information based on CBI 205.461 - Maternity and Parental Allowance, effective 1 April 2025.
3. After becoming a parent
Follow these key steps after the birth or adoption of your child to ensure you receive financial support during this crucial time and experience smooth transition into a new chapter of your life.
Apply for financial support
Once your child is born, provide the Employment Insurance (EI) or Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) summary and one of the following documents to your Orderly Room (OR):
- birth certificate;
- other proof of the child’s birth (i.e. Hospital records showing date of admission and discharge);
- adoption certificate; or
- proof of guardianship.
Add your newborn child to the Public Service Health Care Plan and Public Service Dental Care Plan.
Applying for maternity or parental benefits
EI:
Apply for EI as early as your last full day of pay. If you wait more than 4 weeks after the last day of work to apply for the EI benefit, you may lose benefits. You will need to log in with your My Service Canada account.
If applicable, both parents must submit an application.
A Record of Employment (ROE) is needed to claim benefits under EI.
A ROE will be issued electronically by the OR within 5 calendar days after the end of the pay period when your earnings interruption occurs.
Submit your EI Benefit statement to your OR immediately upon receipt.
EI usually has a waiting period. During the waiting period, EI will not pay benefits. The CAF provides a deeming period of up to 14 days for the days that are not covered by EI. This waiting period is like a deductible that you pay for other types of insurance. If you apply for both maternity and parental benefits, you only need to serve the waiting period once. If parents are sharing parental benefits for the same child, in most cases only one parent will serve the waiting period.
While receiving benefits, you can access My Service Canada account to follow your file’s progress and make certain changes.
QPIP:
Apply for QPIP without delay to avoid any negative impact on your benefits. You will need to log in with your clicSÉQUR username and password.
If applicable, both parents must submit an application.
A ROE is needed to claim benefits under QPIP.
- The ROE will be issued electronically by the OR within 5 calendar days after the end of the pay period when your earnings interruption occurs.
Submit your QPIP Benefit Calculation Report to your OR immediately upon receipt.
While receiving benefits, you can access your online file to follow its progress and make certain changes.