EI maternity and parental benefits: What these benefits offer
What these benefits offer
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Employment Insurance maternity and parental benefits provide financial assistance to:
- people who are away from work because they're pregnant or have recently given birth
- parents who are away from work to care for their newborn or newly adopted child
You could receive 55% of your earnings, up to a maximum of $668 a week.
Residents of Quebec
The Province of Quebec is responsible for providing maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits to its residents. Visit the Québec Parental Insurance Plan for more information.
Maternity benefits
Maternity benefits are only available to the person who is away from work because they're pregnant or have recently given birth. They can't be shared between parents.
The person receiving maternity benefits may also be entitled to parental benefits.
Parental benefits
Parental benefits are available to the parents of a newborn or newly adopted child.
You must choose between 2 options:
- standard parental benefits
- extended parental benefits
Your choice determines the number of weeks and the weekly amount you'll receive.
If sharing, each parent must choose the same option and submit their own application. Parents can receive their weeks of benefits at the same time or one after another.
Although you don't have to take weeks of parental benefits consecutively, you must take them within specific periods starting the week of your child's date of birth or the week your child is placed with you for the purpose of adoption.
These periods are:
- standard parental: within 52 weeks (12 months)
- extended parental: within 78 weeks (18 months)
Before you apply, consider carefully whether standard or extended parental benefits are better for you. You can't change between standard and extended parental benefit options once a week of parental benefits has been paid to you, or if a payment has been made to the other parent when benefits are shared.
Maternity and parental benefits overview
| Benefit name | Maximum weeks | Benefit rate | Weekly max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternity* (for the person giving birth) | up to 15 weeks | 55% | up to $668 |
| Benefit name | Maximum weeks | Benefit rate | Weekly max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard parental | up to 40 weeks can be shared between parents, but one parent cannot receive more than 35 weeks of standard benefits | 55% | up to $668 |
| Extended parental | up to 69 weeks can be shared between parents, but one parent cannot receive more than 61 weeks of extended benefits | 33% | up to $401 |
*Maternity benefits can be followed by parental benefits. You can apply for both at once.
Examples of maternity and parental benefits
Maternity plus standard parental benefits
Natalie is taking time off work to recover from childbirth. She is sharing parental benefits with her partner to care for their newborn. She takes the maximum:
15 weeks of maternity
+35 weeks of standard parental
=50 weeks total for Natalie
Her partner can apply for up to 5 weeks of standard parental benefits to care for the baby.
If Natalie chooses to take fewer weeks of parental benefits, her partner can apply for more.
Maternity plus extended parental benefits
Kelsey is taking time off work to recover from childbirth. She is sharing extended parental benefits with her partner to care for their newborn. She takes the maximum:
15 weeks of maternity
+61 weeks of extended parental
=76 weeks total for Kelsey
Her partner can apply for up to 8 weeks of extended parental benefits to care for the baby.
If Kelsey chooses to take fewer weeks of parental benefits, her partner can apply for more.
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