--- title: "Maternity and parental leave benefits in Canada" url: "https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/ei-parental" description: "Maternity and parental benefits in Canada: handled by Service Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada). Different in Quebec. From official sources." site: "Canada Service Map" author: "Mahmoud Halat" publisher: "Space & Story" lastReviewed: "2026-10-13" licence: "Built entirely from public data: open data and official government pages. Each record keeps the licence of its source, listed at https://canadaservicemap.ca/data." --- # Maternity and parental leave benefits in Canada Federal service · Family and children Compiled by Mahmoud Halat, checked 13 October 2026. Not a government website. The official page always has the final word. ## Short answer Employment Insurance pays maternity and parental benefits while you are off work with a new baby or newly adopted child. In Québec, the Québec Parental Insurance Plan pays them instead. Who handles it: [Service Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada)](https://canadaservicemap.ca/bodies/employment-and-social-development-canada). Handles it everywhere in Canada except Quebec (Québec Parental Insurance Plan (RQAP)). ## Official links - [EI maternity and parental benefits](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html), checked 12 October 2026 ## Who can apply - You need 600 hours of insured work in the 52 weeks before your claim starts, and your normal weekly earnings must have dropped by more than 40% for at least a week. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/eligibility.html), checked 13 October 2026. - Parents who share benefits get more weeks in total: 40 weeks of standard or 69 weeks of extended. One parent alone cannot take more than 35 standard or 61 extended weeks. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/apply.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## Steps 1. Apply online as soon as you stop working, and do not wait for your documents. You can apply for maternity and parental benefits at the same time. If sharing, each parent sends their own application and must pick the same option. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/apply.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## What you need - Have your SIN, the other parent's SIN if you plan to share, your employers and dates for the past 52 weeks, your bank details, and your child's expected or actual birth date or adoption placement date. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/apply.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## Cost - The weekly maximums come from the EI maximum insurable earnings, which is $68,900 a year from January 1, 2026. EI benefits are taxable. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit/benefit-amount.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## How much you get - Standard parental benefits pay up to $729 a week, for up to 35 weeks for one parent. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/apply.html), checked 13 October 2026. - Extended parental benefits spread a lower weekly payment over more weeks, up to $437 a week for up to 61 weeks for one parent. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/apply.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## How long it takes - If you are eligible and sent everything needed, your first payment comes about 28 days after you apply. If both maternity and parental benefits are claimed, the waiting period is served only once. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/after-applying.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## Where it works differently Service Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada) handles it everywhere else. | Province or territory | Who handles it | Official link | Good to know | |---|---|---|---| | [Quebec](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/ei-parental/quebec) | Québec Parental Insurance Plan (RQAP) | [Québec Parental Insurance Plan](https://www.quebec.ca/en/family-and-support-for-individuals/pregnancy-parenthood/financial-support-pregnant-women-families/quebec-parental-insurance-plan), checked 12 October 2026 | Québec residents apply to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, not EI. | ## Questions people ask ### How much does EI maternity leave pay? Maternity benefits pay 55% of your insurable earnings, up to a maximum of $729 a week, for up to 15 weeks. Parental benefits can follow, and you can apply for both at once. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html), checked 13 October 2026. ### Should I choose standard or extended parental benefits? Standard pays more each week for fewer weeks. Extended pays less each week over a longer period. Your choice sets both the number of weeks and the weekly amount, and you cannot change it after a parental payment is made. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html), checked 13 October 2026. ### Can both parents take parental benefits at the same time? Yes. Both parents must choose the same option and each must apply. You can take your weeks at the same time or one after the other. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html), checked 13 October 2026. ### Can I get EI maternity or parental benefits if I live in Quebec? No. Quebec runs its own program, the Québec Parental Insurance Plan, which pays maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits to Quebec residents. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html), checked 13 October 2026. ### How late can I start maternity benefits? You cannot get maternity benefits more than 17 weeks after your due date or the date you gave birth, whichever is later. Source: [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental/eligibility.html), checked 13 October 2026. ## Where to go in person - Service Canada Centres: [Toronto, ON](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/ontario/toronto/service-canada-centres) (9), [Montréal, QC](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/quebec/montreal/service-canada-centres) (6), [Calgary, AB](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/alberta/calgary/service-canada-centres) (4), [Ottawa, ON](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/ontario/ottawa/service-canada-centres) (3), [Edmonton, AB](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/alberta/edmonton) (2), [Winnipeg, MB](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/manitoba/winnipeg/service-canada-centres) (3), [Mississauga, ON](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/ontario/mississauga) (2), [Vancouver, BC](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/british-columbia/vancouver) (2), [Brampton, ON](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/ontario/brampton) (1), [Hamilton, ON](https://canadaservicemap.ca/places/ontario/hamilton) (2) ## More - [Canada Child Benefit (CCB)](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/canada-child-benefit) - [Register a baby's birth](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/register-birth) - [Get a marriage licence](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/marriage-licence) - [Get help paying for child care](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/child-care-subsidy) - [Find licensed child care or daycare](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/find-child-care) - [Collect child or spousal support](https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/child-support-enforcement) ## Cite this page Canada Service Map, "Maternity and parental leave benefits in Canada", checked 13 October 2026, https://canadaservicemap.ca/services/ei-parental