Leaves and benefits for new and expecting parents
Reviewed: December 2023
Ontario’s Employment Standards Act gives unpaid pregnancy and parental leaves.
Parents can also get paid Employment Insurance (EI) maternity and parental benefits.
For more details, read Taking time off work: For new and expecting parents.
| Reason for time off | Who’s eligible | Pregnancy leave | EI maternity benefits | Important dates |
| Pregnancy | People who are pregnant or have just given birth.
To take the leave, you worked for your employer for at least 13 weeks before your due date. To get EI benefits, your weekly earnings went down by more than 40%. |
Lasts up to 17 weeks.
If you have a miscarriage or a stillbirth, your leave can continue for at least 12 weeks after that happens. This means that your leave could be longer than 17 weeks. |
You get 55% of your normal salary, up to $668 a week.
Last up to 15 weeks. |
Earliest you can:
Latest you can:
* To get the full 15 weeks, apply no later than one week after your baby is due or is born. |
| Reason for time off | Who’s eligible | Pregnancy leave | EI maternity benefits | Important dates |
| Newborn or newly adopted child | To take the leave, you worked for your employer for at least 13 weeks.
Applies to any parent of the child, including someone who is:
To get EI benefits, your weekly earnings went down by more than 40%. Applies to biological parents, parents who adopt, and others who the law sees as parents. |
Lasts up to 61 weeks if you gave birth. Lasts up to 63 weeks if you did not give birth. | Standard benefits:
You get an extra 5 weeks if you share with another parent. But no one can take more than 35 weeks. Extended benefits:
You get an extra 8 weeks if you share with another parent. But no one can take more than 61 weeks. |
Earliest you can start your leave or get EI benefits is the day your child:
Latest you can:
|
For more about workers’ rights, visit stepstojustice.ca/emp-work. This is general information for people in Ontario, Canada. It is not legal advice.
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