Accessing EI Maternity and Parental Benefits

The Employment Insurance (EI) program offers temporary financial assistance to you while you are on a maternity or parental leave of absence. This assistance is administered through Service Canada. The province of Quebec is responsible for providing maternity, paternity, parental and adoption benefits to residents of Quebec through a program called the Quebec Parental Insurance Program (QPIP).

Types of Benefits

• Employment Insurance (EI);
• Supplemental Benefits (top‐up), not exceeding 93% of an employee’s salary.

EI maternity benefits are offered to biological mothers, including surrogate mothers, who cannot work because they are pregnant or have recently given birth.

EI parental benefits are offered to parents who are caring for a newborn or newly adopted child. Parental benefits are available to biological, adoptive, or legally recognized parents.

Supplemental Benefits are offered to parents who are eligible for maternity or parental benefits under the Employment Insurance (EI) or the Québec Parental Insurance plan (QPIP).

• Parents receive 93% of their weekly rate of pay for the week of the waiting period under the Supplemental Unemployment Benefit Plan, minus any earnings made during this period.
• For each week that the parent is eligible, he or she receives the difference between 93% of his or her weekly rate and the maternity or parental benefit minus any earnings made during this period.

Going on Maternity or Parental leave soon

Always apply for EI benefits as soon as you stop working. You must apply online for EI Maternity and Parental benefits through the Service Canada Website. Your Record of Employment (ROE) is processed electronically and will be sent directly to Service Canada. You can access it through the My Service Canada account on the Service Canada website. Complete the application process even if your ROE has not shown up on the account. This will ensure faster processing of your claim once the ROE is received.

Before you can start receiving EI benefits, there is a one‐week waiting period when you will not be paid EI. Your government maternity or parental benefits provide a supplemental payment for this waiting period.

It is important to confirm your home and mailing address in the HR system (PeopleSoft) and Phoenix pay system before you start your leave, and update it if needed.

Steps to follow:

• Print your last two pay stubs before you leave work.
• Apply for EI as soon as you leave work; you will receive EI or QPIP benefits after a one‐week waiting period.
• If your top-up payment is not processed on time and you require a priority payment, contact your manager and the Pay Support Team.

How to Receive Supplemental Benefits

You must provide the original letter of entitlement or your payment stubs for EI or QPIP Benefits to the Public Service Pay Centre (Pay Centre) as soon as you receive them. This documentation confirms your eligibility to receive your supplemental benefit (top‐up) payments.

Subsequent proof of EI payments should be provided to the Pay Centre at the end of the leave.

Already on Leave Without Pay

If you are experiencing financial hardship, priority payments may be available to you. Your Pay Support Team or your manager can help with this process

If you are an employee who has already left the workplace (on leave):

1. Contact your manager and the Pay Support Team to request priority payment if needed.
2. Contact the Pay Support Team to ask for a printed copy of your pay stubs to be sent to your home address.
3. Apply for EI online via the Service Canada Website.

If you are a manager with employees who are already on leave without pay:

1. Help your employee access information and systems unreachable from outside the office or outside the government network.
2. Contact your employees to ensure they have applied for EI Maternity or Parental benefits.

If required, contact the Pay Support Team to arrange for a printout of your employee’s last two pay stubs to be mailed to the employee’s home address.