General leave for B.C. Government employees

Publication date: June 23, 2026

Resources for B.C. Government employees seeking approval for, and reporting general leaves of, absence with or without pay.

General leave without pay

Leave without pay is based on collective agreement provisions for bargaining unit employees and the terms and conditions of employment for excluded employees and appointees Part 09 – Leave (PDF, 87KB).

Review the General Leave Without Pay - Approval and Acknowledgment Letter (DOCX, 20KB) before talking to your supervisor. This letter explains the impacts of taking leave without pay.

Submit a written request to your supervisor that outlines your reason for taking leave.

If your leave is more than 30 calendar days, please be aware of the following:

For BCGEU or PEA employees, if the leave exceeds 30 days, seniority does not accrue for the entire period of the leave
You are not entitled to statutory holiday pay during the leave
You will not accrue vacation for months in which you do not work a minimum of 70 hours
Salary increments, if applicable, may be deferred or postponed. If you take a leave of absence without pay that lasts more than 30 consecutive calendar days (where at least 30 days of the leave are taken prior to the increment date), the increment date will be postponed by the period of the leave of absence. The deferred date will become your new anniversary date for salary increment increases
If you wish to maintain your benefits plan coverage (extended health, dental group life insurance and Long-Term Disability) by paying the premiums, submit the Option to Continue Employee Benefits While on Leave Without Pay or Layoff (PDF, 368KB) form through an AskMyHR service request using the category Myself or My Team or Organization > Benefits > Benefits While on Leave or Layoff. You will be contacted with the costs and your options for payment
You will not be eligible for sick leave and related disability benefits (short term illness and injury plan or long-term disability) since you are already on a leave
Pension contributions cannot be made while you are on a leave without pay, but after returning to work, you can purchase pensionable service for the time you were away

Reporting

If the leave is 30 calendar days or less:

Enter the leave in Time and Leave
Use the 'LWOP General' pay code

If the leave is more than 30 calendar days:

The supervisor and employee must sign a General Leave Without Pay - Approval and Acknowledgement letter (DOCX, 20KB)
Once it's been signed, a copy needs to be sent to AskMyHR for processing using the category My Team or Organization > Leave & Time Off > General Leave

Benefits while on general leave without pay

Benefits coverage is suspended for a leave greater than 30 calendar days for any calendar months that you don't receive pay. If you wish to maintain your coverage, please complete and send the Option to Continue Benefits While on Leave of Absence Without Pay or Layoff (PDF, 305KB) through AskMyHR Restricted Access by submitting a service request using the category Myself > Benefits > Benefits While on Leave. Full payment or monthly postdated cheques must be received within 30 days of the beginning of your leave, otherwise they will be considered waived.

Review monthly costs for benefits. Further information is available at benefits while on leave or layoff.

Cuso leave

If you’re volunteering for Cuso International, the employer will continue to cover the employer portion of the costs of your benefits. However, you must return to work for a period equal to the length of your leave. You will be responsible for the portion of any benefits that are employee paid, such as employee basic life insurance above the employer paid portion or any optional life insurance coverages.

Complete the Option to Continue Employee Benefits While on Leave to Volunteer for Cuso Projects form (PDF, 285KB) whether or not you wish to maintain the employee costs of your employee basic life / optional life insurance coverages. Submit it through an AskMyHR Restricted Access service request using the category Myself or My Team or Organization > Benefits > Benefits While on Leave or Layoff.

You are responsible for contacting AskMyHR Restricted Access (using the category Myself > Benefits > Benefits While on Leave or Layoff) when you return to work to reinstate any benefits that were not maintained during your approved leave of absence. For more information, visit the benefits while on leave or layoff page and refer to the section called “Re-enrolment for benefits coverage upon return to work."

Pension

Active members of the Public Service Pension Plan who meet the eligibility criteria can purchase service for periods when they didn’t make contributions.

Employees on an Employment Standards Act (ESA) leave have the option to make continuous pension contributions monthly throughout their leave or to pay to purchase the service after returning to work.

Please visit purchase of service or the Public Service Pension Plan website for more information.

General leave with pay

General leave with pay may be granted to excluded and PEA employees in extenuating circumstances. This leave is not available to BCGEU employees or nurses.

Submit a written request to your supervisor that outlines your reason for taking leave. Leaves will be granted for legitimate reasons. Exceptions include requests for leave to work for another employer or when it's not operationally possible for you to be absent.

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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