More topics

Maternity leave and allowance for BC Public Service employees

Last updated on October 17, 2025

Maternity leave provides expectant birth-parents time away from work when welcoming a child.

Overview

Maternity leave is available for the birthing parent and must begin on, or up to 13 weeks before, the baby’s due date.

You may hear people say they are taking a year, or a year-and-a-half, of maternity leave. You can take up to 17 weeks of maternity leave followed by parental leave up to a combined total of 52 or 78 weeks. You can also use other forms of time off like your earned leave banks.

Part of your pay during these leaves comes from Employment Insurance (EI), which you need to apply for on your own. There is a leave allowance (sometimes called a “top up”) available from the BC Public Service which you can apply for after you receive your first EI payment.

Eligibility

Check your BC Public Service employment terms and conditions and agreements to confirm what maternity benefits are offered:

If you're an auxiliary employee without leave benefits, your maternity leave is per the Employment Standards Act.

Steps to apply

The simplest way to apply for maternity leave and allowance is to use the digital journey guided application.

  • Your information is pre-populated, resulting in quicker application time, fewer errors, and less manual effort
  • Features include a date picker and calculator to make it simpler to select the start date and length of leave
  • The application guides you through the process by providing relevant information for each of the sections
  • You can save it as a draft and return to it to make edits before you submit it for approval

If you cannot access the digital journey guided application, you will need to fill out and submit a form.

Things to consider

  • There will most likely be a gap in your pay between your last day worked and the first day you receive EI payments
  • Benefits remain in effect during your leave
  • You can choose to reduce or eliminate optional coverage
  • You may want to have additional taxes deducted during your leave
  • Leave allowance is calculated and paid after you receive your first EI payment and submit your EI information about your EI case to your supervisor (who will submit it to payroll using the AskMyHR submission platform)
  • Your supervisor may need to submit information on your behalf using AskMyHR because your IDIR account and email access may be suspended
  • Your new dependent can be added to your plan within 60 days and you can make changes to your plan at this time as it’s considered an eligible life event
  • If you receive a leave allowance, you must return for six months, or the length of your leave, whichever is longer. If you do not, you will need to repay your allowance.
  • Upon returning to work, some things will need to be re-configured and submitted (schedules, etc.)