Benefits, pension and payroll while on maternity leave
Last updated on October 17, 2025
Learn about the options and choices you can make for your benefits, pension and payroll deductions while on maternity leave and how this leave affects your vacation time.
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Benefits
Benefits in place before your leave will remain in place during the leave, but you can cancel extended health and dental coverage and any optional life insurance plans
You must maintain Employee Basic Life Insurance and long-term disability coverage when you take maternity and/or parental leave. There is no option to waive this coverage
Cancelling benefits while on leave
Bargaining Unit benefits
To cancel extended health, dental or any of the optional life insurance plans you do not wish to maintain, review How to update your coverage on the Benefits for Bargaining Unit employees page.
You must maintain Employee Basic Life Insurance and long-term disability coverage when you take maternity and/or parental leave. There is no option to waive this coverage.
- If you cancelled coverage and return from your leave and want to re-enrol in Extended Health and Dental coverage, you can reapply right away
- If you missed open enrolment due to being on your leave, you will have the opportunity to make updates to your optional life insurance plans
- You will need to provide Evidence of Insurability for Bargaining Unit Benefits (PDF, 518KB) if you apply for optional life insurance for yourself and/or spouse
Flexible benefits for excluded employees
To cancel extended health, dental or any of the optional life insurance plans you do not wish to maintain, refer to How to update your coverage on the Benefits for excluded employees page.
You must maintain Employee Basic Life Insurance and long-term disability coverage. There's no option to waive this coverage.
If you cancel coverage under the Flexible Benefits Program, you'll receive additional flex credits each month for the length of your leave, or until you reinstate coverage during Open Enrolment or as a result of an eligible life event
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If you return from your leave in a new plan year, you will have the opportunity to make elections at that time and reinstate your benefits
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If you return from your leave in the same plan year, you will have to wait until the next Open Enrolment or an eligible life event to reinstate your benefits
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You will need to provide Evidence of Insurability for Flexible Benefits (PDF, 520KB) if you apply for optional life insurance for yourself and/or your spouse
These credits count as cash earnings and are recorded on your pay. You're responsible for reporting to Service Canada any monies paid or payable to you, cash or other, while receiving employment insurance, maternity or parental benefits
Continuing Optional Life Insurance coverage while on leave
Under the Employment Standards Act (Part 6), you can pay the premiums and maintain the Optional Life Insurance coverage if you:
- Are not eligible for top-up allowance
- Are taking the leave but not receiving any top-up allowance
- Waive your top-up allowance
- Defer your top-up allowance
The Optional life insurance plans include:
- Optional Family Funeral Benefit
- Employee Optional Life Insurance
- Spouse Optional Life Insurance
- Child Optional Life Insurance
- Employee Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
- Spouse Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
- Child Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
Within 30 days of starting your leave, complete the Option to Continue Employee Benefits While on Employment Standards Act Leave of Absence Without Pay form (PDF, 305KB).
If you do not maintain your Optional Life Insurance benefits, they will be considered waived. When you return, if you return within 3 months (90 days) from the start of your leave, any optional life insurance plans will be automatically reinstated. If you return after three months (90 days) from the start of your leave, any optional life insurance plans that does not require evidence of insurability can be reinstated. You'll need to reapply for optional employee and/or spouse optional life insurance and provide evidence of insurability. The insurance will not be effective until the carrier approves the application.
Refer to Benefits while on leave without pay.
Submit forms through an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: Myself (or) My Team or Organization > Benefits > Submit a Health Benefit Form/Application.
Vacation
Vacation accrual
In most cases, your entitlement will be pro-rated according to your maternity and/or parental leave dates. Vacation earned prior to your leave but not used in the same calendar year will be carried over, archived or paid out pursuant your collective agreement or Terms & Conditions of Employment regarding vacation carryover.
There is no accrual of vacation entitlement while on Maternity and/or Parental Leave as it is considered leave without pay unless:
You are a Bargaining Unit employee, vacation entitlements and vacation pay shall continue to accrue while on Maternity Leave and all three of these conditions apply:
- You return to work for a period not less than six months after being on leave, and
- You have not received parental allowance; and
- You were employed prior to March 28, 2001
OR:
You are covered under the Crown Counsel Agreement and return to work for a period not less than six months, vacation earned during Maternity and/or Parental leave are credited back.
Pension
Pension contributions are based solely on the maternity, parental or pre-placement adoption allowance you receive while you're on leave. You can purchase the remaining service for your leave within five years of the end of your leave period or before termination of employment, whichever occurs first.
If you are not returning to work after the leave, and you want to purchase the service, the application must be made while on leave (and therefore an active member) in order to be eligible to purchase.
If you do not apply to purchase a leave before terminating employment, you have lost the opportunity to purchase the service, even if you become an active plan member again.
Please note that if you have not gone on maternity leave yet and your baby is born early, you must notify us. Your maternity leave must start on the day that your baby is born. If you do not notify us, and your leave starts after your baby is born, this may impact your purchase of service.
Effective May 1, 2020, you have the option to make continuous pension contributions monthly throughout their leave.
For more information, refer to the:
​Payroll deductions
- You may wish to cancel some deductions from your pay while you're on leave.
- If you've applied for the Deferred Salary Leave program, you can suspend your contributions while on a temporary leave, such as maternity leave.
To suspend contributions, submit an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: Myself > Leave & Time Off > Deferred Salary Leave.
Deductions must commence once you return from your leave. Notify MyHR when you return from your leave to reinstate your deductions by submitting an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: Myself > Leave & Time Off > Deferred Salary Leave.