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Extending maternity leave

Last updated on January 15, 2026

The standard one week delay before receiving EI benefits has been temporarily waived for all new claims that start between March 30, 2025 and April 11, 2026. You may want to serve the waiting period if you're eligible for a top-up allowance.

Most employees choose to take parental leave immediately following the end of their 17 weeks of maternity leave.

Below are the ways to extend your time off after your maternity leave.

Parental leave

Parental leave is available following the 17 weeks of maternity leave and extends time off up to 78 weeks (18 months) for the birth parent.

On your application, you can select whether to apply for:

  • Up to 52 weeks as standard parental leave
  • Up to 78 weeks as extended parental leave

Once you have made your selection, you can provide your supervisor with notice if you wish to extend your leave (if it does not exceed 78 weeks in total) or return from your leave early.

If you're taking parental leave and have included this leave with your maternity leave application, please refer to the parental leave timeline. 

Employer paid benefits are maintained throughout your parental leave but if you are not receiving leave allowance, you will need to complete the Option to Continue Employee Benefits While on Employment Standards Act Leave of Absence Without Pay form (PDF, 441KB) if you would like to maintain any optional life insurance plans. Otherwise, they are considered waived. For more information, please visit the Benefits while on leave or layoff page.

Extended childcare leave

  • The total combined leave can be up to 78 weeks (18 months)
  • If you are a regular employee, you can take this leave without pay at the end of your leave as long as you have not already taken the full 78 weeks (18 months) of maternity and extended parental leave
  • Extended childcare leave follows the same rules as a general leave without pay for benefits coverage and pension contributions
  • Benefits are not maintained if the leave is one calendar month or longer. More information about maintaining benefit coverage can be found on Careers & MyHR under Benefits while on leave or layoff
  • When purchasing your service back, if the leave is more than 30 calendar days, the employee pays both the employer and employee portion of the purchase. For more information, refer to the:
  • Send a written request to your supervisor at least 4 weeks before the end of your initial leave

Vacation

  • You can request to use earned vacation before or after your maternity/parental leave to extend your time off work. Request vacation leave through your supervisor for approval
  • Your vacation entitlement will be pro-rated for the period that you are off on leave
  • Look up your annual vacation entitlement