Maternity leave and allowance for BC Public Service employees

Last updated on January 21, 2026

This information is for people employed by the BC Public Service.

If you work for any other employer, please contact your Human Resources Office or review the maternity and parental leave information offered by Service Canada.

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. However, the entirety of the absence may include maternity leave, parental leave, and other earned leave banks. 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.

You may be eligible for:

Employment Insurance (EI) maternity benefits through the Government of Canada
Maternity leave allowance (commonly referred to as a "top up") through the BC Public Service. You must be eligible for EI to be eligible for the leave allowance

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
The application guides you through the process by providing relevant information for each of the sections
Features include a date picker and calculator to make it simpler to select the start date and length of leave
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 coverage continues during your leave, but you can make changes to your coverage within 60 days from the birth of your child as it’s considered an eligible life event
There may be a waiting period before EI benefits begin if you have not already served a waiting period. If you chose to take the allowance, you will be paid 85% of your basic pay for the waiting period
Applying for EI is a separate process. To be eligible for maternity leave allowance, you must be eligible for EI and submit proof of acceptance
Your supervisor may need to submit the EI documents on your behalf as your IDIR account and email access may be suspended during your leave
Leave allowance will be calculated and paid once your EI documents have been received
You may want to have additional taxes deducted during your leave
If you receive a leave allowance, you must return for 6 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.)

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