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Planning your parental leave

Last updated on January 15, 2026

Parental leave is available to parents of a newborn or newly adopted child. There are 2 options:

  • Standard parental leave (up to 37 consecutive weeks)
  • Extended parental leave (up to 63 consecutive weeks)

On this page

Overview

Parents welcoming a new baby are entitled to parental leave of up to 63 consecutive weeks.

If you're combining parental leave with maternity leave, follow the steps for maternity leave.

Where both parents are BC Public Service employees, they each qualify for the full amount of unpaid parental leave. Both parents are required to choose the same parental allowance option, either standard or extended, if they are sharing the allowance.

However, the parental top-up allowance will not exceed 35 weeks (standard parental) or 61 weeks (extended parental) between both parents.  You must decide if the top-up allowance will be split or if one parent will receive the top-up allowance for all the weeks.

Where the spouse is not a BC Public Service employee and they apply to take extended parental benefits through Employment Insurance (EI), the employee must indicate extended parental leave on the Maternity, Parental Leave and Allowance Digital Application. This applies even if they're taking 35 weeks or less of leave. 

​Confirm eligibility

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

If you're not eligible for parental leave and allowance under the terms and conditions of employment or a collective agreement, your leave follows the Employment Standards Act.

You must complete the following letter:

Your supervisor submits the documents through an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: My Team or Organization > Leave & Time Off > Maternity, Parental, Adoption.

When to begin parental leave

Employment Insurance (EI) pay periods run Sunday to Saturday inclusive. EI will not pay for partial weeks.  It’s in your best interest to have your last day of pay be a Friday, if possible.

As the birth parent:

You can start parental leave immediately following the conclusion of your maternity leave.

As the non-birth parent:

  • You can start parental leave immediately following the birth or placement of the adoptive child. Parental leave cannot begin before the baby’s birth or child’s placement.
  • You can choose to begin parental leave anytime within a 78-week period following the birth or placement of the adoptive child. It does not need to be taken right away.

Under Employment Insurance, you can receive parental benefits within a specific period starting the week after your child’s date of birth or the date your child is placed with you for the purpose of adoption. The periods are:

Standard parental: within 52 weeks (12 months)

Extended parental: within 78 weeks (18 months)

Therefore, if any part of the leave falls outside the 52 weeks for standard parental allowance, or 78 weeks for extended parental allowance, there's no EI or leave allowance for that portion.

Parental sharing benefit

When parents agree to share parental benefits, and they qualify for Employment Insurance (EI), the parental sharing benefit provides an additional amount of benefits for the parents as part of the parental leave:

  • 5 weeks for the standard parental leave option
  • 8 weeks for the extended parental leave option

Sharing parental leave

Benefit name

Maximum weeks

Benefit rate

Standard parental

Up to 40 weeks, but one parent cannot take more than 35 weeks of standard leave.

55%*

Extended parental

Up to 69 weeks, but one parent cannot take more than 61 weeks of extended leave.

33%*

*up to a weekly maximum

If both parents are BC Public Service employees, the parental leave allowance is payable (upon proof of acceptance by EI) if the maximum allowable allowance has not already been paid:

  • 35 weeks for standard parental
  • 61 weeks for extended parental

Parental sharing must be taken consecutively with parental leave.

Maximum eligible weeks

Parental sharing benefit*

No parental sharing benefit

Maternity leave waiting period = 2 weeks
+

Maternity leave waiting period = 2 weeks
+

Maternity leave = 15 weeks
+

Maternity leave = 15 weeks
+

Sharing: standard parental leave = 35 weeks + 5** weeks parental sharing benefit
OR

Standard parental leave = 35 weeks
+

Sharing: extended parental leave = 61 weeks + 8*** weeks parental sharing benefit

Extended parental leave = 26 weeks

* To be eligible for parental sharing benefits, both parents must share Employment Insurance parental benefits.

** If both parents are sharing the standard parental leave, they can receive up to 40 weeks, but one parent cannot receive more than 35 weeks of standard benefits.

 *** If both parents are sharing the extended parental leave, they can receive up to 69 weeks, but one parent cannot receive more than 61 weeks of extended benefits.

Parental sharing must be taken consecutively with parental leave.

 

Timeline: parental leave and leave allowance applications

You will need to complete and submit the following application to your supervisor:

Before your parental leave begins

Allowance

To be entitled to parental leave allowance, you are agreeing that you will return to work immediately after your leave ends and remain employed by the BC Public Service for at least 6 months or the length of the leave you take, whichever is longer. If you do not, you will have to pay back all the allowance you received.

If you're unsure if you'll return after your leave, you may want to defer, or not take, the parental leave allowance. Refer to Parental leave allowance: information for BC Public Service employees

Benefits

If you do not want to continue your benefits coverage, you must cancel coverage for the duration of your leave. There's no option to cancel Employee Basic Life Insurance and long-term disability (LTD) coverage. Ensure you review Benefits, pension, vacation accrual and payroll deductions.

Taxes

In some cases, your pay may not have enough taxes deducted. If you want additional taxes deducted from your parental leave allowance, submit a TD1 form (Canada Revenue Agency) through an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: Myself > Submit a Form or Document > Direct Deposit/Tax Forms (TD1)

At least 4 weeks before you start your leave

You

Submit the following documents to your supervisor:

OR

If you’re not eligible for parental leave and allowance under the terms and conditions of employment or a collective agreement, your leave follows the Employment Standards Act. You must complete the following letter:

In either case, you must also submit:

  • A copy of the adoption papers, if applicable (if the adoption has already taken place). Send the adoption papers to your supervisor as soon as they’re available.
  • If the birth or adoption is in the future, submit your application to your supervisor to submit to AskMyHR for processing. Parental leave cannot begin before the baby’s birth or placement of the adoptive child; therefore, you must notify your supervisor if there’s an amendment required to the start and end dates of your leave

Your supervisor

Once you complete and submit your Maternity, Parental Leave and Allowance Digital Application, your supervisor will receive a notification to review and approve it. Once your supervisor approves it, a service request will automatically be created.

If you submitted a letter to your supervisor, they will submit the letter through an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: My Team or Organization > Leave & Time Off > Maternity, Parental, Adoption.

If you or your supervisor have any questions, contact AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) by submitting a service request using the categories: Myself (or) My Team or Organization > Leave & Time Off > Maternity, Parental, Adoption.

When your parental leave begins

  • Apply for Employment Insurance on the Government of Canada website
  • Payroll Services will electronically submit your record of employment (ROE) directly to Service Canada
  • The earliest an ROE can be issued is 5 days after the end of the pay period in which your leave started. If you didn’t take maternity leave prior to parental leave, plan for a delay between your last paycheque and your first EI payment and allowance (if claiming).

After your first EI payment

Once you receive your first EI payment, and you applied for parental leave allowance, submit an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories: Myself > Leave & Time Off > Maternity, Parental, Adoption.

Include the following:

  • Your name and employee number
  • A copy of your 'My Latest Claim' EI page. It should show:
    • Service Canada header
    • Your name
    • Type of benefit
    • Your benefit waiting period dates (if applicable)
    • Benefit amount
    • Start and end dates of your approved EI claim

If you cannot access AskMyHR, send the information to your supervisor to submit for you.

After the birth or adoption

Update your extended health and dental benefits and your life insurance.

You have 60 days from the birth of your baby to make changes to your Optional Life Insurance selections or to your flexible benefits options, if applicable.

One month before your parental leave ends

Inform your supervisor in writing at least one month before the end of your parental leave if: