Maternity and Parental Leave Calculator (Canada and Quebec, 2026)
See what maternity and parental benefits would pay your family in 2026: the weekly amount, the weeks each parent can take, and the total, for EI in every province and for QPIP in Quebec. Compare the standard and extended options, or the basic and special QPIP plans, side by side, and add an employer top-up.
| Week by week | |
|---|---|
| Your maternity benefits: 15 weeks × $634.62 | $9,519.30 |
| Your parental benefits: 30 weeks × $634.62 | $19,038.60 |
| Other parent's parental benefits: 10 weeks × $634.62 | $6,346.20 |
| Benefits over 55 weeks | $34,904.10 |
| Waiting period before the first payment | 1 week |
Standard or extended?
| Standard | Extended | |
|---|---|---|
| Parental rate | 55% | 33% |
| Your weekly parental amount | $634.62 | $380.77 |
| Weekly maximum | $729 | $437 |
| Parental weeks, one parent | 35 | 61 |
| Parental weeks, shared | 40 | 69 |
| Window after the birth | 52 weeks | 78 weeks |
| Weeks with your inputs | 55 | 55 |
| Total with your inputs | $34,904 | $24,750 |
Extended spreads roughly the same money over more weeks at a lower weekly rate. For the same number of weeks it pays less. It only pays more in total if you take more weeks than the standard option allows. Once the first parental payment is made the choice cannot be changed, and both parents must pick the same option.
Show the math
Maternity: 15 weeks at 55% of average weekly insurable earnings, up to $729 a week, for the parent who gives birth only. Parental: 55% up to $729 a week on the standard option, 33% up to $437 on extended. One parent can take up to 35 standard or 61 extended weeks. When both parents share, the total rises to 40 or 69. Each parent's weekly amount uses their own earnings. A salary is divided by 52. Top-up = (your pay × the employer's share − the benefit that week) for the weeks entered, maternity weeks first. Not modelled: earnings while on claim, the family supplement, and the extra weeks for a hospitalized child or a premature birth.
How this calculator works
Outside Quebec, a new parent’s income comes from Employment Insurance. Two benefits stack.
Maternity benefits are for the parent who gives birth. They pay 55% of average weekly insurable earnings for 15 weeks, up to the standard weekly maximum. They are the same whichever parental option you pick.
Parental benefits are for either parent and can be shared. You choose one of two options when you apply, and the choice is final once payments start:
- Standard: 55% of earnings, up to $729 a week, for up to 35 weeks for one parent or 40 when both parents share. All weeks must be used within 52 weeks of the birth.
- Extended: 33% of earnings, up to $437 a week, for up to 61 weeks for one parent or 69 shared, within 78 weeks.
The extra shared weeks only exist when the second parent takes some of them. No single parent can take more than the one-parent maximum. You need 600 insurable hours in the last 52 weeks, and there is a 1-week waiting period before the first payment.
Average weekly insurable earnings is your pay over your best weeks before the claim. If you enter an annual salary the calculator divides it by 52. Each parent’s benefit uses that parent’s own earnings.
Employer top-up. Many employers pay the difference between EI and a share of your salary for a set number of weeks. Enter the share and the weeks under More options and the calculator adds the top-up to your weeks of leave, maternity weeks first.
In Quebec: the Québec Parental Insurance Plan
Quebec residents use QPIP instead. Earnings are averaged over the last 26 weeks and capped at $103,000 a year. You pick one of two plans, and both parents must be on the same one.
| Benefit | Basic plan | Special plan |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity (parent who gave birth) | 18 weeks at 70% | 15 weeks at 75% |
| Paternity (other parent) | 5 weeks at 70% | 3 weeks at 75% |
| Parental, shared in any split | 7 weeks at 70% then 25 weeks at 55% | 25 weeks at 75% |
| Bonus shared weeks when each parent takes at least the minimum | 4 weeks at 55%, minimum 8 each | 3 weeks at 75%, minimum 6 each |
On the basic plan the shared parental weeks are paid in order, the higher rate first. The calculator gives those weeks to whoever takes parental leave first, you and then the other parent. QPIP has no waiting period.
Worked example: Ontario, $60,000 salary, birth parent takes 30 parental weeks and the partner takes 10
| Line | Standard | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Average weekly earnings ($60,000 ÷ 52) | $1,153.85 | $1,153.85 |
| Maternity: 15 weeks × $634.62 | $9,519.30 | $9,519.30 |
| Your parental: 30 weeks × weekly amount | 30 × $634.62 = $19,038.60 | 30 × $380.77 = $11,423.10 |
| Partner’s parental: 10 weeks × weekly amount | $6,346.20 | $3,807.70 |
| Family total over 55 weeks | $34,904.10 | $24,750.10 |
Same weeks, $10,154 less on extended. Extended only wins if the family takes more weeks than standard allows.
The same family in Quebec on the basic plan, with the birth parent taking 24 parental weeks and the partner 8, gets $14,538.42 of maternity (18 weeks at $807.69), $4,038.45 of paternity, and parental weeks paid 7 weeks at $807.69 then 17 weeks at $634.62 for the birth parent and 8 weeks at $634.62 for the partner. Because each parent takes at least 8 parental weeks, the 4 bonus weeks are included. Family total: $40,096.20 over 55 weeks.
Assumptions
- One birth, with both parents eligible. Adoption, multiple births, a hospitalized child and a premature birth change the weeks and are not modelled.
- Each parent’s weekly amount uses their own earnings. The other parent is assumed to earn the same as you unless you enter their pay.
- The weeks you enter are clamped to the maximums of the option or plan. Weeks beyond them pay nothing.
- The employer top-up is treated as paid under a registered plan, so it does not reduce EI, and it is applied to your maternity weeks first, then your parental weeks.
- No earnings while on claim, no family supplement, and no tax. Benefits are taxable and tax comes off at source.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
- Can both parents be on leave at the same time?
- Yes. Parental weeks can be taken together, one after the other, or in separate blocks, as long as every week falls within the window after the birth or adoption. Taking them together shortens the total time the family is off but does not change the money. Each parent applies separately and each has their own waiting period, unless one was already served on the same birth.
- Do I need 600 hours with one employer?
- No. The hours come from all insurable jobs in the 52 weeks before your claim, added together. Part-time, seasonal and casual work all count as long as EI premiums were deducted. Self-employed people can qualify if they registered for the EI special benefits program in advance and meet its earnings test.
- Can I switch from extended to standard later?
- Not once parental benefits have started being paid. You choose when you apply, and both parents must choose the same option. Maternity benefits are the same on either option, so the choice only affects the parental weeks. Think about the total weeks you both plan to take before applying.
- Is an employer top-up taxable?
- Yes, it is employment income with the usual deductions. A top-up paid under a registered supplemental unemployment benefit plan does not reduce your EI. Most employers register their plans. If yours is not registered, the payments may be treated as earnings and clawed back from your benefit, so ask HR before your leave starts.
- What happens if I earn money while on parental leave?
- The working-while-on-claim rules apply. You keep part of what you earn and the rest comes off your benefit, and you must report every dollar on your bi-weekly report. In Quebec, QPIP lets you earn a set amount before benefits are reduced. Either way, report the earnings for the week you worked, not the week you were paid.
- Why is the extended option a worse deal?
- It is not always. Extended pays a lower rate for more weeks, and for the same number of weeks it pays less. If you plan to be off for more than the standard maximum, extended gives you benefits for those extra weeks that you would otherwise get nothing for. If you plan a shorter leave, standard pays more per week and more in total.
- How is QPIP different from EI?
- QPIP replaces EI maternity and parental benefits for Quebec residents. It has no waiting period, higher rates, a higher earnings cap, and paternity weeks reserved for the other parent that do not exist in EI. Quebec workers pay QPIP premiums and a lower EI rate. Regular EI for job loss still comes from Service Canada.
- What about adoption?
- Adoptive parents get parental benefits but not maternity benefits under EI, since those are for recovery from pregnancy. Under QPIP, adoption has its own set of weeks, including weeks for each parent and shared weeks. This calculator models a birth. For an adoption under EI, answer no to giving birth and use the parental weeks only.
Sources
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these primary sources. Data last verified .
- Service Canada – EI regular benefits: How much you could receive (modified 2026-08-31)
- Service Canada – EI regular benefits: Do you qualify (modified 2026-08-31)
- Service Canada – EI economic regions: current unemployment rates
- Service Canada – EI maternity and parental benefits: How much you could receive
- Service Canada – EI maternity and parental benefits: Do you qualify
- Québec.ca – QPIP: Choice of plan and types of benefits for a pregnancy or a birth (updated 2026-04-16)
- Québec.ca – QPIP: How is the benefit amount determined (updated 2026-02-26)
- Revenu Québec – Maximum insurable earnings and the QPIP premium rate (2026: $103,000)
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