Maternity leave in Quebec: how does it work?

This is an article I’ve wanted to write for a long time, since I’ve been on maternity leave, to be honest! Maternity leave in Quebec is really interesting. It’s quite well-paid and lasts a long time. But it’s not necessarily straightforward to understand at first glance.

In this article, I try to simplify the situation. Here you’ll find:

Enrolling in QPIP when expecting a child

The organization responsible for managing payment during maternity leave in Quebec is called the QPIP, the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan. It’s where you create your file and where all benefits are issued.

Here, I present the two most common situations in Quebec, especially the one I’m familiar with. So, we’re talking about maternity leave in the case of a couple expecting a single child.

Conditions for qualifying for maternity leave

First, to qualify for RQAP benefits, certain conditions must be met:

Be a Quebec resident when maternity leave begins (temporary residents work too!).
Reduce your working hours by at least 40%.
Have earned at least $2,000 during the reference period (i.e. the period taken into account for calculating benefits. This is generally the year preceding the start of the leave).
Have paid a contribution to the QPIP during the reference period (normally automatically taken into account in the charges on your pay slip).

How long does maternity leave last in Quebec?

This is probably the first question on your mind. At least, it’s the one I’ve heard the most. At most, maternity leave can last for 1 year. It varies depending on the chosen plan and the parents’ choices.

First, you need to understand the difference between three terms:

Maternity leave is reserved for biological mothers. It can begin during pregnancy, up to a maximum of 16 weeks before the expected date of delivery, and last a maximum of 18 weeks after delivery.
Paternity leave is for biological fathers. It generally begins on the day of delivery.
Parental leave begins after maternity or paternity leave. It applies to the mother, father or adoptive parents.

In Quebec, mothers tend to work right up until 7 to 10 days before giving birth.

Personally, I wanted some time for myself before the baby arrived, so I stopped working 6 weeks before my expected due date… And by luck, because this eager little one arrived a month early!

How much are you paid during maternity leave in Quebec?

The payment varies depending on the type of maternity leave chosen. It can range from 75% to 55% of income, depending on the selected plan and the duration of parental benefits.

First option: the basic plan

The basic plan lasts longer but has lower compensation. This is the one my partner and I chose.

For mothers, it starts with 18 weeks of maternity leave paid at 70%. For fathers, there are 5 weeks of paternity leave paid at 70%.

Know that sometimes companies compensate for the loss of salary during maternity leave. For example, in my case, my company compensated the 70% so that I received 100% of my salary for the first 18 weeks. My partner had the same arrangement during his paternity leave.

Then, we move on to parental leave. There are a total of 32 weeks, which can be shared between the mother and father. The first 7 weeks are paid at 70%, and the following 25 weeks are paid at 55%.

To encourage fathers to take leave, the government offers an additional 4 weeks paid at 55% if the father takes at least 8 weeks of parental leave.

Personally, I took the full parental leave. Since my partner had unlimited vacation days at his company, it was more advantageous for us in case he wanted to take time off. In the end, he only took an additional 5 weeks!

So, you end up with a total of 50 paid weeks, which is roughly 1 year.

25 weeks with 70% of your salary.
25 weeks with 55% of your salary.

In my case, I extended it with an unpaid leave of 15 weeks. My company allowed it, and it allowed me to fully dedicate myself to the blog for 3 months while the baby was in daycare.

Second option: the special plan

The special plan is shorter but better paid.

For mothers, it starts with 15 weeks of maternity leave paid at 75% of income. For fathers, there are 3 weeks of paternity leave paid at 75%.

Then, we move on to parental leave. There are a total of 25 weeks, which can also be shared between the mother and father. They are paid at 75% of income.

Here, too, the government wants to encourage fathers to take leave. 3 weeks at 75% are offered if each parent takes 6 weeks of parental leave.

In this plan, the leave lasts 40 weeks in total, or roughly 9 months.

15 weeks with 75% of your salary.
25 weeks with 75% of your salary.

Organizing maternity leave

As you’ve seen, parents start with weeks of maternity or paternity leave and then continue with parental leave.

While the first weeks must be taken within 18 weeks following the birth, this is not the case for parental leave.

Indeed, parental benefits can be taken within 18 months after the birth! So, there are almost limitless possibilities!

Both parents can take parental leave at the same time or one after the other. They can return to work and then take 8 weeks of parental leave 3 months later… It’s very flexible and adapts well to individual expectations or needs. The only requirement is to have the employer’s approval.

Note: Your employer must be informed of the leave start date at least 3 weeks in advance.

Special cases of maternity leave in Quebec

I mentioned the most common situation here, but the government accommodates many situations. Including:

In the case of a multiple pregnancy,
In the case of a single-parent family,
When the parent(s) is/are self-employed,
When remuneration is variable (a waiter paid by tips, for example),
If the baby is adopted.

Also, federal employees have a completely different maternity leave.

Maternity leave in case of miscarriage or abortion

I don’t wish this kind of situation on anyone, but you should know that the government has provisions if it were to happen.

If the pregnancy ends before 20 weeks, the mother can get 3 weeks of leave, but it won’t be paid. There are no provisions for fathers in this case.

If the pregnancy loss occurs after 20 weeks, the mother can get 18 weeks of maternity leave in Quebec, with compensation through the RQAP. In this case, only the mother can benefit, but the father can still get 5 days of leave.

Returning to work

I returned to the job I left after 15 months. My salary and benefits were the same as when I left.

If I had wanted to, I could have asked to return to work earlier with a simple written request. But let me tell you, that idea never crossed my mind!

So, I hope this summary of maternity leave in Quebec has helped you understand how it works here! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions 🙂