Updated: April 2025  |  bremo.io financial guides

Parental Leave in Canada — Standard vs Extended Benefits

Parental leave in Canada lets both parents take paid time off after the birth or adoption of a child. Unlike maternity benefits (which are only for the birth mother), parental benefits can be claimed by either parent or shared between them. Choosing between standard and extended benefits is one of the most important financial decisions a new family will make.

Standard Parental Benefits

Standard parental benefits provide up to 35 weeks of EI benefits at 55% of your average weekly insurable earnings. The maximum insurable amount in 2025 is $63,200/year, translating to a maximum benefit of approximately $668/week before tax.

If two parents are sharing standard parental leave, the 35 weeks is the combined total. For example, one parent could take 25 weeks and the other takes 10 weeks.

There is a 5-week bonus for families where both parents share the leave — meaning the total pool can effectively become 40 weeks in some sharing arrangements.

Extended Parental Benefits

Extended parental benefits provide up to 61 weeks of EI benefits at 33% of your average weekly insurable earnings. The maximum extended benefit is approximately $401/week before tax.

Extended benefits are useful when one parent wants to stay home for a full year or more. At 33% of earnings, the total payout over 61 weeks is similar to 35 weeks at 55% — but stretched out over a longer period, which reduces the weekly income significantly.

Standard vs Extended: Which Is Better?

For most families, standard parental benefits provide more money per week and are simpler to plan around. Extended benefits suit families where one parent has a low income and can afford to spread smaller payments over a longer period, or where childcare costs would be very high if both parents returned to work quickly.

Parental Leave Sharing Between Two Parents

Both parents can claim parental benefits, but they must choose the same option (both standard or both extended — you can't mix). One parent must take at least 8 weeks if the leave is being shared, to encourage both parents to participate in parental leave.

The sharing bonus: if both parents take at least 5 weeks of standard parental leave, the total pool increases by 5 weeks, giving the family up to 40 weeks combined at 55%.

Adoption Leave

Parental benefits also apply to adoptive parents. The same rules apply: up to 35 weeks standard or 61 weeks extended, shareable between two parents. Maternity benefits do not apply for adoption.

Eligibility

To qualify for EI parental benefits you must:

• Have worked at least 600 insurable hours in the last 52 weeks (or since your last claim)
• Be the parent of a newborn or newly adopted child
• Have stopped working or reduced earnings by more than 40%

How Maternity and Parental Benefits Work Together

For birth mothers, the typical sequence is:

1. Maternity benefits: 15 weeks at 55% (birth mother only)
2. Standard parental benefits: up to 35 weeks at 55% (shared or one parent)
3. Total: up to 50 weeks of EI benefits for the family unit

With the sharing bonus, a couple can get up to 55 weeks combined between maternity and parental benefits.

Quebec Uses a Different System

Quebec has its own Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) with different rates, durations, and rules. Quebec residents do not use federal EI parental benefits.