Maternity and Parental Leave and Benefits
Important Information: This webpage reflects the information based on CBI 205.461 - Maternity and Parental Allowance, effective 1 April 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How will aligning the regulations with federal and provincial legislations benefit Canadian Armed Forces members taking maternity and/or parental leave?
Aligning the regulations with the Employment Insurance Act and the Act Respecting Parental Insurance will allow CAF members to access maternity and/or parental leave under the appropriate leave codes, removing the existing implications on their pension and Canadian Forces’ Decoration calculations. This will permit members to extend parental leave beyond the current 37 weeks of entitlement and eliminate the need for members to take Leave without Pay and Allowances – Personal Reasons for Parental Purposes when electing to take the extended parental leave option.
2. What changes have been made to the deeming period for maternity and parental allowance in Compensation and Benefits Instruction 205.461?
Previously, the deeming period was granted in weeks (up to two weeks) and will now be granted in days (up to 14 days). This will allow members to use their deemed days to cover any waiting period under Employment Insurance or if they start their maternity or parental leave period earlier (i.e., mid-week), prior to their Employment Insurance or Québec Parental Insurance Plan benefit period starting on the Sunday.
The deeming period will be applied in the following manner:
a. up to 14 days per member; or
b. up to 14 days per service couple.
QR&O Chapter 16 has also been updated to allow the approving authority to grant maternity or parental leave to account for the deeming period.
3. What changes have been made to the calculation of maternity and parental allowance?
Effective April 1st, 2025, the rate of “other allowances” that are included in the maternity and parental allowance calculation may be adjusted to reflect rate adjustments or entitlement. Previously, the rate of these allowances was set at the rate the member was receiving the day before starting maternity and parental allowance.
4. Are there any changes to the applicable maternity and parental allowance leave types?
The QR&O 16.25 – Leave Without Pay and Allowances – Personal Reasons for Parental Purposes will no longer be listed under CBI 205.461. Members eligible to take extended parental leave will now be able to take the extended period under QR&O 16.27 (Parental Leave).
5. Has the entitlement criteria changed for maternity and parental allowance?
The policy formerly stated that members had to serve 26 weeks before starting their applicable leave period as an entitlement condition to receive the maternity and parental allowance. Effective April 1st, 2025, members will be entitled to maternity and parental allowance if they have accumulated sufficient insurable hours based solely on their CAF service under their applicable Employment Insurance benefit prior to starting leave.
6. What if my service spouse used one deemed week under the old rules and I started parental leave under the new rules? How much time can be deemed before I start to receive Employment Insurance and Québec Parental Insurance Plan benefits?
A service couple may only share two weeks (old rules) or 14 days (new rules). In this scenario, one week, or seven days have already been used by your service spouse and you are only entitled to the remaining seven days.
7. What if I started a period of maternity or parental leave before 1 Apr 2025, am recalled to duty due to imperative military requirements and return to parental leave after 1 April 2025? Will I be covered under the new rules or the old rules?
This scenario falls under the old rules. The extension of maternity or parental allowance is an extension of the originally approved benefit period and the rules which were in effect on the start date must be used until the end of the benefit period.
MPAI 2-4, Administration of MATA/PATA Related Links
- Compensation & Benefits for the Regular Force (mil.ca)
- Employment Insurance: What these benefits offer?
- Employment Insurance Maternity and Parental Benefits
- Employers: How to complete the record of employment (ROE) form
- MPAI 2-3, Records of Employment (ROE)
- MPAI 2-4, Administration of MATA/PATA
- MHRRP Topic 16 – Leave – General
- MHRRP Topic 17 - Maternity and/or Parental Benefits Administration (MATA/PATA)