r/CanadaPublicServants • u/puma905 • 1d ago
Leave / Absences Mat leave - how do we get paid?
Hey all. I had my baby Aug 11 (that week I used family leave) and my last pay cheque was Aug 27.
Should I expect not to get a pay cheque this week as I recall there is a break? And once I do get paid, will it be from EI or combined EI and govt pay cheque?
Regarding pension, I understand I’ll need to set aside say $15-17k to pay it back. Does this mean by paycheques would actually be higher while on maternity leave vs when not due to the pension dues not coming out? This part really confuses me.
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u/Quiet-Pea2363 1d ago
You will get paid by EI, and also by government (top up). Normal for there to be some lag but don’t feel afraid to call the pay centre. You send your EI slips to pay centre to prove you’re getting EI and that’s what your top up eligibility is based on. My dept wanted me to send the slips by email once a month, some don’t care and want it all at the end of leave.
You’re not paying in the pension while on leave and taxes are also incorrect. So you will pay back pension on your return and also taxes (I paid around 6000$ in taxes). Put the money aside for sure.
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u/puma905 1d ago
So will pay cheques be a bit higher in that case since we are not paying pension (keeping in mind I’m getting 93% of salary not full)?
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u/KindheartednessOld34 1d ago
As a dad who just got back from 35 weeks pat leave, keep in mind you owe back deductions that would have been taken off, if you want it to be pensionable time. Currently waiting on my big fat invoice to come in.
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u/ttwwiirrll 1d ago
That big fat invoice for pension deficiencies is interest-free. Let them take their sweet time.
With my first kid I didn't get the bill until I'd been back to work for over a year.
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u/pearl_jam20 1d ago
Pension deficiencies don’t come off as a regular overpayment. You know that they are collecting decencies when you see the PSSA and SDB payback amount is double instead of a single rate.
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u/josh3701 1d ago
I'm sure it varies depending on your actual income but my wife's monthly take home was more when on mat leave even though it was 93% due to less taxes and no pension deductions.... definitely keep money aside though because that pension repayment hits hard and you may owe taxes for two years since you gave birth mid year
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u/Pseudonym_613 1d ago
You will be paid by EI and also paid your top up. So two payments, not just one paycheque.
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u/TheJRKoff 1d ago
take anything over 90% of regular take home and set it aside for when the taxman comes
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u/Quiet-Pea2363 1d ago
Yes, in sum between EI and top up from employer they’ll be artificially high.
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u/Significant-Work-820 1d ago
Yes. The combo of your EI and top up payments will be higher than your normal salary payments.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot 1d ago edited 1d ago
Congratulations on the birth!
Maternity leave is leave without pay. That means you will not receive any pay from payroll while on leave. You will need to apply for employment insurance (EI) maternity/parental benefits if you have not done so already. These will be paid to you from Service Canada.
You'll also need to contact the pay centre to set things up for your supplementary unemployment benefits (commonly called 'top ups'). Though money is money, these are benefits rather than pay, so you won't receive a "pay cheque".
The combined total gross income you'll receive from both EI and the top-ups will be 93% of your regular salary, assuming you are taking standard benefits instead of the extended version. The net (take-home) income will likely be higher than your prior take-home pay because of the reduced deductions. While you can set aside money for the pension you don't need to do so - it'll be collected as an extra payroll deduction upon your return to work.
It's not uncommon for the total taxes deducted during leave to be low, so you should expect to need to pay some extra taxes with next year's tax return. Having some extra cash set aside for that is generally wise.
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u/VolupVeVa 1d ago
You've applied for EI, right? Just making sure. A lot of people seem to think it's automatic or the employer does it for you. They do not.
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u/maxnme 1d ago
You EI will be a direct deposit from EI/ESDC. You will receive a direct deposit for your top up, from work, the same way you get your regular pay throughout the year. (I’m making the assumption you qualified for EI as it must be obtained to be eligible for top up)
You top up is higher due to less deductions, however, you need to set some aside for income tax purposes.
You can either set extra aside to pay back your pension deficiencies in the year they occur OR pay them back upon your return to work - it is a repayment thru payroll deductions.
If you need more detailed info, I encourage you to look on the FB GOC Parents page. It has many resources and posts that would help answer these questions.
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u/Economy_Western8558 1d ago
Congratulations! I started my mat leave the same day as you. I got my first EI check on Aug 26 (waiting week $0 + one week of EI pay) and my first top up Aug 27 (along with final pay cheque). Let me know if you have questions and I would be happy to help. This process is very confusing.
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u/Glittering-Court8115 1d ago
It's no problem to use FRL that first week, but it will result in 51 weeks of EI and Top up instead od 52 weeks. You still have to return to work 52 weeks from the birth, not 52 weeks from when you start EI and Top up.
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u/puma905 1d ago
Argh I didn’t realize I screwed myself over by doing this. Is there a way to fix this so I get 52 weeks? So I can’t push my Mat leave start date out by a week? I remember the Setvice Canada lady saying if they notice issues with my dates they will call to help me adjust so i can maximize my benefits but looks like I’m out of luck here.
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u/Obelisk_of-Light 21h ago
Same thing happened with us. No there is no easy way to fix the 51 week mistake. It takes calling service Canada to re-schedule your leave, and completely messes up the top-ups. You will be phoenixed. I highly do not recommend.
Just bite the bullet and take the 51 weeks.
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u/puma905 20h ago
I guess I don’t get it. I basically wasted my FRL leave on a week I could’ve received top up right? In other words, I could’ve used family leave maybe for other days off I took this summer instead of using my vacation leave and saved my vacation and received top up instead? But ultimately the money I’m getting is basically the same right?
I think I’ll take your advice.
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u/Obelisk_of-Light 20h ago
You are losing a week of benefits because service Canada started your EI claim a week after your baby was born. Start date should have been the week the baby was born.
You could have saved the FRL for another time. In our case, my partner has to take sick leave for that unpaid week or be on LWOP. That’s why, unfortunately, it’s a wasted week.
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u/Glittering-Court8115 7h ago
you cannot use FRL as vacation leave, it can only be used for the reasons listed in your CA. I would have used it the week before the birth, then it would be 53 weeks off.
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u/Glittering-Court8115 23h ago
FRL is use it or lose it, so you're not worse off. I wouldn't change it at this point. I just wanted to point it out in case you thought you had an extra week off the week of August 10th 2026. You don't - your return date is August 10th. Service Canada would not have pointed this out to you, it's not an EI issue. Definitely join GOC Parents on fb if you haven't yet.
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u/letsmakeart 1d ago
Did you apply for EI?
EI will start after you stop working (paid leave counts as working). The EI application will not let you begin maternity EI any later than the week your baby is born.
You will almost certainly be bringing home more $ with EI and the top-up combined because there wont be deductions (like pension) AND you probably aren’t going to be taxed enough. You should set aside some $ for taxes.