12 weeks?? what ???

Crissybell

I"m just curious.... I live just north of Toronto and in Canada our maternity leave is 1 year.  We get covered up to a max of $413/week (depending on how much money you make) for the full year.

Did I read correctly when those of you below the border said that you'd be taking your full 12 weeks??  Is that all you get??

If that's the case you should consider becoming a Canadian citizen before giving birth and then returning after your 1 year mat leave!!  lol

 I sure hope I read that wrong and that you guys get more time off with your bundles of joy.

JasonsLyric

You are so lucky! I've seen ladies on here who get less than 12 weeks. A year makes my 16 weeks sound like nothing.

AshleyKass

Standard is more like 6-8 weeks.

Sarahb34743

Nope, you read it correctly. I'm only able to take 6 wks with DS when he comes cause thats all the sick leave and vacation time I have.

Sucks

Vitsky

no you read that right, most places its 3 months some do offer  a year but it depends really on where you work

AlliVe

12 weeks they keep your job under the Family Medical Leave Act.

Most of us don't get paid for that full time.  I only get 6 weeks paid at 65%. 

Yes, it sucks butt!

KimnCurt

I only 6 weeks paid maternity leave if it is a vag birth and 8 if it is c-sec birth. Anything after that is not paid.

I wish I had a year!

FutureHernandez

Thanks for rubbing it my face!  I'm seriously moving up to Canada.

Ash07

Nope its 12 weeks and your very luck if you get even 6 weeks of it paid.

Kaar17

Yeah, I wish it was a year! 12 weeks is a minimum mandated by the government.

Lulu0802

Nope... you heard right.  We're only allowed up to 12 weeks.  And that's if your company is big enough and you've been there more than a year.  Oh... and that's unpaid.

jenber77

Yeah, this site has taught me to be really extremely grateful that I'm Canadian.

I don't know how you guys do it.

mommiella

I only get 2 weeks paid. I can take up to 6 months off with job security, but it's unpaid.

Steffsjet

I am priviledged to get 6 UNpaid weeks of maternity leave.  Since I started my job in June I don't qualify for FMLA since I will be on ML on my one year anniversary.  Lovely huh?

Crissybell

Wow, that's crazy!!  By law all workplaces must give you a full year and hold your job for your return.  You can even leave early if you like.  I'll probably take 3 weeks vacation before the baby's due date and then take my full year on top of that.

I can't imagine taking only 6 weeks. 

IU_baby

I get 6 weeks paid, but I am taking 12-16 weeks.  Most women that I work with only take 6. 

fluffer.nutter

according to the Family Medical Leave Act, you get 12 weeks off without pay and you'll still have a job to go back to. Whether or not you get paid during any of that time is up to the employer. With larger employers, you'd probably have short term disability insurance which will pay a % of your salary for up to 8 weeks, I think.

It sucks. I will not be getting paid at all during my maternity leave. My cousins in Europe get 1 year paid like you do in Canada and they can take an additional year off unpaid and still have a job.

 

vhab

I do't qualify for FMLA, since the company I work for is only 5 employees.  But my boss will let me take off as much time as I want.  It is unpaid though.  So I am taking 10-12 weeks off, and then working part time for a while.

babesnyder

Nope you read correctly, we are not as lucky as you. But about becoming a Canadian. DH is desperatly wanting to move up there and live.

SportyChic24

I get 6 weeks, but not at full pay (8 weeks for a c/s) anything over that is unpaid and am only up to 12 weeks.

cnchavez69

Yes, horrible huh.  Only 12 weeks and that is unpaid unless you have time to cover it with your vacation or sick.  So lucky you are!

meghanchrisaz

I got 6 weeks UNPAID! ?I did have a week of paid vacation time that I saved up and used.

?Thankfully I don't have to worry about that this time ?

mandarod

My company is small and doesn't even qualify for FMLA (the 12 weeks of unpaid leave), but I'm fortunate enough that they honor it anyway and give a month of paid leave. One full year is amazing. You guys are lucky!

superisa00

Yep that's all we get and it's usually unpaid.

Ima49er

Yes, you may get more time off, but am I wrong in thinking that you all pay WAY more taxes than we do to get these little perks? As in socialized health care and all that? I could be wrong, but there is always a tradeoff for these things. And I am sure the government somehow subsidizes employers because they would obviously be having a hard time letting all these women off for a year and still being able to run a business. They get that money from somewhere.

Again, I could be wrong...but I beleive there are two sides to the coin here. 

 

Kiss&Makeup

What are your state/federal taxe rates like? How could a small company afford this?

Don't get me wrong, that sounds amazing, but how can it work?

Kiss&Makeup

Yes, I am thinking the exact same thing!

Sunkiss028

If our empoyers are large enough we can get 12 weeks unpaid. If they aren't we can usually get 6-8 weeks as a standard. Then people supplement short term disability, etc. Yes 1yr would be wonderful, consider yourself very lucky!

wilberta2006

I'm curious, what do you have to pay in government taxes to get that benefit?

Crissybell

As for taxes, I'm not really sure exactly how much of it goes to health care.  When we go on mat leave it comes out of our employment insurance benefits.  Everyone who has a job pays into the employment insurance program and if you are out of a job or on mat leave (1 year coverage) you get to dip into it.  I"m not sure how long you can claim employment insurance when you lose your job... it's not as long as the mat leave benefit though.

TLLyman

12 weeks for me would be great!  All I get is 8 weeks and that's because I'll have a C-Section.  Otherwise I would only get 6! It sucks!

nuttybunch

There are some benefits to living in other countries, but there are also negative things about it. For example, I am of the understanding that, in Canada, if you need a CT scan, you might have to wait on a waiting list for several months to get it--depending on the demand for CT scans. In the US, you can walk into the dr's office, and if they think you need one, sometimes you can get in the same day.

We don't have universal healthcare, which is more beneficial than having it. If I want to pay cash for treatment, I can. In some countries, you can't do that because the government believes that if your neighbor can't afford it, you shouldn't be able to get it either just because you have more money.

I'd rather decide what I spend my money own money on than make sure I'm being fair.

So yeah, 1 year of maternity leave would be nice, but I'd rather have my 12 weeks and have better medical care and the freedom to decide what treatment I want rather than the government telling me what I can and cannot have.

Chrisy-Wyobride

I think the standard is 6wks in the US...but I have to say you only get up to $413/wk Canadian??  If I worked & we depended on my income for bills, that max amount would be less than 20% than I made when I worked..so I would likely still have to work.  I thought you got a lot more than that there...it's better than nothing, I am just suprised it's so low.  Luckily we aren't taxed highly & my DH gets free health insurance through work so I am able to SAH indefinitely & be comfortable financially. 

BabyAlger

Don't even get me started!! Has anyone seen the move "Sicko" by Michael Moore. Pretty much every other country gives out a year for Maternity Leave except for us. You should see the benefits in the UK and France. They even provide FREE nannies that do laundry and cook!! I'm not joking!!! Go pick up the movie over the weekend and watch it. It will piss you off! 12 weeks just is not enough! I'm going to cry for weeks once I start work again... sigh...

jenber77

Jumping in here late...

I'm in the lowest tax bracket and I pay a total of 21.05% of my annual salary in income tax (15% federal and 6.05% provincial). Those in the highest tax bracket in this province (earning $123,000+) pay just over 40%.

The maternity/parental benefits are paid out at 55% of your annual salary, to a maximum of $413/week. These benefits come from the government (employment insurance), NOT from employers.

It is true that we often have longer waits for medical procedures. I had a laparoscopy in April. Originally I was going to have to wait four months for that procedure. Luckily I got a cancellation spot and ended up waiting just over three months. My American counterparts over on Trouble TTC did not have that problem.

Sure, there are problems here, as there are anywhere, but still... I'm very happy (and feel very fortunate) to be a Canadian.

Aimelynn

jenber77:

  

Sure, there are problems here, as there are anywhere, but still... I'm very happy (and feel very fortunate) to be a Canadian.

ITA. There are longer wait periods, but that is because everyone is able to receive the treatment they need, not just the rich.

nuttybunch

Aimelynn:

jenber77:

  

Sure, there are problems here, as there are anywhere, but still... I'm very happy (and feel very fortunate) to be a Canadian.

ITA. There are longer wait periods, but that is because everyone is able to receive the treatment they need, not just the rich.

But if you have a million dollars sitting in the bank, don't you think you should be able to decide how to use it? If you want to buy a CT scan, don't you think that should be your choice?

That would be like telling me that beef is beef and I can't buy steak if my neighbor can only afford hamburger.

Roothie427

fluffer.nutter:

according to the Family Medical Leave Act, you get 12 weeks off without pay and you'll still have a job to go back to. Whether or not you get paid during any of that time is up to the employer. With larger employers, you'd probably have short term disability insurance which will pay a % of your salary for up to 8 weeks, I think.

This is correct but the other thing that women need to look into is state law. Living in California I can get half my income paid to me by the state for my ML. I did this with my first pregnancy and was able to get paid from my employer and the state so that I did not loose any money. You have to check into how your state handles the FMLA.

courtneyc2004

As of right now i am offered 12W of maternity leave i am salaried and i will bring home during that time $0. Nothing. due to the nice pay i will be receiving i am most likely only going to take 6W off. I live in western Maine so Canada is only a hop,skip and jump away, i should just move for the next year and six months

MrsG.060708

I'm not sure how much time I'll be taking off, but it will all be unpaid.

jenber77

nuttybunch:

But if you have a million dollars sitting in the bank, don't you think you should be able to decide how to use it? If you want to buy a CT scan, don't you think that should be your choice?

That would be like telling me that beef is beef and I can't buy steak if my neighbor can only afford hamburger.

There is some privatized health care here. And if all else fails... rich Canadians can always get their health care from American facilities.