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June 2016 Moms
gauge1234
member
Maternity Leave in Canada - looking for other Canadian mama's
gauge1234
member
Hi Ladies,
I am wondering if there are other ladies from Canada here on the board?
We are so lucky with what we get, and I know there are ins and outs as to how and when to claim things, how to handle bonuses, top ups, how to use your holidays, short term disability etc etc and if you don't get all of the items right it can cost $ and you can lose time.
As a FTM I am a little confused!
Seeing if anyone wants to discuss!
(and really hoping for a positive discussion if we do)
Thanks!
I am wondering if there are other ladies from Canada here on the board?
We are so lucky with what we get, and I know there are ins and outs as to how and when to claim things, how to handle bonuses, top ups, how to use your holidays, short term disability etc etc and if you don't get all of the items right it can cost $ and you can lose time.
As a FTM I am a little confused!
Seeing if anyone wants to discuss!
(and really hoping for a positive discussion if we do)
Thanks!
Re: Maternity Leave in Canada - looking for other Canadian mama's
I'm a FTM in Ontario so I only know about what I've read online & what friends & family have told me. I'm always interested in learning more about the policies.
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https://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lifeevents/baby.shtml
52 weeks combination of maternity and parental leave.
Its fairly easy to do, and contacting your employer's human resources/payroll person is the best place to start.
One word of advice - if your employer tops up your salary at all during your leave, it's helpful to fill out the forms to have extra tax taken off your pay. Neither EI or your employer cheques will take off enough tax to cover the combined income, and if you don't accommodate you'll end up paying a bunch the next tax year.
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The major differences would come from your individual employer, so make sure you talk to HR. Where I work I get topped up for almost 4 months, and then it's just EI. I'll need to keep paying my benefits myself (and pension if I choose to) so they will let me know the amounts.
If your employer doesn't top you up then it's just EI you'll have to think about money-wise.
I've done mat leave twice. Let me know if you have any more questions. But to echo PPs again-it's fairly painless. Check online as there are pretty detailed instructions to follow. Oh, and you can start application online and then complete it when baby arrives. And be sure you've got that waiting period budgeted for if its not covered by your employer :-)
EI is the same everywhere but I believe provinces may have differences regarding your employer's obligation to you, for example how long you need to be at your job in order for them to have to hold your spot while you are on leave, how much notice you are required to give upon leaving and coming back, etc. Definitely worth looking into. A quick Google should do!
A few people have said you can't apply until baby arrives but I don't believe that is correct. You can apply as soon as you have finished work, which will likely be before the baby arrives unless you're really cutting it close or baby arrives early. You will provide baby's due date when you apply and can submit the whole application at that point, and then you will just need to update them later with baby's actual birth date.
Thank you for the advice!
The tax advice is something I didn't know.
I also might be getting a small bonus next spring - someone mentioned that I have to make sure the company reinstates me as an employee for the day it is paid and then puts me back on leave so EI doesn't claw back the amount.
Yep - any leave I take before my due date, I used sick leave or vacation. Depending on where you work - you could have a few options available to you.
I also have to pay for my benefits with post dated cheques to make sure my benefits don't stop but me and H are looking and suspending them as I can just go under his for the year, that's who we are adding our little man to until I go back to work....we are also thinking 8 months for me and 4 for him so he gets time at home with the baby.
This is the first pregnancy my branches HR has dealt with so he's a bit overwhelmed I may need to call the head office. Our company doesn't do top ups either so make sure you ask!
Here are the Federal Income tax brackets for Canada:
Federal tax rates for 2016
And here are the provincial tax rates for my province (Ontario)
5.05% on the first $41,536 of taxable income, +
9.15% on the next $41,539, +
11.16% on the next $66,925, +
12.16% on the next $70,000, +
13.16 % on the amount over $220,000
Thanks to your curiosity, I am getting quite the education myself - so thank you! Here's the deal with our EI premiums:
Employment Insurance - important notice about maximum insurable earnings for 2016
The maximum insurable earnings (MIE) is the income level up to which Employment Insurance (EI) premiums are paid. It determines the maximum rate of weekly benefits paid for all types of benefits under the EI program. Effective January 1, 2016, the maximum insurable earnings will increase from $49,500 to $50,800. This means that an insured worker will pay EI premiums in 2016 on insured earnings up to $50,800. In 2016, the employee EI premium rate will remain at $1.88 per $100. This premium rate and the MIE increase means that insured workers will pay a maximum annual EI premium in 2016 of $955.04 compared with $930.60 in 2015. As a result of the increased MIE, beginning in January 2016, the maximum weekly EI benefit rate will increase from $524 to $537 per week. Claims established before December 27, 2015, will not be affected by the 2016 MIE increase. Insured workers will pay EI premiums on all earnings up to the annual maximum salary of $50,800. This means a deduction of $1.88 will be made for every $100 of salary until the $50,800 has been reached each year. For example, if an individual earns $52,000 a year, premiums are payable on the first $50,800.
I believe the max payable for 2016 is $537 per week before income tax. It's a huge help.... But it's not a full income replacement. It is 55% of average insurable earnings to the max which is $50,800 @CourtJack listed above.
We do get job protection as well which I am hugely thankful for.
I've visited the board periodically but haven't been an active poster until today
Qubec is different then the rest of Canada - I haven't done the research
service Canada is great though. You can call them for help, or if you have time you can stop in the office and they will walk you through it.
i think Quebec has subsidized daycare though which sounds amazing!!
Another thing I just learned is that the name on your SIN card has to have your married name on it if you have changed your name legally
your SIN must match the name on your ROE (record of employment)
so if you're like me and haven't changed it ... Now is the time!
I believe it is 55% to a max of $50k
This is from the gov website
If I am eligible to receive EI benefits, how much can I expect to receive?
We cannot tell you exactly how much you will receive before we process your application. For most people, the basic rate for calculating EI benefits is 55% of your average insurable weekly earnings, up to a maximum amount. As of January 1, 2016, the maximum yearly insurable earnings amount is $50,800. This means that you can receive a maximum amount of $537 per week.
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I'm already on sick leave due to complications so I will end up with 65 weeks paid at 55%
@dairygirl19 they average your earnings. In BC it's based off your highest 19-22 paying weeks in the past year. It worked out better for me as I was working 3 jobs last summer then took a casual position just before I got pregnant.
The complication is that his work is very seasonal and he typically works a ton of overtime over the Christmas season. He doesn't want to lose that extra income this year (or stress his employer by missing the busy season). So can he take 4.5 months off, then go back to work (suspending his EI benefits), keep all the money he makes while he's back at work, then go back on EI and take the rest of the parental leave? Or does he need to take it all at once? And how would we even go about arranging that with Service Canada?
I was at service Canada in person last week and they said it had to be changed first ....