So you have options, that’s great, but what do these options actually mean for your family?

Bringing a brand new baby home is a big life shift– your sleep will change, the family dynamics will change, there will be less space in your house, you will feel like you have FAR less time. The overall volume in the home will go up. Overstimulation will probably become your norm. The last thing you need is to be making big decisions, financial and family decisions, based on confusing rules about leave benefits. 

We think of ourselves as a big-sister figure and in that spirit, here’s a breakdown of shared and extended parental leave in Canada — no jargon, no government speak, just the essentials you truly need to understand your options. We’re not promising it will all be super straightforward after you read this, we’re still playing by government rules after all. But hopefully this helps!

What’s the difference between maternity leave and parental leave?

Here’s the simplest way to think about it:

• Maternity leave is only for the person who gives birth.

• Parental leave is for any parent: birth parent, non-birth parent, adoptive parent, or same-sex parent.

The federal system gives you two choices for parental leave:

• Standard parental benefits (shorter time, higher pay)

• Extended parental benefits (longer time, lower pay)
  
  

When two parents share parental leave, you unlock extra weeks. These policies were designed to encourage more non-birthing parents (often male partners) to take leave too. The idea is simple: the more men who take parental leave, the more it becomes normalized, and the less women are penalized in the workplace for starting families. Lovely sentiment, but why so complicated! 

Standard vs. Extended: What’s the actual difference?

Standard parental benefits: How long and how much?

If you pick the standard option, here’s what you get:

• Up to 40 total weeks if shared

• Up to 35 weeks if only one parent takes it

• Paid at about 55% of your earnings, up to the EI maximum
  
  

So ultimately, standard = more money week to week, less total time off. But, if partners share weeks, they get more money and more time off. 

Extended parental benefits: How long and how much?

Extended leave lets you stay home with baby longer. 

• Up to 69 total weeks if shared

• Up to 61 weeks if only one parent uses it

• Paid at about 33% of your earnings
  (Source: canada.ca)

Extended = more time at home, smaller weekly payments. You get 8 extra weeks of time off partners share. 

So, why would you share? There are a million reasons. For one, many daycares in Ontario don’t accept children under 18 months, which puts families in a tricky financial spot. And let’s be honest: taking the full 18 months can have career impacts, even if we wish it didn’t.

One approach that balances things out — for bonding, finances, and both partners’ careers — is this: the birthing parent takes the first 12 months, returns to work, and then the non-birthing parent takes the next 6 months at home until baby can start daycare at 18 months.

It’s not the only option, and there’s no “perfect” way to do this. But it is a strategy that builds in equity, protects both careers (as much as can be controlled), and gives each parent meaningful time with their child.

Whatever you choose is completely valid — the goal is simply to make a plan that fits your family, your values, and your reality.

How does “sharing” actually work?

This part is shockingly simple.

Sharing means you and your partner divide the parental leave weeks in any way that works for you:

• One parent takes most of it

• You split it 50/50

• You overlap for a few weeks

• You stagger it to stretch childcare coverage

And when you share, you get bonus weeks:

• Standard: 35 → 40 weeks

• Extended: 61 → 69 weeks

Important:

Once you choose standard or extended and start receiving benefits, you can’t switch. So if you end up going back to work earlier than planned, you may leave some benefit money on the table. And honestly, sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. You make the best decision you can with the information you have — and that’s enough. One of the biggest challenges in planning your leave is that you don’t know how you’re going to feel or what resources might become available to you – or not. You have to do your best guessing but leave alot of room for changes and, frankly, disappointments (but also miracles! It's a crazy and complex time) 

Also helpful: Only one of you has to serve the EI waiting period — meaning the first week after you apply is unpaid — if you’re sharing parental leave.

Eligibility: Who can take parental leave?

Almost everyone welcoming a new baby qualifies:

• Birthing parents

• Non-birthing parents

• Adoptive parents

• Same-sex parents

Timing you should know

• Maternity benefits can start up to 12 weeks before your due date.

• They must be claimed within 17 weeks after birth.

All parental leave must be taken within the federal window (approximately 12 or 18 months depending on whether you chose the standard or extended plan) after birth or adoption.

What does this look like in real life?

How a “classic” standard plan can work in real life

Example 1: Let’s say the birthing parent takes:

• 15 weeks maternity

• 35 weeks standard parental
  = 50 weeks total

And the second parent takes the remaining 5 weeks of standard parental benefits.

On paper, that looks straightforward — but here’s what it can look like when you factor in real-life logistics like daycare waitlists, money, and employer top-ups.

Childcare reality check

Most daycares in Ontario don’t take babies under 12 to 18 months, which means families often need a plan for the gap. Two common options:

• A nanny or caregiver for those early months

• Nursery-style daycares that take infants (but spots are limited and expensive)

Either way, it’s smart to budget ahead for a caregiver if you expect your child will need care before 12 months.

Employer top-ups can change everything

This is where strategy matters.

If the second parent (often dad) gets, say, 16 weeks of top-up, it might make sense to give him the last 16 weeks of leave.

Why?

Because top-up + EI benefits = more money in the household, which can open up options like:

• The birthing parent staying home longer than planned — even unpaid — because the other parent’s top-up may effectively replace those missed benefit payments in the household budget, letting everyone be home together a little longer.

• A more gradual, part-time return to work for the birthing parent

• Covering nanny or childcare costs more comfortably

• Aligning the return-to-work dates with daycare availability

When there’s more income coming in at the end of leave, many families find they can be more flexible — and flexibility often means a smoother, less rushed transition back to work for everyone.

Example 2: The 18-month extended plan

If both parents choose extended leave:

• You get up to 69 weeks combined

• You can overlap, stagger, or split however you want

This is popular when childcare availability or family logistics push the need for more time at home.

Should you choose standard or extended?

Standard is a better fit if:

• You need more stable weekly income

• You prefer to return to work sooner

• One or both parents are maximizing employer top-ups

• Budget is tight during leave

• You have access to childcare sooner

Extended makes more sense if:

• You want up to 18 months at home

• You can manage a lower weekly amount

• You’re juggling childcare waitlists

• You want to stagger your time at home

The tradeoff is simple:

Standard = more money per week

Extended = more weeks total

Conclusion

Look, there's no perfect formula here. Every family is different, every budget is different, and every baby is different. You might have a plan that feels rock solid right now, and then three months in, everything shifts. That's not failure, it’s change. And by the way, change is growth.  The goal is never to nail every detail or predict the future perfectly. It's to understand your options well enough that you can make choices that feel right for your family in this moment, and then adjust as you go. Be kind to yourself as you figure this out. You're doing something huge, and whatever you decide — standard, extended, shared, solo, nanny, daycare, nursery— if it works for your family, it's the right choice.