Québec Parental Insurance Plan

Québec Parental
Insurance Plan
Evolving with today’s parents!

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Yes. Receiving vacation pay can result in a reduction in your benefits. This applies regardless of your worker status (wage earner or wage earner who is also self-employed). You must therefore declare vacation pay.

You can declare the amounts easily through your online file. Simply select the file number and choose the “Declaration of income” tab.

Please note that everyone who receives parental insurance benefits has an online file, even if he or she filed the application by telephone and sent it in by mail.

Important

If you have made arrangements with your employer to take paid vacation days within the first 20 weeks following the birth of your child, please note that you could lose weeks of maternity benefits or exclusive benefits to the person experiencing pregnancy or childbirth under the Québec Parental Insurance Plan. As a rule, weeks of maternity benefits or exclusive benefits to the person experiencing pregnancy or childbirth cannot be paid later than the 20th week following the week of the birth. It is therefore preferable to make arrangements with your employer to schedule such paid vacation days for after your parental leave period.

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No. You choose when you wish to receive your benefits. You can therefore have your benefit payments interrupted and have them restarted later. You must, however, respect the period within which they can be paid, depending on the type of benefit.

You must agree on the time of leave with your employer. The Act respecting labour standards contains provisions governing leave for family events. For more information, see Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) website or contact their staff at the Service des renseignements de la CNESST at the following number: 1 844 838-0808 (toll free).

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Earnings subject to contributions to the QPIP are taken into account, namely:

  • the gross weekly amount earned by a wage-earning applicant
  • net business income in the case of a self-employed worker
  • remuneration insurable for the purposes of the QPIP obtained as a family-type resource or an intermediate resource
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Yes. If you are receiving parental insurance benefits, some of your income could reduce the amount of your benefits. You have the right to earn a set amount without any reduction in your benefits. To determine the amount of income you can to earn without affecting the amount of your benefits, calculate the difference between your average weekly earnings and the benefit amount. For more information, see ”Declaring Income While You Are Receiving Benefits”.

To avoid having to reimburse any overpayments, be sure to declare all of your income without delay.

If you earn or receive income while you are receiving benefits, it could be more advantageous for you to change the distribution of your benefit weeks. You can do so by accessing your online file or by contacting the Centre de service à la clientèle.

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Several factors determine when you can apply for benefits. For more information, visit the When to Apply for Benefits? web page, depending on your worker status:

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No. There can be an interruption of earnings for a reason other than the birth or adoption of a child. For example, a person could have been laid off due to lack of work in April 2021 and file an application for benefits in June 2021 following the birth of a child.

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You must provide your employer with the Benefit Calculation Report (PDF, 203 KB) attached to the decision notice that we sent you. Your employer will use the Benefit Calculation Report to determine the amount of the supplemental indemnity he or she must pay to you. (Employer information in French only.)

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Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail

Yes. The CNESST precautionary program For a Safe Maternity Experience provides an income replacement indemnity up to four weeks before the expected delivery date. 

If you receive an indemnity from the precautionary program For a Safe Maternity Experience, you may file your application with the QPIP as of the fourth week preceding the expected week of delivery.

If you are not eligible for the QPIP, you can apply to receive the indemnity until the expected delivery date.

Obtain additional information on the CNESST precautionary program For a Safe Maternity Experience

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Once your physician confirms that you are capable of working but that the working conditions pose risks to the child you are nursing, you may be eligible for CNESST indemnities. You will then have the option of suspending your QPIP benefits to receive the CNESST indemnities.

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Self-employed workers

Yes. Wage earners, self-employed workers and employers must all contribute to the Québec Parental Insurance Plan.

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If your benefit period begins on or after Sunday, January 4, 2009, the insurable earnings taken into consideration are those for 2009: your net business income (profit or loss) and your employment income (salary), as the case may be, in 2009.

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If your benefit period begins on or after Sunday, January 6, 2019, your insurable earnings for 2018 are taken into consideration, that is, your net business income (profit or loss) and your employment income (salary), as the case may be, in 2018.

If your benefit period begins on a Sunday in 2018 (including December 31, 2018), your insurable earnings for 2017 are taken into consideration, that is, your net business income (profit or loss) and your employment income (salary), as the case may be, in 2017.

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If your benefit period begins on or after Sunday, January 6, 2019, the insurable earnings taken into consideration are those for 2018, that is, your net business income (profit or loss) and your employment income (salary), as the case may be, in 2018. You are not considered to be a “new self-employed worker.”

If your benefit period begins on a Sunday in 2018 (including December 31, 2018), your insurable earnings for 2018 are taken into consideration, that is, your net business income (profit or loss) and your employment income (salary), as the case may be, in 2018. You are considered to be a “new self-employed worker.”

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Farm workers

No. A person wishing to receive benefits under the QPIP must be eligible. The person’s insurable earnings during the qualifying period must be equal to or greater than $2,000. The QPIP does not provide for a guaranteed minimum income, but an increase in benefits may be granted for individuals whose benefit period begins on or after September 26, 2021 and whose average weekly earnings are less than the equivalent of a normal work week of 40 hours paid at the general minimum wage rate.

For more information, refer to the Increase in Benefits section, depending on the worker status:

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If you declare to Revenu Québec net income from a farming business, whether as a sole proprietor or as part of a partnership operating a farming business, the Plan considers you to be a self-employed worker.

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Wage earners, self-employed workers and employers must all contribute to the QPIP.

Wage earner's contribution
A wage earner in a farming business must pay contributions to the QPIP in the capacity of employee. The employer deducts this contribution at source. It is calculated on the basis of his or her salary.

Employer’s contribution
The owner of a farming business with employees must deduct QPIP contributions at source from the wages paid to the employees and must also base his or her own employer contribution on the employees' salaries.

Self-employed worker's contribution
A self-employed worker must pay into the QPIP when preparing his or her Québec income tax return. The contribution is based on net business income (income from self-employed worker activities). Workers required to pay tax instalments must also make instalments to the QPIP.

For more information on the QPIP contribution, please visit the Revenu Québec website.

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No. If you have neither a business income nor wages from the farm or from another job, you are not entitled to QPIP benefits. It is an income replacement plan and, for you to be entitled to benefits, your insurable earnings during the qualifying period must be equal to or greater than $2,000.

Your spouse, however, may be eligible for benefits.

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Persons responsible for an intermediate resource (IR) or a family-type resource (FTR)

Yes. QPIP insurable earnings that you receive as the person responsible for an IR or FTR while you are receiving QPIP benefits are part of the earnings that could reduce your benefit amount.

For additional details, see the page, Declaring Income While You Are Receiving Benefits based on your employment status listed below:

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Pay equity

Yes, if you are currently receiving parental insurance benefits.

To request a re-evaluation of your parental insurance benefit amount, first send us an amended Record of Employment. A pay statement or T4 slip, for example, cannot replace a Record of Employment.

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By Internet:
Access your file online and click on the “Declaration of income” tab to make the necessary change. This income must be declared for the week in which it was received.

By telephone:
Call the QPIP's Centre de service à la clientèle, at the following numbers:

  • North America (toll free): 1-888-610-7727
  • Overseas: 1-418-643-7246 (charges apply)
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Generally, yes, if you received your retroactive pay increase (pay equity) in the 26 weeks preceding your parental insurance benefit period.

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No. The amount of your parental insurance benefits will not be reduced for the week in which you received the retroactive pay increase. However, you must declare that income without delay.

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Closely spaced pregnancies or adoptions

Given the particularities surrounding closely spaced pregnancies or adoptions, we invite you to contact the Centre de service à la clientèle for more information.

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Given the particularities surrounding closely spaced pregnancies or adoptions, we invite you to contact the Centre de service à la clientèle for more information.

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