Québec Parental Insurance Plan

Québec Parental
Insurance Plan
Evolving with today’s parents!

When to Apply for Benefits?

Each person involved in a pregnancy, birth, adoption or surrogacy must send their own application for benefits.

You may complete your application for benefits in advance by using our online services. Your information will be kept for 120 days. It will therefore be quicker to send your application when the time arrives.

To find out when to send your application, you must first choose the time when you wish to receive your benefits. On or after that date, you may send your application.

Choosing the Start Date of Your Benefits

First choose the date when you wish to start receiving your benefits. This date varies according to your life event and your work situation.

Pregnancy or Birth

  • Maternity benefits or exclusive benefits to the person experiencing pregnancy or childbirth may begin no sooner than the 16th week before the week scheduled for childbirth.
  • Paternity benefits or exclusive benefits to the parent who did not give birth, exclusive parental benefits and parental benefits shareable between the parents may begin no sooner than the week of the child's birth.

Surrogacy and Birth

  • Exclusive benefits to the woman or the person experiencing pregnancy or childbirth may begin no sooner than the 16th week before the week scheduled for childbirth.
  • Paternity benefits or exclusive benefits for the parent who did not give birth, exclusive parental benefits, parental benefits shareable between the parents and welcome benefits shareable between the parents may begin no sooner than the week the child is entrusted to one of the parents taking part in the surrogacy project.

    In the case of a birth outside Québec, they may begin no sooner than five weeks before the child is entrusted to one of the parents taking part in the surrogacy project.

Adoption

  • Adoption benefits and adoption-related welcome and support benefits may begin no sooner than the week of the child's arrival in the care of one of the parents for adoption.
  • In the case of an adoption outside Québec, adoption benefits and adoption-related welcome and support benefits may begin five weeks before than the week of the child's arrival in the care of one of the parents for adoption.

Date of the Child's Arrival

The date considered as the date of the child's arrival for adoption depends on the type of adoption:

  • For regular adoption, Indigenous custom adoption or adoption under the Banque Mixte (Mixed Bank) Program, this is the date when the child is placed physically with the family.
  • For special (intrafamily) adoption and adoption of a child already placed with you in a foster family, this is the date of the court filing of the application for an order to place the child for adoption.

Death of a Child

Go to the Death of a Child page to find out the specific conditions concerning these situations.

Termination of Pregnancy

Go to the Termination of Pregnancy page to find out the specific conditions concerning these situations.

Your Work Situation 

You may apply for benefits when your earnings have ceased or decreased by at least 40%. To learn more about the stoppage of compensation, go to the Eligibility Requirements page, depending on your worker status indicated below:

You must agree with your employer on the time of the leave. 

The Act respecting labour standards contains provisions on leave for family events. To learn more, we invite you to visit Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST website) or communicate with the personnel of the Service de renseignements téléphonique at 1-844-838-0808 (toll free). 

If your employer is unable to provide your Record of Employment quickly and your usual gross weekly salary was always the same during the 26 weeks preceding the desired start date of your benefits, you then could receive provisional benefits. You may apply for this when you complete your application. 

CNESST For a Safe Maternity Experience program 

The For a Safe Maternity Experience program of the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) pays income replacement indemnities before the scheduled date of childbirth. 

If you receive indemnities under the For a Safe Maternity Experience program, you must apply for benefits to the QPIP during or after the fourth week preceding the scheduled date of childbirth. 

If you are not eligible for the QPIP, you may apply to receive the CNESST indemnity up to your date of childbirth. 

For more information on the CNESST prevention program, For a Safe Maternity Experience visit the CNESST website.

Income While Your Are Receiving Benefits

Note that if you worked or received income during the week of the beginning of your benefit period, this will be taken into consideration and could reduce the amount of the first payment.

For more information, go to the Declaring Income While You Are Receiving Benefits page, depending on your worker status indicated below:

Sending Your Application

You may send your application on or after the start date of the chosen benefits. It must be sent as soon as possible on or after that date. You do not have any document to provide when you send your application. If certain documents are necessary after analysis of your file, you will receive an application.

Important

The start date of the benefits may not be more than six weeks earlier than the date of your application. Earlier than that period, certain weeks requested might not be granted to you.

For more details on the data considered to be the date of application, go to the Date of Application, depending on your worker status indicated below

If you have a pregnancy or an adoption in the near future, we invite you to contact the Centre de service à la clientèle for more information on your second application for benefits. 

Last update: March 25, 2024