Maternity/Parental Leave Top-Up (SUB) Calculator Canada

What the maternity leave top-up calculator does

The EI benefit alone is a poor guide to what you will actually receive on leave. This calculator adds an employer SUB plan top-up to EI maternity and parental benefits and reports the weekly income while the top-up runs, the total value of the leave and the income given up against normal pay.

Enter your salary, the share of normal weekly earnings the employer tops up to, how many weeks the top-up runs, the length of the leave, your EI parental option, and whether the maternity block is included. The tool builds the leave week by week: maternity weeks first, then parental weeks, then any weeks with no benefit.

A worked example

With the default inputs, a $78,000 salary is $1,500 a week. EI pays the $729 maximum. A top-up to 93% for 17 weeks adds $666 a week, so income during those weeks is $1,395, about $6,045 a month. Over a 52-week leave, EI pays $36,450 across 50 weeks and the employer $11,322, $47,772 in total, about 61% of the $78,000 normal pay. Two weeks at the end carry no benefit, and after the top-up ends income falls to $729 a week for 33 weeks.

Why the EI benefit alone is misleading

EI replaces a share of average weekly insurable earnings only up to a ceiling, so above the maximum insurable earnings extra salary adds nothing to the benefit. Someone on a modest salary and someone on triple that can receive the same weekly payment. That is why top-ups matter most to higher earners: for them, EI may replace well under half of normal pay. The calculator shows normal weekly pay, the EI benefit and the topped-up figure side by side.

How the top-up is calculated

The employer pays the difference between a target percentage of normal weekly pay and the EI benefit for that week. Which weeks are covered matters: most plans cover a block at the start and then stop. The EI route matters too: on the extended parental option the benefit is much lower, so the gap is much larger, and some plans reduce or cap the top-up in that case.

Service Canada limits a registered SUB plan to combined payments of 95% of normal weekly earnings. A plan that appears to promise 100% of salary is generally salary continuance outside the SUB rules, which is taxed and administered differently and can affect the EI benefit.

The drop after the top-up ends

The most useful output is the contrast between weekly income during the top-up and the EI benefit afterwards. A 17-week top-up on a 52-week leave leaves most of the leave at the lower rate, and for a higher earner that can be a drop of more than half. Budget for the second figure, not the first. EI maternity and parental benefits also have hard week limits, so a leave longer than those limits ends with unpaid weeks that come entirely from savings unless the employer pays.

Reading the totals

Total leave income adds every EI and top-up dollar. Next to it is what normal pay would have been over the same period; the difference is the cost of the leave in gross income. The replacement share expresses that as a percentage and is the best single figure for comparing employers or leave lengths: a generous top-up that runs briefly can replace less of a year’s pay than a modest one that runs longer. The after-tax line applies one withholding rate you choose and is only a rough net.

What this tool does not cover

It assumes steady weekly earnings, which suits salaried employees but not commission, seasonal or variable income. It assumes one parent takes the parental weeks rather than sharing them, which would unlock extra weeks. It does not model the EI family supplement, working while on claim, adoption or surrogacy rules, benefit and pension continuation during leave, or vacation accrual. Quebec residents receive maternity and parental benefits through the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan instead of EI, on different terms, so model QPIP and apply the top-up against that.

Assumptions and limits

EI replacement rates, maximum insurable earnings, the weekly maximum and the week limits are maintained data that change each year. The top-up percentage, weeks and leave length come from your employer’s plan document. This is a planning estimate, not a benefit decision, an interpretation of your contract, or financial advice. Confirm the benefit with Service Canada and the top-up with your employer before committing to a leave length.

About This Tool: Maternity Leave Top Up

Maternity leave top up: use this tool to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official Service Canada guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.