Mat leave eligibility for a home daycare provider in Ontario

Hi

I was always working in a professional environment. My son is a year old now and I have just finished my mat leave. I'm planning to start my home daycare soon. I would eventually want to have one more child. A mom has to work 600 hours during the pregnancy to be eligible for maternity benefits in Canada. But how is it gonna work for a daycare provider mom? How am I going to calculate the hours if I have only one kid in my daycare vs. five kids? I will have to provide receipts. But how am I going to claim mat leave at the end? Is there anything else I need to do to be eligible for the benefits?

***Pls read the update at the bottom***

As self employed people, we do not qualify for mat leave. Apparently there is a new program that we can pay into but I have no idea how it works. You can try going to the government website for more info.

You have to enter "into an agreement" (as they put it) with the government to apply and pay into Employment Insurance as self-employed. Here is the link that will provide all the needed info http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/s...ew/index.shtml.
It costs you $1.83 for every 100$ you make up to a maximum of $840.00 a year. You have to pay into it for a year before being eligible to claim any leave.
Good luck with your search

I would look long and hard into opting into the EI program for self employed persons because from the research I did initially when they were bringing this program out once you opt IN you cannot opt OUT again ... so in the long run if you are planning on being self employed for the long run it might be more prudent to just SAVE for your own maternity leave or hirer someone to come into your home and 'run' your daycare for you while you are on your mat leave otherwise you are paying EI premiums for the next several decades until retirement or until you return to the 'work force' for the benefit of earning 55% of your 'taxable income' as a home childcare provider .... aka not the revenue you collect for clients but the amount you make after all your expenses which will be a PITTANCE based on the experience of most of us providers ~ honestly IMO it would be cheaper to just save up to take your mat leave or higher someone to come in and allow you all the 'write offs' during the mat leave to get you a nice tax refund while you are on mat leave ;)

Reggio pretty much sums it up well.

Hubby and I looked into me paying into EI, and in the long run, it's just not worth it. I'm taking 6 months off work. Well, really 2 months, as I'm taking back one kid that I can travel around with, and she'll be 3.5 yrs of age, and knows my family. The rest if they come back will be after 6 months.

What we're going to do is just save the money I'm making from August to mid-October, and stretching through the 6 months. It just means for us, no eating out, or buying things we want vs we need. Luckily enough, we can live off DH income.

Good luck!

I have never worried about thus as I had all my kids before starting daycare but from the threads I have read on here most providers rake anywhere from two weeks to a couple of months off and the dad takes the parental to help out. But from what I gather the longer you close the chances of getting your families back diminish

Thanks for the info. I'm so stressed out right now. I had a feeling since last few days that I might be pregnant, and that's why I started this thread today. Now guess what? I just took a test at home, and it is positive! I'm freaking out. Any word of encouragement for me??? Ughhhh...

Apparently being a self employed won't do much good at this time. How about if I join an agency? Are the rules still the same or does that count as an employment??? I'm so lost right now. Pls help.

First congrats .....I'm sort of confused as you"ll already be at home running a daycare so why would you need mat leave? Take a couple of weeks off (your holidays) at the due date and then back to work. If you have a family member (mom or mom in law or someone else) that can come to help out for a few weeks or hubby can take parental if he is not self employed to help out .... Or if you really want mat leave again then go back to your job for the next 8 months and you'll have it. But then you will have to put your 1 yr old in daycare . I would be happy to give up the mat leave and I did for my final child cause I never went back to work after my fourth and therefore when my fifth was born I was a stay at home mom. I never even missed it....

Honestly in your situation I would possibly consider going back to work after this mat leave ends in order to get the hours for your next mat leave. Then after that start your dayhome. Or you can start your dayhome and just take a shorter maternity leave perhaps a month.

But mostly congratulations! I myself just found out I'm expecting so I totally get the stress of planning for a maternity leave. I have only been open since May so I'm still getting established. Don't worry you'll figure it out... don't stress too much, not goot for the babe. :D

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Originally Posted by daycare_mom

....Apparently being a self employed won't do much good at this time. How about if I join an agency? Are the rules still the same or does that count as an employment??? I'm so lost right now. Pls help.

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I would double check yourself but IME joining an agency will not help with the 'mat leave' income because technically you are still self employed as they just 'contract' your services ... when I was with an agency while I had to follow certain 'rules' in order to have them use my service I still maintained autonomy over the business and I had to take care of my own business expenses to come up with my net income to pay taxes ~ they just paid me a 'base amount' for my services per child they referred me if I had no children through them I got 'nothing' from them. If I took time off and did not care for a child who was referred through them ~ I got nothing from them ... no sick pay, no vacation pay, no EI or anything.

It could be different depending on the agency though?

Call service canada. I just did it. You have to `sign`an agreement stating you agree to pay into EI. Next tax season, they will go through your income and determine how much your owe for EI and then the following year I think you pay monthly. This will qualify you for mat leave and sickness benefits. You are NOT entitled to regular EI. HOWEVER, you can only apply for benefits a year after you`ve signed the agreement. I can`t remember if it CRA or Service Canada you have to call, but start with Service Canada :)

I have finished my mat leave in June, and decided not to go back to work thinking I will be self employed with my daycare. I only have one kid in the daycare and that's only for 2 days a week. I'm trying to see if I can find a job with afternoon and evening shifts so that we can minimize the time my son will have to be in a daycare. I don't wanna leave him for the full day all of a sudden. But I can't also afford to not having mat leave. So just crossing my fingers. My previous employer has a job opening with the hours from 2-10pm. That seems to be the best option as of now. Will call them today, hopefully they will hire me. I don't have any families/ in-laws here to help with the new baby. They live on the other side of the world! Pls keep sending your thoughts and prayers in my way. I really need that.

Thanks everyone!

I didn't really close when I had my son. I think I only missed 3 weeks. Of course, I didn't have a lot of children so it was easier.