Domestic violence leave

Domestic violence leave is job-protected time off for an employee affected by domestic or sexual violence. Several provinces require some days to be paid.

Also called: domestic or sexual violence leave, interpersonal violence leave, family violence leave

What domestic violence leave means

Domestic violence leave gives an employee time off to deal with the effects of domestic, family, intimate partner or sexual violence. Provinces use different names: domestic or sexual violence leave in Ontario and British Columbia, interpersonal violence leave in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, family violence leave federally.

The leave covers the practical steps a person may need to take: seeing a doctor, getting counselling, moving to a safe place, meeting police or a lawyer, going to court, or getting help from victim services. In several places it also covers a parent whose child has experienced the violence.

This is one of the few leaves where many jurisdictions require the employer to pay part of it. It also needs extra care with privacy, because the employee's safety may depend on what you share.

How it works

Most versions have two parts: a set of days, some of which may be paid, and a longer block of unpaid weeks. In Ontario, the first 5 days taken in a calendar year are paid, whether they come from the 10-day part or the 15-week part. Federally regulated employers pay the first 5 of the 10 days once the employee has 3 consecutive months of continuous employment.

Check notice and proof. In Ontario, notice for the 10-day part can be given verbally, while the 15-week part needs written notice. Employers may ask for reasonable evidence, and what is reasonable depends on the situation. A letter from a shelter, counsellor or victim services worker may be enough. Do not ask for details of what happened.

Protect privacy. Limit who knows why the employee is away. Record the absence as a statutory leave without describing it in shared calendars or schedules. If the person causing harm might contact or come to the workplace, talk with the employee about a safety plan, and remember that workplace health and safety law may also apply.

Common mistakes: treating the absence as unexplained, asking for police reports before approving a few days, and telling coworkers the reason.

Domestic violence leave by province

Most jurisdictions we checked have this leave. The number of paid days and the length of the unpaid part differ.

Where the work is done	The rule
Federal	Up to 10 days a calendar year. The first 5 days are paid after 3 consecutive months of continuous employment.
British Columbia	Up to 5 paid days, up to 5 unpaid days and up to 15 weeks of additional unpaid leave each calendar year.
Alberta	Up to 10 days of unpaid leave a calendar year, after 90 days with the same employer. Unused days do not carry over.
Saskatchewan	Up to 10 days: 5 paid and 5 unpaid. Requires 13 weeks of service. Employers can ask for evidence of the services being received.
Manitoba	After 90 days: up to 10 days, taken intermittently or all at once, plus up to 17 weeks in one continuous block, in each 52-week period. The Code requires part of this leave to be paid.
Ontario	After 13 consecutive weeks: up to 10 days and up to 15 weeks each calendar year. The first 5 days of leave in the year are paid.
Quebec	Up to 26 weeks of unpaid absence over 12 months. After 3 months of service, 2 days may be paid unless already used that year for sickness or similar absences.

We could not confirm current rules for the Atlantic provinces or the territories. Check with that office.

Example: A quiet request at a Mississauga accounting office

Hana runs an 11-person bookkeeping firm in Mississauga, Ontario. Her clerk Lina, who has worked there for a year, asks to speak privately. She has left an abusive partner and needs time to find a new apartment and attend a court date.

Hana explains that Ontario gives domestic or sexual violence leave and that the first 5 days in the year are paid. Lina takes 4 days over the next three weeks, giving notice by text each time, which is allowed for the 10-day part. Hana records them as "statutory leave", pays them, and agrees with Lina that the front desk will not confirm whether she is at work if anyone calls asking.

Hollis drafts the letter

Hollis, part of the Staffkin HR Suite, drafts province-specific leave approval letters for you to review before you send them.

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Questions about domestic violence leave

Is domestic violence leave paid in Ontario?

Yes, partly. The first 5 days of domestic or sexual violence leave in a calendar year are paid. The rest is unpaid.

What proof can I ask for?

Only reasonable evidence, which depends on the situation. A short letter from a support service may be enough. Do not ask for the details of what happened.

Does this leave apply if the violence happened to the employee's child?

In several jurisdictions, yes. The federal leave and Ontario's leave both cover an employee whose child has experienced the violence.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.