Family caregiver leave

Family caregiver leave is unpaid, job-protected time off to care for a relative with a serious medical condition. Ontario gives up to 8 weeks a year.

Also called: caregiver leave, leave to care for a relative

What family caregiver leave means

Family caregiver leave is job-protected time off to provide care or support to a family member who has a serious medical condition. The name comes from Ontario's Employment Standards Act, which gives it as a separate leave. Other provinces cover similar situations under different names, such as Quebec's absence to care for a relative.

It sits between the short leaves for everyday family needs (a few days for a sick child or a school closure) and the long leaves for a family member who is critically ill or near the end of life. It is meant for a serious condition that needs the employee's help for weeks, not days.

The leave is unpaid. Your duties are to allow it, protect the job, and not penalize the employee for using it.

How it works

In Ontario, an employee can take up to 8 weeks of unpaid leave per calendar year for each specified family member with a serious medical condition. Because the entitlement is per family member, an employee caring for both a parent and a spouse could, in principle, have a separate 8 weeks for each.

The condition does not have to be life-threatening. That is the main difference from compassionate care leave (family medical leave in Ontario), which needs a certificate of significant risk of death within 26 weeks, and from critical illness leave, which is for a family member whose life is at risk.

Ask the employee to tell you when they plan to start and how long they expect to be away. If you need proof, ask only for what your province allows, and keep any medical document in a confidential file. Do not ask for the diagnosis.

Leaves can overlap in purpose but each one has its own rules. An employee may use family caregiver leave for one stretch of care and, if the condition becomes critical, move to family medical leave or critical illness leave. Keep a simple record of which leave was taken, the dates and the family member, so you can see what is left.

Family caregiver leave by province

Only some jurisdictions have a leave with this exact purpose. Others cover caregiving through shorter family leave or through critical illness and compassionate care leave.

Where the work is done	The rule
Ontario	Up to 8 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per calendar year for each specified family member with a serious medical condition.
Quebec	Up to 16 weeks over 12 months to care for a relative with a serious illness, or up to 36 weeks over 12 months if the person is a minor child.

In other provinces, look at family responsibility leave, critical illness leave and compassionate care leave, and check with the employment standards office for any separate caregiver leave.

Example: A mother's stroke at a Kingston clinic

Rachel runs a 9-person physiotherapy clinic in Kingston, Ontario. Her receptionist Nadia asks for time off in February: her mother has had a stroke and needs help at home for several weeks while she starts rehab. The doctor does not expect her mother's life to be at risk.

Rachel recognizes this as family caregiver leave, not family medical leave. She approves 6 weeks of unpaid leave, notes that Nadia has 2 weeks left for her mother for the rest of the calendar year, and books a temporary receptionist through a local agency.

Hollis tracks the dates

Hollis, part of the Staffkin HR Suite, tracks leave return dates, so you can see when an employee on caregiver leave is due back.

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Free tools and guides for this

Questions about family caregiver leave

How long is family caregiver leave in Ontario?

Up to 8 weeks of unpaid leave per calendar year for each specified family member with a serious medical condition.

Is family caregiver leave the same as compassionate care leave?

No. Compassionate care leave (family medical leave in Ontario) is for a family member at significant risk of death. Family caregiver leave covers a serious condition that is not necessarily life-threatening.

Does family caregiver leave exist outside Ontario?

Not always under that name. Quebec has an absence to care for a relative, and other provinces cover caregiving through family responsibility, critical illness or compassionate care leave.

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.