Family responsibility leave

Family responsibility leave gives employees a few protected days a year for urgent family needs like a sick child. Most provinces make it unpaid.

Also called: family leave, personal leave, family obligations leave, personal and family responsibility leave

What family responsibility leave means

Family responsibility leave is a short, job-protected leave for the everyday emergencies of family life: a child who is sick and cannot go to school, a parent who needs to be taken to hospital, a school closure, or another urgent family matter.

It is measured in days, not weeks, and resets each year. The number of days, whether any are paid, and which relatives count all differ by province. Some provinces combine it with personal sick days into one leave; others keep it separate.

For a small business, these absences often come with little warning. A clear, simple rule helps both you and your staff.

How it works

Check what the leave covers. In Ontario it covers illness, injury, medical emergency or an urgent matter relating to certain relatives. In British Columbia it covers the care, health or education of a child in the employee's care, and the care or health of other immediate family members. Alberta's personal and family responsibility leave and Manitoba's family leave also cover the employee's own health.

Check how the days are counted. Ontario's 3 days are a total for the calendar year, not 3 days per relative. British Columbia counts 5 days per employment year. Quebec allows its 10 days to be split into hours if the employer agrees. Alberta does not let unused days carry over.

Keep proof requests light. The employee usually cannot give much notice. A quick message saying they need the day for a family matter is normal. If your province allows you to ask for evidence, ask only for what is reasonable and do it the same way for everyone.

Track the days on each employee's record so you know what is left. Do not count these days as unexcused absences or against the employee in an attendance review. If your own policy gives paid family days, say how many and how they interact with the statutory days.

Family responsibility leave by province

The number of days and whether any are paid differ. These are the rules we confirmed.

Where the work is done	The rule
Federal	Personal leave of up to 5 days, the first 3 of them paid, for family responsibilities, urgent matters and citizenship ceremonies.
British Columbia	Up to 5 days of unpaid leave each employment year for the care, health or education of a child in the employee's care, or the care or health of other immediate family.
Alberta	Personal and family responsibility leave of up to 5 days a year for health issues or family needs, after 90 days. Unused days do not carry over.
Manitoba	Family leave of 3 unpaid days a year after 30 days of service. It covers family responsibilities and the employee's own illness.
Ontario	Up to 3 days of unpaid leave each calendar year for an illness, injury, medical emergency or urgent matter relating to certain relatives. The 3 days are a total, not per relative.
Quebec	Up to 10 days a year for child care, health or education obligations, or a relative's health. A total of 2 days a calendar year are paid. Days can be split into hours with the employer's agreement.

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

Example: A school closure at a Toronto marketing agency

Ines runs a 16-person marketing agency in Toronto. In February, an ice storm closes schools for 2 days and her account manager Kofi has no one to watch his 7-year-old. He has already taken 1 family responsibility day in January for his father's hospital visit.

Ontario gives 3 unpaid days a calendar year in total, so Kofi has 2 left. Ines records both days as family responsibility leave. Her own policy lets staff work from home on such days where the job allows it, so Kofi chooses to work from home on the second day, and Ines records only the first as leave.

Employee records in the Staffkin HR Suite

Staffkin HR Suite employee records keep each person's profile, documents and job history together, so you can see leave taken alongside other records.

Book a demo

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about family responsibility leave

How many family responsibility days do employees get in Ontario?

Up to 3 unpaid days each calendar year in total, for illness, injury, medical emergency or urgent matters relating to certain relatives.

Is family responsibility leave paid?

Usually not. Federally regulated employers pay the first 3 of 5 personal leave days, and Quebec pays 2 days a year. In the other provinces we checked it is unpaid.

Can an employee use family leave for their own illness?

In some provinces, yes. Manitoba's family leave and Alberta's personal and family responsibility leave cover the employee's own health.

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.