How short will we be on maternity or parental leave?

No. It is a steady-salary estimate. EI and QPIP can depend on qualifying weeks, records of employment, variable income, and how much tax is taken off each payment.

Quebec uses QPIP instead of federal EI maternity and parental benefits, so the schedule branches to QPIP rates and weeks.

Use the leave parent’s salary before tax. For a partner, use monthly take-home pay because that is the money available to cover the household month.

Yes. Add employer top-up details in optional details. The estimate treats top-up as extra leave income and keeps the result focused on the household gap.

Leave income can be lower than normal income. The savings number estimates the buffer needed so bills, debt, and basic monthly costs still get covered.

Benefit timing, tax withheld, top-up rules, and baby costs can land differently than a clean monthly average. A buffer keeps the plan from depending on every assumption being perfect.

Yes. Benefits are taxable income. This estimate assumes about 10% withheld from benefits and any top-up, which matches a common withholding level, but more tax can be owed at filing time depending on total income.

No. CCB and other child benefits are not modeled, so real household income after the baby arrives can be somewhat higher than this estimate. Treat that as extra cushion, not as part of the plan.

The estimate assumes the top-up still applies during the unpaid waiting week, which matches many supplemental plans. If your plan works differently, the real first week can be lower than shown.