Family responsibility leave in BC gives eligible employees up to five unpaid, job-protected days off each employment year. You can use it for qualifying responsibilities involving a child’s care, health or education, or the care or health of another immediate family member.
💡 When do your days reset? Your employment year starts on your hiring anniversary, not necessarily January 1. For example, if you started on June 15, your leave year runs from June 15 to June 14.
On This Page
- Who Qualifies?
- What Does the Leave Cover?
- How Many Days and Are They Paid?
- Requesting Leave and Providing Proof
- Can Your Employer Refuse?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who Qualifies for Family Responsibility Leave in BC?
Employees covered by BC’s Employment Standards Act can qualify from their first day of work. There is no minimum service requirement. Full-time and part-time employees can qualify.
The leave covers responsibilities involving a child under 19 in your care or another member of your immediate family.
Immediate family includes your spouse or common-law partner, parent, child, guardian, sibling, grandparent or grandchild. Your spouse’s parent or child, and someone who lives with you as a member of your family, are also covered.
Federally regulated employees: Different rules apply. See the federal government’s personal leave provisions.
What Can You Use Family Responsibility Leave For?
The situation doesn’t have to be an emergency. Qualifying reasons can include:
- Caring for a sick child who can’t attend school or daycare.
- Helping a parent attend a medical appointment when they need your assistance.
- Meeting with a school counsellor about your child’s education or behavioural needs during working hours.
This isn’t a general entitlement to time off for family vacations or recreational activities. See BC’s family responsibility leave rules for more examples.
How Many Family Responsibility Leave Days Do You Get?
You receive up to five days in total per employment year—not five days for each family member. You can take them separately or consecutively as qualifying needs arise.
Taking part of a day can count as a full day of leave unless you and your employer agree otherwise. You must still be paid for the hours you work.
Is Family Responsibility Leave Paid in BC?
No. The statutory leave is unpaid. Your employment agreement, workplace policy or collective agreement may provide paid time off or additional days.
How Do You Request Family Responsibility Leave?
Tell your employer when you need time off and why the absence qualifies. Give reasonable notice where possible. If something unexpected happens, notify them as soon as you can.
Keep a written record of your request. Your employer can ask for reasonable proof afterward that the leave was valid, subject to limits on medical-note requests.
Can Your Employer Require a Doctor’s Note?
BC restricts medical-note requests for short health-related absences. Employers can’t request a doctor’s or nurse’s note for your first two health-related absences of five consecutive days or fewer in a calendar year. This can include leave to care for a sick family member.
The two-absence limit covers qualifying health-related absences together, not two separate allowances for your own illness and family care. Other reasonable proof may still be requested.
Can Your Employer Refuse Family Responsibility Leave or Fire You?
Your employer must allow the leave when you qualify and have days remaining. Being busy or short-staffed doesn’t cancel your entitlement.
Your employer can’t fire you or punish you for taking protected leave. When it ends, you must be returned to your previous position or a comparable one.
⚠️ Threatened, disciplined or fired after requesting leave? Keep your request, your employer’s response and any workplace policy. Get advice before resigning or signing a severance agreement. Your severance pay in BC can total as much as 24 months’ pay.
Family Responsibility Leave BC: FAQs
Do Unused Family Responsibility Leave Days Carry Over?
No. Unused statutory days don’t carry into your next employment year. Your employer can offer a more generous policy.
Can You Use BC’s Paid Sick Days to Care for a Sick Child?
Not under the statutory sick-leave entitlement, which covers your own illness or injury. Family responsibility leave is separate. An employer’s paid-leave policy may offer broader coverage. Read about sick days in BC.
What if You Need More Than Five Days?
Depending on the circumstances, compassionate care leave, critical illness or injury leave, or another option in our BC leave of absence guide may apply.
Human rights law may also require your employer to accommodate qualifying caregiving responsibilities. Using all five days doesn’t automatically end every protection, but it doesn’t create an unlimited right to time off.
Denied Family Leave or Fired After Taking Time Off?
The BC employment lawyers at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP help non-unionized employees facing denied protected leave, workplace discipline and dismissal.
Before you sign, always check first.
➡️ Get a Consultation or call 1-855-821-5900.