“Will the company keep contributing while I am on leave?”
Before HR answers, establish the leave rules that apply to the employee and how the retirement arrangement fits those rules. A payroll pause alone does not answer the question. Neither does the label “group retirement plan.”
This worksheet helps employers with an existing group RRSP, or a group RRSP with a DPSP, prepare a clear answer about contributions during maternity, parental or another unpaid leave. It does not determine an employee's legal entitlement.
Start with the leave and the arrangement
Identify the applicable provincial or federal employment regime, the exact leave category and the relevant dates. Then separate the employee's RRSP contributions, any employer RRSP contribution and any employer DPSP contribution.
A DPSP cannot receive employee contributions. CRA's contribution rules also refer to its registered plan terms. Treat it as a distinct component when confirming what happens during leave. CRA, Contributing to a deferred profit sharing plan.
Gather the plan documents, employment or collective agreement and applicable employer policy. Ask a qualified employment-law adviser to resolve any uncertainty about legal coverage or conflicting terms. Ask the issuer or administrator to confirm what the arrangement permits operationally. Those are different questions.
Why the applicable rules matter
Government sources illustrate why one national yes/no answer would be misleading:
- Alberta's maternity and parental leave guidance says employers are not required to pay wages or benefits during that leave unless an employment contract or collective agreement provides otherwise. It also identifies employment continuity and human-rights considerations. This overview does not settle every obligation for a particular RRSP or DPSP. Alberta, Maternity and parental leave, Basic rules and Employee eligibility.
- For employment covered by Part III of the Canada Labour Code, section 209.2 addresses specified benefits during leaves under Division VII. It sets conditions involving employee contributions, if any, notice and payment within a reasonable time, and continued employer contributions. Whether that provision covers the particular arrangement and leave must be established before applying it. Canada Labour Code, section 167 and section 209.2.
These examples are not a province-by-province entitlement table. For Ontario or another jurisdiction, establish the applicable rule and arrangement classification before giving a continuation answer. Do not apply a rule for a registered pension plan to a group RRSP or DPSP without confirming that it covers that arrangement.
Build the employee's answer
| Question to resolve | What to record |
|---|---|
| Which rules apply? | Employment regime, exact leave category, dates and the source or qualified interpretation relied on. |
| Which contributions are involved? | Employee RRSP, employer RRSP and employer DPSP amounts, each considered separately. |
| What continues during this leave? | The confirmed obligation or agreed benefit, calculation basis and any conditions. Record the basis for a pause as carefully as the basis for continuation. |
| Does the employee have a choice? | Whether an election is available or relevant, its consequences, and any applicable notice or payment requirements. Do not assume a universal opt-out. |
| How will permitted contributions reach the account? | The issuer's confirmed method while ordinary payroll deductions are unavailable, required instructions, authorized parties and timing. |
| How will HR explain the result? | Confirmed terms, unresolved questions, the person coordinating the answer and the agreed next update. |
| What happens on return? | The return date, applicable contribution instructions and payroll effective date, plus who checks the first affected payroll and account record. |
If the contribution uses a percentage of pay, confirm what “pay” means for this leave under the applicable rules and documents. Do not silently replace it with zero, regular salary, top-up pay or another amount.
Keep unknowns visible
Use “awaiting confirmation” where an answer is still open. For example: “Employer DPSP contribution basis during leave: awaiting confirmation of the applicable rule and plan terms.” This is a fictional worksheet entry, not a conclusion about an employee's entitlement.
Do not infer that an unpaid period ends plan membership, pauses vesting or creates a catch-up contribution entitlement. Confirm any relevant membership, reporting or contribution-limit question with the appropriate professional and administrator.
Before the leave starts, where practicable, give the employee the confirmed contribution arrangement and explain which questions remain open. When the employee returns, compare the authorized instructions with the actual payroll and account records. Record and follow up on any difference instead of assuming contributions restarted correctly.