Review the statutory holidays observed by UBC. 

2026 statutory holidays

JANUARY

FEBRUARY 

*UBC includes Easter Monday and Boxing Day on its list of statutory holidays.

Related resources

Visit the Vacation and leaves page for vacation information and specific guidelines around Winter leaves, which vary by employee group.

For more information on statutory holidays, please view your collective agreement or employee handbook.

UBC administrators can visit the Statutory holiday pay page.

If you are leaving or retiring from your job at UBC, you likely have some questions about what will happen to your benefit coverage, pension and other issues.

This is explained in more detail below, but here’s a summary of some of what you need to know:

• Your health care benefits – such as extended health and dental plans – will end at the end of the month of your last day worked. However, if you are working in British Columbia under a Work Permit, your health care benefits will end on the last day of the month which your Work Permit expires if this date is prior to or on your last paid day.
• Your life insurance ends the last day you work. However, you can apply to convert your life insurance coverage to an individual plan.
• If you are a staff member with unused accrued vacation time, it will be paid out either on your last paycheque or by printed cheque.
• If you are receiving a Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) as part of your maternity or parental leave, this benefit ends on your last day of employment. Please note that if you are employed as a UBC staff member, you are required to repay the amount of your SEB top-up if you do not fulfill the six-month return to work requirement.
• If you are a member of the UBC Staff or Faculty Pension Plan, you will need to make some decisions about the pension benefits you’ve accumulated during your employment.

When will my benefits end?

Extended Health and Dental Plans

If you are enrolled for Extended Health and Dental through UBC, your coverage will end at the end of the month of your last day worked. 

You have 90 days from the date your coverage ends to submit any claims to Sun Life for reimbursement.

You can purchase coverage for extended health and dental plans from many different insurance companies, including UBC’s provider, Sun Life.  The advantage of choosing a product with Sun Life is that you will not be required to submit medical information as part of your application.  For more information on Sun Life’s individual insurance products, visit Sunlife My Choice Plans or call Sun Life directly at 1-877-893-9893.

If you are 55 or older, another option available to you is the UBC Retirement and Survivor Benefits (RSB) Program.  The RSB offers a continuation of group benefits to UBC community members who retire or leave UBC after age 55. The coverage is not the same as that offered to current UBC employees and you are responsible for paying the monthly premiums. If you’d like to enrol in the program, you must do so within 31 days of your benefits ending as an active employee at UBC.

Employee and Family Assistance Program

Your EFAP coverage ends three months from the first of the month on or following your last day worked.

Life insurance

Your Life Insurance coverage ends on your last day worked. This also applies to your (and your spouse’s, if applicable) optional life insurance and optional accidental death and dismemberment insurance. However, you can convert your coverage into an individual insurance policy or opt for a different one. For more information, visit the Life Insurance Conversion page. You have 31 days from your last day of work to convert your group insurance through UBC into an individual policy.

Long-term disability plan (Income replacement plan/disability benefit plan)

Your Long-term Disability coverage ends on your last day worked.

Tuition fee waiver

Your UBC Tuition Fee Waiver ends on your last day worked at UBC. However, if you are taking a course that began before your last day of work, you will continue to be covered by the UBC Tuition Fee Waiver, provided you already applied for and received the benefit.

Professional Development Reimbursement Fund

Please contact pd.funds@ubc.ca with questions about your professional development funding.

Vacation leave (staff only)

If you have unused accrued vacation time, it will be paid out either on your last pay cheque or by printed cheque. For more information, contact Payroll.

Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB)

If you are receiving benefits through the Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) Program, your benefit will end on your last day of employment. Please note that if you are employed as a UBC staff member, you are required to repay the amount of your SEB top-up if you do not fulfill the six-month return to work requirement. For more information, contact Payroll.

Pension

If you are a member of the UBC Staff or Faculty Pension Plan, visit the UBC Pensions website to learn more about the decision you need to make about the pension benefits you have accumulated during your time at UBC.

Retiring represents a significant life transition that requires planning and preparation. Here’s what you need to know:

• Visit the UBC Pensions website to learn more about the pension options available to you when you retire.
• You have 31 days from your retirement date to enrol in the optional Retirement and Survivor Benefit Program to receive extended health and dental coverage.
• You may want to convert your life insurance to an individual plan.
• The Employee and Family Assistance Program is available to offer counselling and support.

What is my normal retirement date?

Your normal retirement date depends on your employee group.

If you are a member of the Academic Executive or Faculty, your normal retirement date is June 30 or December 31 following (or on) the date you turn 65.

For all other employee groups, your normal retirement date is the last day of the month you turn 65.

You may be able to work past your normal retirement date.

Your pension

Visit the UBC Pensions website to learn more about your pension options when you retire. UBC Pensions offers workshops and seminars to help you understand the options available to you.

When will my benefits end?

Visit the Leaving UBC website to learn when your benefits will end.

Health benefits after you retire

When you retire, you can no longer access the same benefits that were available to you as a UBC employee. However, if you are 55 or older when you retire, you can choose to sign up for the UBC Retirement and Survivor Benefits (RSB) Program, which offers three plans: Extended Health, Dental and the Employee and Family Assistance Program. The coverage is not the same as that offered to current UBC employees and you are responsible for paying the monthly premiums. If you’d like to enrol in the program, you must do so within 31 days of retiring. You cannot apply after this date.

Life insurance after you retire

Your life insurance coverage expires on your last day of employment at UBC. However, you can apply to convert your life insurance from the UBC group plan to an individual plan. After your last day of work at UBC, you have 31 days to convert your Basic Group Life, Optional Life or Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance plans from a group to an individual policy without having to provide a Health Statement to Sun Life. You are responsible for arranging this coverage and paying the premiums associated with any individual policies directly to Sun Life.

For more information, visit the Life Insurance Conversion page.

Retirement planning and financial advice

UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program offers counselling, support and resources to help you plan for retirement and make better-informed spending, saving and debt management decisions. The combination of comprehensive assessments, personalized information packages and/or consultation with a Financial Counsellor can help you make more intelligent, informed and calculated decisions regarding how to best manage your money and debt. Visit the UBC EFAP page for more information and to make an appointment.

Retirement resources for faculty

Visit UBC Faculty Relations’ website for information on the retirement resources and benefits available to faculty members.

If you continue to work past the age of 65 (also known as the "normal retirement age"), this will impact your pension and your eligibility for benefits.

Many UBC faculty and staff are enrolled in one of the following employer-sponsored pension plans: the UBC Faculty Pension Plan, the UBC Staff Pension Plan, and the BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care) Pension Plan.

These registered plans are governed by the Income Tax Act and the BC Pension Benefits Standards Act. This legislation states that if you work past your plan’s normal retirement date, you can choose to:

• Continue making contributions to your plan; or
• Stop making pension contributions to your plan.

The choice you make will have an impact on your eligibility for benefits. You can review the impact on your benefits in the sections below. If you need further advice or clarification, please contact the Benefits team.

normal

What is your “normal retirement date"

When it comes to your pension and other UBC benefits, the term retirement doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve stopped working; it means that you’ve started taking your UBC pension plan benefit. 

You can retire as early as age 55 and as late as December 31 of the year in which you turn age 71, however, you can consider age 65 to be your “normal retirement age”. There are some variations in the normal retirement date for each of UBC's Pension Plans:

• UBC Faculty Pension Plan, the normal retirement date is either January 1 or July 1 after you turn 65, whichever date comes first.  
• UBC Staff Pension Plan, the normal retirement date is the first day of the month after the month you turn 65.   

If you are an active faculty member working beyond your “normal retirement date,” your benefits will change as per Article 7.12 of Part 2 of the Collective Agreement (salary and economic benefits).

This decision will affect your other UBC benefits. If you choose to continue contributions, no action is required on your part until the end of the calendar year in which you turn age 71

Other considerations

What happens to my benefits once I turn 71?

Your eligibility for UBC benefits is connected to whether or not you are making pension plan contributions. The latest that you may continue making contributions is November 30 of the year in which you turn 71. After that, you may continue working, but you are required to start taking your pension benefit and you may not continue making contributions. That means you will no longer be eligible for most UBC benefits and your coverage will end as described above in Table 2, under Stop making pension contributions.          

You will continue to be eligible for sick leave, vacation and leaves and professional and personal development benefits.

withdrawing voluntary pension contributions or receiving Canada Pension Plan benefits after 65

Will these affect my eligibility for UBC benefits?

Members of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan and BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care) Pension Plan can access their voluntary contributions, as well as any amounts transferred in from another registered plan, without affecting their UBC benefit eligibility. 

UBC Staff Pension Plan members do not make voluntary contributions or transfers in amounts from other plans.      

Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits do not impact your eligibility for UBC benefits. If you decide to work past age 65 and begin receiving your CPP benefit, you will remain eligible for the same UBC benefits you currently receive, as long as you continue making UBC pension plan contributions. 

More information

For more information about your UBC benefits while working past age 65 contact the Benefits team.

Dealing with death is a difficult time. We’re here to help you – whether you are the family member of a UBC employee who has died or if you are a UBC employee facing the death of one of your dependents.

Here’s what you need to know:

• If you are the beneficiary of a UBC employee who has died, you may be entitled to receive a life insurance payment. If you are the named beneficiary of a UBC employee’s pension plan, you are entitled to a death benefit.
• If you are the dependent spouse or child of a UBC employee who has died and have been receiving benefit coverage through UBC, your benefit coverage will expire a certain time after the employee’s death. You have the option of enrolling in the Retirement and Survivor Benefit program within 31 days of your coverage ending; this program provides extended health and dental coverage for a monthly cost.
• If you are a UBC employee providing care or support to an eligible family member who has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks, you are eligible for an unpaid compassionate care leave. You can also apply for EI benefits to receive some income during this period.
• If your spouse held Optional Life Insurance through UBC and has died, please contact us to initiate a claim.
• If your dependent spouse or child has died, you will need to notify Sun Life and remove them from your benefit plan.
• You may need to name new beneficiaries for your life insurance and pension.
• Counselling and support is always available through UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program.

Death of an employee

Life insurance

If you were enrolled in UBC’s Basic Group Life Insurance Plan or Optional Life Insurance, on your death, your designated beneficiary will receive a sum of money (benefit). Your beneficiary will not have to pay tax on this amount. Your beneficiary can contact UBC Benefits to initiate the claim.

Pension

If you were enrolled in the UBC Faculty Pension Plan or UBC Staff Pension Plan, your designated beneficiary will be paid a benefit in the event of your death. Your beneficiary can contact the UBC Staff Pension Plan or UBC Faculty Pension Plan to claim the death benefit.

How long will dependents retain benefits coverage with UBC?

Extended Health and Dental Plans

If you are a staff member, Extended Health and Dental benefits coverage for your surviving dependents will end at the end of the month that you die. 

If you are a faculty member, health benefits coverage for your surviving dependents will end three months from the first of the month following the date of your death.

Your surviving dependents will have 90 days from the date their coverage ends to submit any claims you incurred prior to your death to Sun Life for reimbursement.

Employee and Family Assistance Program

EFAP coverage for surviving dependents ends three months from the first of the month following the date you die.

What health benefits plan is available for surviving dependents?

UBC Retirement and Survivor Benefits (RSB) Program offers the continuation of group benefits to your surviving family members who were eligible for benefits. Dependents must pay a monthly premium cost and enrol within 31 days of their UBC benefits ending.

Death or terminal illness of a dependent

Compassionate care leave

If you are providing care or support to an eligible family member who has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks (as certified by a medical practitioner), you are eligible for up to eight weeks of unpaid compassionate care leave.

When you apply for a compassionate care leave, you can also apply for Employment Insurance (EI) compassionate care benefits from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). EI benefits are payable for up to 26 weeks. If you are a Postdoctoral Fellow Award Recipient, you are not eligible for EI benefits.

Compassionate or bereavement leave

Depending on your employee group, you may be eligible to take paid compassionate or bereavement leave if a family member passes away.

Optional life insurance

If your spouse or dependent child has passed away and was covered for Optional Spouse or Optional Dependent Life insurance, please contact UBC Benefits. We will the initiate the life insurance claim and advise you of next steps.

Removing a spouse or dependent child from your benefits

If your spouse or dependent child has passed away, you will need to cancel their benefit coverage for UBC Extended Health, Dental Care and the Employee and Family Assistance Program. If applicable, you must also cancel their Optional Life/AD&D coverage. You can remove someone from your UBC benefits plan in Workday, for more information visit Making Enrolment Changes page. 

You have 90 days from the date their coverage ends to submit any claims your dependent incurred prior to their death to Sun Life for reimbursement. You can find claim forms on our Forms page.

Life insurance and pension

You may want to name your spouse or partner as the beneficiary on your life insurance through UBC (Basic and/or Optional Life). You can do this in Workday. For more information visit Making Enrolment Changes page.  

To change the beneficiary of your pension:

For UBC Staff Pension Plan members: Visit the Naming a Beneficiary page to review relevant information.

For UBC Faculty Pension Plan members: Visit the Designating your Beneficiary page to review relevant information.

Counselling support through UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program

UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Plan offers free and confidential counselling and support available in-person and by phone, web or mobile app. In addition to counselling, GreenShield Health offers Work, health, and life Services that can assist you in areas of family, financial and legal support.

If you are ill or injured, your first priority is getting better. UBC has many benefits in place to offer peace of mind and to give you access to time off work, health care and other support as you return to work.

Here’s what you need to know:

• You are eligible for paid short-term sick leave to recover from an illness or injury. Your employee group determine the number of days off you are allowed each year for sick leave.
• You may qualify for long-term disability leave if you are on a short-term sick leave or medical leave for an extended period of time (of around six months for most employee groups). This will provide you with a monthly income based on a percentage of your salary.
• UBC’s Return to Work program offers support to help you make a successful transition back to work after a medical leave.
• You can still access your regular UBC benefits while you are on short-term or long-term leave.
• Counselling and support are always available through our Employee and Family Assistance Program.

Paid sick leave

If you are sick, contact your supervisor right away to let them know that you can’t come into work that day. The employee group you belong to determines the number of sick days you can take each year, and whether you can take days off to look after ill family members or attend doctor’s appointments.

Unpaid sick leave

If you use up all of your paid sick leave days and are still unable to return to work, you should apply for an unpaid sick (medical) leave.

Long-term disability

If you are on short-term sick leave or medical leave and unable to work for six months or more due to illness or injury, you may qualify for long-term disability. This will provide you with a monthly income based on a percentage of your regular salary. (Some employee groups have different waiting periods than six months before they qualify for long-term disability; for example, the waiting period for faculty is 26 weeks and the waiting period for CUPE 2950 is four months).

If you are in the third month of your absence (second month for CUPE 2950) from work due to illness or injury and it does not seem that you will be able to make a full return to work, you should apply for long-term disability. Start the process by sending an email to disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca to learn how to apply for benefits and to obtain the application forms you’ll need.

If you have further questions, please Contact the Benefits team

Return to work programs

After a disabling accident or illness, many people return to work gradually. The Return to Work Program (Vancouver campus) or the Work Reintegration and Accommodation Program (WRAP) (Okanagan campus) can help to coordinate your return.

While you are gradually increasing your work activity, and being paid for the time you work, your long-term disability benefit payment will be replaced with a rehabilitative subsidy. Your net income will increase as the amount you work also increases. The combination of your rehabilitative subsidy plus your net salary will not be greater than your pre-disability net earnings when your total or partial disability began.

Benefit coverage while on sick leave or long-term disability leave

You are still covered under your UBC Benefits Plan while you are on a paid short-term sick leave. If you are on a long-term disability leave, UBC will pay both the employer and employee portions of any premiums for any benefits you were enrolled in as of your date of disability (excluding staff pension).

Staff Pension Plan while on Long-Term Disability Leave

If you are receiving DBP benefit payments, you will no longer accrue pensionable service unless you contribute both the employer and employee portion to the Staff Pension Plan. Since this may or may not be to your advantage, contact the UBC Staff Pension Office to discuss your options. However, if you were approved for DBP benefits before July 1, 2009, you will continue to accrue pensionable service without being required to contribute to the Staff Pension Plan.

Faculty Pension Plan while on Long-Term Disability Leave

While you are receiving IRP benefit payments, the Income Replacement Plan will continue to make monthly contributions to your Faculty Pension Plan equal to 15% of your gross pre-disability monthly earnings. You are unable to make additional contributions.

If you are on unpaid medical leave, you are required to pay the full cost of benefit premiums and contributions if you wish to continue your benefits coverage.

Access to EFAP and counselling

You may want to seek emotional support to help you deal with your illness or injury. You can speak with a counsellor and receive support through the Employee and Family Assistance Plan (EFAP). UBC’s EFAP provider, GreenShield Health, offers confidential and voluntary counselling support that is available in-person and by phone, web or mobile app. In addition to counselling, there are a variety of  Work, life, and health services that can assist you in areas of family, financial and legal support.

Dependent children are covered by your UBC benefits plan if they are under 19. In some cases, your children between the ages of 19 and 25 can also continue to receive coverage through your UBC plan. 

Eligibility details

Your dependent child may continue to receive coverage through your UBC Benefits Plan between the ages of 19 and 25 (coverage expires on the last day of their birth month) in the following circumstances: 

• Your child can continue to receive coverage under your plan if they are enrolled in post-secondary studies and meet other eligibility criteria. 
• Your child may also continue to receive coverage under your plan if they are disabled under certain conditions.
• Depending on your employee group, your dependent child may be eligible to have some or all of the costs for their tuition at UBC waived.

Learn more about how we define a dependent child.

Login to Workday

For Workday resources and help visit the Integrated Service Centre.

Is your child enrolled in post-secondary education?

Your child between the ages of 19 and 25 is eligible for coverage through your UBC benefits plan if they are:

• not married or in any formal union recognized by law, and
• a full-time student attending an educational institution recognized under the Income Tax Act (Canada), and
• entirely dependent on you for financial support.

After your child turns 25 they will no longer be eligible, and their coverage under your UBC benefits plan will end on the last day of their birth month. (E.g., If they are born on March 1, they will have coverage until March 31). 

Confirm your child’s status as a student

You will need to confirm that your child is a student for them to continue receiving coverage under your benefits plan. Confirmation is required annually and is done in Workday. 

If your child takes a break from their studies that is not a summer break (non-summer break), they are not considered a full-time student and coverage will be cancelled. When they resume full-time studies, you can reinstate their coverage.

If your child is on approved medical leave from their school, coverage may continue during the approved leave if you provide supporting documentation from the school approving the leave.

If there are any changes (for example, your child takes a non-summer break from their studies, graduates earlier than originally indicated or changes plans and will not return to school), it is your responsibility to make the appropriate change in Workday. For more information please visit Making enrolment changes page.  

What if my child is studying abroad? Are they still covered?

Your child is still covered by your benefit plan if they meet the eligibility criteria described above. 

Is my child still covered by my benefit plan if they are 25 or older?

Once your child is over the age of 25, they are no longer eligible for dependent coverage under your UBC benefits plan. Their coverage will end at the end of the month they turn 25. The only exception to this is if Sun Life approved lifetime coverage for your child for their disabled status (see below).

Is your child disabled?

Your child is eligible for coverage through your UBC benefits plan if they:

• become disabled before age 19; or become disabled between the ages of 19 and 25 and they are a full-time student attending an educational institution recognized under the Income Tax Act (Canada), and
• are not married or in any formal union recognized by law, and
• are incapable of financial self-support because of a physical or mental disability, and
• are entirely dependent on you for financial support.

If your child becomes disabled after age 25, they are not eligible to apply for disability status.

Confirm your child’s disability status

For your disabled child to continue to receive coverage under UBC benefits plan after the age of 19, you must submit a form to Sun Life and Sun Life must approve your child’s disabled status.

You must confirm your child’s disability status in Workday. Once your enrollment is submitted you will receive Sun Life’s form and a Workday action item with next steps. 

You must submit Sun Life’s application form within 31 days of your child’s coverage ending (for example, if they are turning age 19 and not attending a post-secondary institution). If Sun Life approves your child’s disabled child status, your child can continue as a dependent under your Extended Health and Dental plans for as long as Sun Life has approved coverage (in some cases Sun Life will approve lifetime coverage). This also applies to your child’s coverage under the Employee and Family Assistance Program. MSP will set up your child with an individual account.

Optional life insurance and your dependent child

If you have Optional Life Insurance coverage, your dependent child will also receive coverage at no charge to you. For each $25,000 unit of coverage you purchase for yourself, you will receive $5,000 of coverage for each dependent child. Once your child no longer meets the definition of dependent child, they will no longer have optional life insurance coverage.

Tuition Waivers for dependent children

If you are an eligible staff member, you may transfer up to 12 undergraduate credits from your Tuition Fee Waiver to your dependent child. If you are an eligible faculty member, your child is eligible for tuition waivers equal to 120 undergraduate credits, which is equivalent to the credit requirements of an undergraduate degree.

Once your child no longer meets the definition of dependent child, they are no longer eligible for tuition waivers.

Birth or adoption

Becoming a parent is an exciting life transition. You may be eligible for a maternity, parental or adoptive parent leave to look after your new child. You’ll also want to consider making changes to your benefits now that you have a child.

Here’s a summary of what you need to know:

• You are eligible for an unpaid leave as the birth or adoptive parent.
• If you meet eligibility rules, you can apply for Employment Insurance maternity or parental benefits, which will provide you with a certain percentage of your pre-leave earnings to a maximum amount. Some UBC employee groups are eligible for a top-up benefit to bring their earnings while on leave closer to their pre-leave salary for a specified period of time.
• You will need to decide whether to maintain your benefit coverage and pension contributions while you are on leave.
• You may want to add your child to your UBC benefit coverage.
• You may want to change the beneficiary information on your UBC life insurance.
• If you have Optional Life Insurance coverage through UBC, for each $25,000 unit of optional life insurance coverage you purchase for yourself, you will receive $5,000 of coverage for each dependent child at no extra charge.
• UBC has some childcare options you may want to consider for when you return to work.

What leaves and benefits am I eligible for?

You are entitled to take time off work to look after your new child. These leaves include:

• an unpaid maternity leave of up to 17 weeks, if you are the pregnant employee, which can be combined with an unpaid parental leave of up to 61 weeks to extend your total time off work to up to 78 weeks,
• an unpaid parental leave of up to 62 weeks if you are a birth parent,
• an unpaid adoption leave of up to 62 weeks for an adopting parent, and
• a pre-placement adoption paid leave of up to 20 days if you are an Administrative Executive, CUPE 2278, CUPE 2950 or Management & Professional employee.

Maternity, parental and adoption leaves are unpaid. However, when you apply for a maternity, parental or adoption leave, you can also apply for Employment Insurance (EI) maternity or parental benefits from Employment and Social Development Canada that are administered by Service Canada.

If you meet EI’s eligibility rules for benefits, you will receive EI benefits if you are a pregnant employee, birth parent or adopting parent. The payment is generally around 55% of your pre-leave earnings up to a specific maximum amount.

Some employee groups are also eligible for Supplementary Employment Benefits that can be used to top up your EI benefit payments to 75% or 95% of your pre-leave salary for a specified period of time.

If you are planning to take a maternity, parental or adoption leave, you will need to:

• notify your supervisor of the start and end dates of your leave (ideally at least four weeks ahead of the start date of your leave),
• apply for the EI maternity or parental benefit through Service Canada,
• apply for Supplementary Employment Benefits if this benefit is available to your employee group, and
• decide whether to maintain your benefit coverage and pension contributions. See Benefits Coverage while on a Leave for more information.

Learn more about all these steps in the Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave page.

How can I add my child to my benefits?

Extended Health, Dental and Employee and Family Assistance Program

If you are enrolled in the Extended Health, Dental and Employee and Family Assistance Program through UBC, you can add your new dependent in Workday. For more information visit Making Enrolment Changes page. 

How do I change my life insurance beneficiary?

If you would like to change the beneficiary on your life insurance (Basic and/or Optional Life), you can do this in Workday. For more information visit Making Enrolment Changes page. 

Pension

If you are enrolled in the UBC Staff Pension Plan

Visit Naming a Beneficiary page to review relevant information. 

If you are enrolled in the UBC Faculty Pension Plan

Visit Designating your Beneficiary page to review relevant information.

Is my child covered by my optional life insurance?

If you have enrolled in UBC’s optional Life Insurance plan, for each $25,000 unit of optional life insurance coverage you purchase for yourself, you will receive $5,000 of coverage for each dependent child at no extra charge. See the Optional Life Insurance page for more information.

What childcare services are available to staff and faculty?

Contact UBC Childcare Services for information.

UBC is organized into a number of staff and faculty employee groups with terms and conditions of employment specific to each group.

See below for the Collective Agreements and terms and conditions of employment, and related information for each of these groups.

If you are married or are in a common-law relationship, you may want to add your spouse or partner to your benefit coverage. This means that your spouse or partner will be able to receive coverage for many benefits offered through UBC, including health benefits.

Summary of what you need to know

• If you are changing your name after getting married, you’ll need to let us know.
• You may want to enrol your spouse or partner in UBC benefits.
• You may want to add your spouse or partner as your life insurance beneficiary.
• Your spouse or partner is automatically the designated beneficiary of your pension benefit.

How do I let UBC know about my name change?

If you change your legal name after your marriage, you need to let us know by by changing your name in Workday. You will need to upload supporting documentation including a copy of your marriage certificate and Social Insurance Card showing your new name.

Once your name is changed in Workday, it will automatically be updated with Sun Life after 3-5 business days (for your extended health and dental benefits), as well as the UBC Staff or Faculty Pension Plan.

Please also notify your Department Administrator of your name change.

Login to Workday

For Workday resources and help visit the Integrated Service Centre.

What UBC benefits are available to my spouse or partner?

Your spouse or partner, if eligible, can enrol as your dependent in the following benefits:

• Extended Health benefits,
• Dental benefits, and
• the Employee and Family Assistance Program.

If you are eligible for Basic Life insurance, your spouse can also apply for UBC’s Optional Life Insurance and Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance. All applications are subject to approval by the insurer, Sun Life.

If you are eligible as part of your employee group, you may transfer up to 12 UBC undergraduate credits to your spouse under your Tuition Fee Waiver.

How can I add my spouse or partner to my benefit plan?

MSP

You may want to add your spouse or partner to your MSP coverage. Information on how to add a dependent to your MSP coverage is available through the Medical Services Plan website.

Extended Health/Dental

You may want to add your spouse or partner to your extended health and dental coverage. Depending on your employee group, there may be a monthly cost to you for this benefit. Learn about premium rates for your employee group.

You can add your spouse or partner to your extended health and dental coverage in Workday. For more information about adding your spouse or partner refer to Making enrolment changes page. 

If you enrol your spouse or partner as your dependent and they do the same for you under their employer plan, you may be able to receive up to 100% reimbursement for your medical and dental claims by coordinating your benefits claims between benefits plans.

Employee and Family Assistance Program

All eligible UBC employees are automatically enrolled in EFAP.  You can add your spouse or partner to the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) in Workday. There is no additional cost to you to add a dependent.

For more information about adding your spouse or partner refer to Making enrolment changes page. 

How do I name my spouse or partner the beneficiary of my life insurance?

You may want to name your spouse or partner as the beneficiary on your life insurance through UBC (Basic and/or Optional Life). You can do this in Workday. For more information visit Making enrolment changes page.

What about my pension?

Under the provincial Pension Benefits Standards Act, there are specific regulations defining your spouse’s rights to your pension. Please contact the UBC Pension Administration Office for more information.