From now on, parents who benefit from the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care will be better protected for the period during which they care for their child. A new measure allows them to protect their pension amount under the Québec Pension Plan (QPP), but also allows them to remain eligible for all benefits under the QPP.
To avoid penalizing parents who must reduce their working hours to care for their child, the QPP's base plan already included a measure for the parents of children under age 7. However, the measure excluded periods during which employment earnings were reduced to avoid having pension amounts reduced.
From now on, the exclusion period could be extended to 18 years, that is, the entire period during which the parent is receiving the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care.
The new measure, retroactive to 1 January 2020, will give an additional respite to parents dealing with difficult situations and provide them with a better financial health when they retire.