Zora Health / Employer guide / Canada
Support employees through fertility treatment, and keep the talent you have invested in.
Fertility treatment rarely fits around a work calendar, and most employees go through it quietly, often while doing some of their best work. Zora Health helps you build practical fertility support, from policies and manager guidance to confidential care navigation and access to 128+ partner clinics in 16 countries, around your workforce and budget. Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with us.
Book an employer consultation Explore the cost calculator
Five things Canadian HR leaders should know
- Canada’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.25 children per woman in 2024 (Statistics Canada).
- Public IVF funding depends on the province: Ontario funds one cycle for patients under 43, Quebec one cycle per lifetime started before 41, and British Columbia a one-time, income-tested grant of up to C$19,000 since July 2025.
- Private IVF at a Toronto clinic costs C$9,000 plus about C$5,000 in medication; elective egg freezing costs C$8,500 plus storage, and Ontario, Quebec and BC do not fund it.
- No federal or Ontario law gives fertility leave. EI pays up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits and 40 weeks of shared standard parental benefits at 55% of earnings, to a maximum of C$729 a week in 2026.
- A fixed annual allowance, set against private prices and each employee’s province, keeps the budget predictable and covers what public funding leaves out.
Why fertility is a business problem for employers
Fertility treatment does not fit around a work calendar. A clinic sets the date of a scan the day before. Egg collection happens when the body is ready, usually about 36 hours after a final trigger injection. Then comes a two-week wait, and for many couples, another cycle. Your team feels it: missed meetings, unexplained absences, a strong performer who suddenly goes quiet.
The World Health Organization estimates that about 1 in 6 people worldwide are affected by infertility. In a 2026 Mount Royal University study in Alberta, one participant who kept treatment from work said they felt like they were “leading a double life”. In a 2023 Carrot Fertility survey of about 5,000 people in Canada, India, Mexico, the UK and the US, 79% said they felt uncomfortable discussing fertility at work.
- Resignations. In Ferring‘s 2025 survey of more than 3,600 people in Australia, France, Japan, Poland and the UK, 39% of employees with fertility challenges had left or considered leaving their job during treatment.
- Cost delays treatment. 19% of Canadians aged 18 to 34 said they or someone close to them had delayed or decided against fertility care because of cost or limited public funding (Ipsos for Fertility Matters Canada, October 2026, via Benefits and Pensions Monitor).
- Unequal access by province. In 2024 the federal government listed no public fertility coverage in Alberta or Saskatchewan (Public Health Agency of Canada).
What employers gain
Keep the people you spent the most to develop
Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary, according to Gallup. IVF success falls sharply through the late 30s (CARTR Plus), often the years when employees move into senior roles. A written policy, paid time off and a funded allowance can ease the pressure to leave during treatment.
Stand out in a tight labour market
65% of people in Carrot’s 2023 survey said they would change jobs for fertility benefits (Carrot, 2023). 56% of employers with Manulife group plans cover fertility medication. In 2023 Manulife extended its own employees’ fertility benefits to treatment, procedures and drugs with no cycle, dollar or lifetime limits (Manulife, April 2026).
Make fertility support financially predictable
Employers can set annual or lifetime allowances and decide which treatments qualify. Zora helps structure benefits around local costs, the law and workforce needs, so HR runs the programme within an agreed budget.
Want to see what this would look like for your Canadian workforce?
What IVF costs, and what the state pays
Canada has no national IVF programme, so cover depends on the employee’s province. Provinces that fund IVF pay for one cycle or a capped grant, leaving medication, genetic testing, storage or further cycles to the patient. Aon projected Canadian medical plan costs to rise 8.3% in 2026 (Benefits and Pensions Monitor, January 2026).
| Item | Typical private price (C$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IVF treatment cycle, procedure and lab fees | 9,000 | CReATe Fertility Centre, Toronto; excludes medication |
| ICSI, added to IVF | 2,000 | Per cycle |
| IVF medication, per cycle | About 5,000 | Ontario government estimate; not covered by the Ontario Fertility Program |
| Frozen embryo transfer | 2,300 | Thaw and transfer |
| Elective egg freezing, per cycle | 8,500 | Excludes medication and storage |
| Storage of eggs, embryos or sperm, per year | 450 | 5 years of embryo storage paid upfront: 2,100 |
Sources: CReATe Fertility Centre, fees (no effective date given; checked November 2026); Ontario government, fertility treatments. Clinics set their own fees and prices change over time.
| Item | Public support (or own savings) | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| IVF in Ontario | One funded cycle per patient under 43 with OHIP, with all viable embryos transferred one at a time | Medication of about C$5,000, genetic testing, storage and wait lists |
| IVF in Quebec | One cycle per lifetime for RAMQ-insured people, started before 41 with transfer before 42; medication through the public drug plan | Storage after the first year and further cycles |
| IVF in British Columbia | One-time grant since July 2025: C$19,000 for household income up to C$100,000, falling to C$4,750 up to C$250,000; applicant 41 or younger, enrolled in MSP | Costs above the grant, PGT and further cycles |
| Atlantic provinces | Newfoundland and Labrador: one-time subsidy of up to C$29,000 since August 2026. Prince Edward Island: lifetime maximum of C$20,000 per household from 2026, with no income test. New Brunswick: reimburses one IVF or IUI cycle per household | Costs above the cap and further cycles |
| Provincial tax credits | Tax relief, not a subsidy. Ontario 25% of up to C$20,000 a year; Quebec 20% to 80% of up to C$20,000; Manitoba 40% of up to C$40,000; Nova Scotia 40% of up to C$20,000 | The cost up front, and the balance after the credit |
| Federal Medical Expense Tax Credit | Tax relief on eligible fertility costs above the lesser of 3% of net income or C$2,890 (2026) | The cost up to the threshold, and most of the rest |
| Elective egg freezing | None; own savings (not a subsidy). Ontario and Quebec fund preservation only for medical reasons | The full cost |
Sources: Ontario; Ontario tax credit; Quebec; KPMG, 2026; BC, June 2026; Newfoundland and Labrador; PEI; New Brunswick; Manitoba; Nova Scotia; CRA; CRA, 2026 amounts. Rules change; check the employee’s province.
Age is one of the strongest predictors of IVF success. For egg collections in Canada from 2020 to 2022 using a patient’s own eggs without PGT-A, the cumulative live birth rate within 12 months was 43.4% under 35, 31.5% at 35 to 37, 19.0% at 38 to 40 and 8.5% at 41 to 42 (CARTR Plus, 2025 report).
Employees in their late 30s often fund a second attempt themselves, so the size and timing of an allowance matter as much as offering one.
Give Employees Access to Fertility Specialists
Help employees navigate fertility care with access to doctors and clinics, treatment information, and clear guidance on IVF, egg freezing and other fertility options. Employees can explore their options privately, without needing to go through HR.
Fertility support that fits your workforce and budget
You do not need to overhaul your existing health insurance to support employees through fertility treatment. Start with awareness and manager education, add confidential one-to-one support, or introduce a funded allowance across your offices. There is no minimum company size.
Where included in the employer programme, eligible employees can use talks and care navigation without paying Zora a separate fee. Care navigation allowances are set in each proposal. Treatment and other third-party costs are paid separately, either by employees or through the fertility allowance their employer provides.
Companies starting the conversation
Essentials
Expert-led talks for employees and managers, fertility and menopause policy templates, manager guides and full access to the Zora app. Up to 2 talks a year.
Employees supported one to one
Navigation
Everything in Essentials, plus confidential one-to-one care navigation and access to our partner clinic network.
Large and multi-country teams
Complete
Everything in Navigation, plus quarterly anonymised reporting, a dedicated account manager and scheduled review meetings with HR.
Optional add-ons can be added to any programme, subject to availability: hormone and fertility diagnostics and telehealth with specialists. Pricing is tailored to your headcount, your countries and the services you choose. Most companies start with a single talk.
Request a proposal See how Zora works for employers
Comparing fertility benefit providers? Use our RFP question bank
Our RFP question bank has 40 questions, with why each one matters, what a good answer looks like and a scoring sheet for three providers. Six of the questions for Canada:
- Are local-plan employees covered, or only staff on international health plans?
- Do you require an infertility diagnosis before support starts?
- Which clinics can employees use in each province, including outside Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and how do you handle employees in provinces with no public IVF funding?
- How does the benefit work alongside the Ontario, Quebec and BC funded cycles and our group drug plan, and does it cover medication, PGT-A and storage those programmes exclude?
- Can the allowance be used for surrogacy and donor costs, and how do you make sure reimbursements stay within the Assisted Human Reproduction Act?
- How is employee health information handled under PIPEDA and provincial laws such as Quebec’s, and what does the employer see?
Your download link appears here as soon as you submit. Zora Health may contact you about employee benefits; see our privacy policy.
Plan your fertility benefit budget
Fertility benefit budget planner
Model the annual claims budget for a fertility allowance. Change any number.
This is a claims budget, not a Zora quotation. Zora’s programme fees, implementation and optional services are separate.
Illustration only. Utilisation is an editable assumption, not observed Zora data. The calculation assumes each user claims their full annual allowance, and excludes programme fees and setup costs. For a tailored model, request an employer proposal.
Estimate the potential workforce impact of fertility challenges
A rough planning scenario. It applies a global infertility estimate to your headcount, so it is not a prediction for your workforce, a measured loss or a forecast of savings from any programme.
Range: C$338,250 to C$957,000 a year, depending on replacement cost.
Assumptions: infertility affects about 1 in 6 adults (World Health Organization, 2023), applied to employees aged 25 to 44. Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary (Gallup, 2019); the headline uses the low end. Absence is valued at salary divided by 250 working days. Exit rate and days lost are your own assumptions.
This is a hypothetical cost scenario, not a prediction of actual employee departures, an estimate of Zora’s financial impact or a guaranteed saving from fertility benefits.
Already have corporate health insurance? Here is where Zora fits
Your medical plan may cover some consultations and tests, but fertility treatment is often limited or excluded, so check your policy wording. Employees still need to understand their options, the public funding they qualify for and which clinic suits them.
Zora works alongside your existing insurance and benefits. We help employees get reliable information, navigate their care options and reach suitable specialists, and we give HR manager guidance, policy templates and, on the Complete programme, anonymised reporting. You strengthen fertility support without replacing your medical plan.
How Zora works
For your employees
Employees join the Zora app with a company code, or single sign-on for larger teams. They can learn about fertility and egg freezing, understand what your benefit covers, book a confidential care navigation call and find partner clinics and specialists.
For HR
- Kick-off, week 1. Agree goals, countries and which employees are eligible.
- Policy and benefit design, weeks 2 to 4. Draft or update your fertility policy using our templates.
- Launch, typically weeks 4 to 6. A launch talk for employees and managers, plus a communications pack for HR to send.
- Live support. Employees book care navigation calls and use the Zora app.
- Reporting, every 3 months, on the Complete programme. Anonymised usage, common themes and our recommendations, reviewed with your account manager.
Privacy
Employee privacy is central to our programmes. On the Complete programme, routine employer reports contain aggregated engagement and utilisation information, with safeguards to prevent identification of individual employees. On every programme, personal health information is not included in standard HR reporting, and employees can get help without telling their manager. Where eligibility checks or claims administration need individual-level data, access is limited to authorised parties for defined purposes, as agreed in writing before launch. Employee data is handled in line with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), with provincial privacy laws applying in some provinces, including Quebec’s private-sector privacy law as amended by Law 25, which treats medical information as sensitive and requires express consent; the Privacy Commissioner treats medical records as almost always sensitive.
Clinics and doctors in Canada
Zora’s clinic and doctor directory does not list providers in Canada yet. It lists 421 clinics and 1,185 doctors across 25 countries, mostly in Asia Pacific and the Middle East (browse clinics or browse doctors). Employees in Canada can still use Zora’s education and the Zora app. Ask us how your team in Canada would use Zora before you launch. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in Canada
Who can use assisted reproduction
The federal Assisted Human Reproduction Act allows altruistic surrogacy only. Paying a surrogate or a third party to arrange a surrogacy can lead to a fine of up to C$500,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both; surrogates can be reimbursed for out-of-pocket costs directly related to the pregnancy (Health Canada). The Act also bans buying sperm or eggs from a donor (Health Canada). Ontario and BC say sex, gender, sexual orientation and family status are not eligibility factors, and Quebec covers single people and same-sex couples (Ontario, BC, Quebec).
Egg freezing and storage
Canadian clinics reported 1,919 self-funded elective egg banking retrievals in 2024 (CARTR Plus). Ontario funds preservation only before treatment that may cause infertility and does not pay for storage. Quebec covers it only before gonadotoxic treatment, such as some cancer treatment, or removal of the ovaries or testicles, with storage paid for 5 years or until age 25, whichever is later. BC’s IVF grant excludes preservation (Ontario, BC, Quebec).
Parental leave, but no fertility leave
EI pays up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits, and parents share up to 40 weeks of standard parental benefits (35 at most for one parent) at 55% of earnings to C$729 a week, or 69 weeks of extended benefits at 33% to C$437 a week (Government of Canada), on maximum insurable earnings of C$68,900 in 2026 (IFEBP). Quebec runs its own parental insurance plan. Ontario’s Employment Standards Act gives up to 17 weeks of unpaid pregnancy leave, 61 or 63 weeks of unpaid parental leave and 3 days of unpaid sick leave a year (Ontario, Ontario). No federal or Ontario law gives fertility or IVF leave.
Discrimination and flexible work
The Canadian Human Rights Act, which covers federally regulated employers such as banks, bars discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, marital status and family status, and treats pregnancy discrimination as sex discrimination (section 3); other employers fall under provincial codes (OHRC). In Ontario, pregnancy includes trying to become pregnant, and the Human Rights Commission lists receiving fertility treatment among the situations covered (OHRC). Under the Canada Labour Code, federally regulated employees with 6 months of service can request changes to hours, schedule or location, and the employer must reply in writing within 30 days (Government of Canada).
Recent funding changes
BC’s IVF grant opened on 2 July 2025 (BC Ministry of Health). Ontario’s refundable tax credit applies to expenses paid from 1 January 2025 (Ontario). On 30 April 2026 Ontario announced C$100 million for 2026/27 to fund about 10,000 more IVF cycles at 27 clinics, 2 of them new (Ontario government release, via Kingsville Times, 2026). Newfoundland and Labrador moved from C$5,000 per cycle to a one-time C$20,000 in March 2025 and C$29,000 in August 2026 (March 2025, August 2026). The federal pledge of up to C$20,000 toward one IVF cycle, made in the 2025 election campaign, was left out of the November 2025 budget and had not been funded as of 20 October 2026 (Benefits and Pensions Monitor). Budget 2026 was due to be tabled on 5 November 2026, and its contents were not public when this page was checked (Department of Finance Canada).
Why employers choose Zora
Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with Zora Health. We work alongside your existing insurance, helping employees use the cover they already have and find suitable specialists based on their needs.
Trying to conceive with a heavy workload took a toll on my husband and me. It helped us understand our options.
Questions HR teams ask us
Is fertility leave mandatory in Canada?
No. No federal or provincial law we reviewed gives fertility or IVF leave. In Ontario, employees have 3 days of unpaid job-protected sick leave a year, and EI maternity and parental benefits apply after a birth or adoption. Time off for treatment otherwise depends on employer policy, and in Ontario the Human Rights Code protects people receiving fertility treatment from discrimination.
Does the public health system pay for IVF in Canada?
It depends on the province. Ontario funds one IVF cycle for patients under 43 with OHIP, but not medication. Quebec funds one cycle per lifetime if treatment starts before 41. British Columbia gives a one-time grant of up to C$19,000 based on household income for applicants 41 or younger. Other provinces offer tax credits or capped grants instead, such as up to C$29,000 in Newfoundland and Labrador, and there is no federal IVF programme.
Is elective egg freezing covered or allowed in Canada?
Elective egg freezing is legal and self-funded. Ontario and Quebec fund preservation only before medical treatment that may cause infertility, and BC’s IVF grant excludes it. A cycle at CReATe Fertility Centre in Toronto costs C$8,500 before medication, plus about C$450 a year for storage.
Does Zora replace our health insurance?
No. Zora works alongside your insurance. We help employees understand their options, find suitable specialists and use the cover they already have.
How much does a fertility benefit cost an employer?
It depends on the allowance, eligibility and expected uptake. Use the budget planner on this page for a first estimate, then ask us for a tailored proposal based on your headcount and countries.
How quickly can we launch?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks from contract to launch, depending on scope and countries. Most companies start with a single talk.
Related guides for Canadian employers
Build a fertility benefit for your team
Whether you are introducing fertility benefits for the first time or improving an existing programme, tell us your headcount, countries and priorities. We will come back within two working days with suitable services, an indicative budget and a practical rollout plan for your Canadian team. No obligation.
Not ready to talk yet? Explore how Zora works
Sources
- Statistics Canada, Canada’s total fertility rate reaches a new low in 2024, April 2026
- Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, CARTR Plus annual report (2024 data), 2025
- Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, CARTR Plus press release (2024 data), 2025
- Government of Ontario, Get fertility treatments (Ontario Fertility Program)
- Government of Ontario, Ontario Fertility Treatment Tax Credit
- Gouvernement du Québec, Medically assisted reproduction program
- KPMG, Quebec refundable tax credit rates and amounts for 2026
- Government of British Columbia, Publicly funded IVF program (updated June 2026)
- BC Ministry of Health, news release on publicly funded IVF, 2 July 2025
- Government of Manitoba, Fertility Treatment Tax Credit FAQ
- Government of Nova Scotia, Rebate for fertility treatments and surrogacy-related medical expenses, March 2022
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Expanding access to fertility services, March 2025
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Provincial Government expanding access to fertility services, August 2026
- Government of Prince Edward Island, Province expands support for fertility care, 2026
- Government of New Brunswick, Funding to support access to fertility treatments, April 2025
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Financial support for fertility treatment and surrogacy, September 2024
- Canada Revenue Agency, Lines 33099 and 33199: eligible medical expenses
- Canada Revenue Agency, Indexation adjustment for personal income tax and benefit amounts (2026)
- CReATe Fertility Centre, Fees
- Mount Royal University, What are the effects of fertility care on the workforce?, April 2026
- Canadian HR Reporter, Leading a double life: fertility and the workplace, May 2026
- Manulife Canada, Despite rising demand, access to fertility coverage remains limited for Canadian workers, April 2026
- Benefits and Pensions Monitor, Federal IVF pledge stalls, shifting pressure to patients and plan sponsors, 20 October 2026
- Benefits and Pensions Monitor, Canadian health plans brace for 8.3% cost surge in 2026 (Aon), January 2026
- Health Canada, Prohibitions related to surrogacy
- Health Canada, Backgrounder: Reimbursing donors and surrogates, October 2018
- Government of Canada, EI maternity and parental benefits
- IFEBP, CEIC announces EI maximum insurable earnings of $68,900 in 2026, September 2025
- Government of Ontario, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: pregnancy and parental leave
- Government of Ontario, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: sick leave
- Canadian Human Rights Act, section 3
- Ontario Human Rights Commission, Human rights at work, Appendix B: which laws apply
- Ontario Human Rights Commission, Policy on preventing discrimination because of pregnancy and breastfeeding: Code protections
- Employment and Social Development Canada, Flexible work arrangements for federally regulated employees
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Provincial laws that may apply instead of PIPEDA
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Interpretation bulletin: form of consent
- Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Quebec’s Law 25: frequently asked questions, 2025
- Department of Finance Canada, Government of Canada to release Budget 2026 on November 5, 2026, October 2026
- Ontario government release, Ontario connecting more families to fertility supports, via Kingsville Times, 30 April 2026
- Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Fertility Matters at Work and This Can Happen, workplace fertility survey, November 2025
- Carrot Fertility, Global Fertility at Work report, 2023
- Gallup, This fixable problem costs US businesses $1 trillion, 2019
- World Health Organization, 1 in 6 people globally affected by infertility, April 2023
Information on this page is correct as of 5 November 2026. Laws, public funding, insurance rules and treatment costs change often, so check current rules with the relevant authority, insurer or a qualified adviser before making decisions. This page is general information, not legal, financial, tax or medical advice.