--- title: "Mental Health Days in BC: Can You Use Sick Days? (2026)" description: "Yes: a mental health day is a sick day. BC’s 5 paid and 3 unpaid days, the proof an employer may ask for, what to say when you call in, and when 5 run out." url: https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/sick-days-and-mental-health-days-bc lang: en-CA section: "Guide · Work & money" date_modified: 2026-10-13 publisher: "Westpeak Wellness" publisher_type: "Registered Clinical Counsellor practice, British Columbia, Canada" delivery: "secure video only; no in-person office" not: "not a crisis service; not a medical practice; not covered by MSP" contact: info@westpeakwellness.com source_html: https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/sick-days-and-mental-health-days-bc index_of_site: https://www.westpeakwellness.com/llms.txt license: "Content © Westpeak Wellness. Quote with attribution and a link." --- # Sick days and mental-health days in BC: what you’re actually entitled to BC’s Employment Standards Act gives most employees 5 paid sick days and 3 unpaid days per calendar year after 90 days of employment, and illness includes mental health. A day taken for anxiety, depression or a breaking point is as legitimate as one taken for the flu, your employer may ask for reasonably sufficient proof but not your diagnosis, and "I am unwell" is a complete sentence. The larger question this page also answers: when mental-health days keep being needed, they have stopped being days off and started being data. A mental-health day in BC is a sick day. There is no separate category in BC law and none is needed: the paid sick days under the Employment Standards Act cover illness, and mental health is illness. 6 min read · Updated October 13, 2026 [Book a free consultation](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/book) [Work out what your leave pays](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/tools/stress-leave-pay-calculator) > Written by a **Registered Clinical Counsellor** in independent practice in British Columbia. > > Updated October 13, 2026 · 6 min read · [How these pages are written](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/editorial-policy) · [Scope and accountability](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/standards) > > General information, not clinical advice, and not a diagnosis. Sources are listed at the foot of the page so you can check them. ## The entitlement, without folklore Since 2022, the BC Employment Standards Act provides employees with **5 paid sick days and 3 unpaid sick days per calendar year**, after 90 days with the employer. They cover personal illness or injury, and mental health is health in that sentence, without any asterisk. The days do not carry over, they are paid at an average day’s pay, and they belong to ESA-covered employees; federally regulated workers (banks, telecoms, airlines) are under the Canada Labour Code instead, which gives up to 10 paid medical leave days a year, and unionised or contract terms can only improve on the floor, not dig under it. "Reasonably sufficient proof" is the phrase doing the work on the employer side: they may ask for it, and for a day or two most reasonable employers ask for nothing. What they are never entitled to is your diagnosis or the content of your health information, a theme that runs through this whole cluster, from [the doctor’s note](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/doctors-note-for-a-mental-health-leave) and [how to ask for a mental health leave](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/resources/mental-health-leave-templates-bc) to [the return](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/return-to-work-after-a-mental-health-leave). And the sentence itself: "I’m unwell and taking a sick day." Not "it’s just a headache", not a manufactured stomach bug to launder a [panic attack at work](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/panic-attacks-at-work) into something that feels tellable. The legal entitlement does not require the illness to be visible, physical, or explained. [![A four-step diagram of the accountability chain for a Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC: raising it in session, then the association complaints process, then the privacy commissioner for information concerns, and the incoming college regulator.](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/img/accountability-chain.svg) (full size, opens in a new tab)](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/img/accountability-chain.svg) Four routes, none of which require the counsellor’s permission. ## If you work for the BC Public Service, or under a collective agreement The five paid days are a floor, and many BC employees stand on something higher. Employees of the BC Public Service are covered by the Short Term Illness and Injury Plan (STIIP), which the province describes as a benefit for employees unable to work "because of an illness or injury due to physical and/or mental health concerns". A mental-health absence is inside it on the same terms as a physical one. What STIIP pays depends on length of service. For regular employees, as the [BC Public Service STIIP page](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/all-employees/leave-time-off/sick-leave/stiip) set it out when read on 16 Oct 2026: under three months, a maximum of six days a calendar year at 75% of the regular rate of pay; from three to six months, a maximum of 15 weeks, at 75% for the first six days and 66% after that; from six months, a maximum of six calendar months at 75%. Auxiliary and part-time employees are asked to confirm their eligibility through AskMyHR. Teachers, health-authority staff, municipal employees and many others have a sick-leave bank or plan in their collective agreement instead; for teachers, [counselling for BC teachers](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/for/teachers) sets out how district sick leave and the BCTF plan follow each other. Whatever the agreement says, it can only improve on the Employment Standards Act floor, never take you below it. If you are reading this to work out whether you are allowed to be as tired as you are, that is answerable in fifteen minutes, free, from your sofa. [Book a free consultation](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/book). ## Using a mental-health day so it actually works A mental-health day spent doomscrolling in the same room as the laptop treats nothing. What the day is for, mechanically, is interrupting a stress cycle that has stopped self-interrupting: sleep that is actually sleep, daylight, movement, one honest conversation, and genuine distance from the inbox, which means notifications off, not merely "not replying". It is also a fair day for maintenance you have been deferring *because* of work: the doctor’s appointment, the first therapy consultation, the benefits phone call. The entitlement can buy the hour that the calendar never would. What a single day cannot do is treat an actual depressive episode, an anxiety disorder, or a burnout that has been building for a year. That is not a criticism of the day; it is a statement of dosage. > Keep reading > > [Individual counselling for burnout and stress](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/services/individual-therapy) [![Three stacked bands describing routes to mental health support in BC: services that answer immediately with no waitlist, publicly funded services that are free but triaged, and private counselling which has no waitlist and a fee.](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/img/bc-support-routes.svg) (full size, opens in a new tab)](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/img/bc-support-routes.svg) Most people qualify for something in the top two bands. ## When the days become data - **You are rationing them by dread** , Choosing which weeks are survivable enough to skip the sick day is itself the signal. A sustainable job does not require triaging your own collapse. - **The same day keeps recurring** , Monday-pattern or post-deadline-pattern sick days are a graph, and the graph is telling you what the cause is. Naming the pattern is more useful than hiding it. - **Five days were gone by June** , When the annual allotment cannot cover the year, you are past the sick-day tool. The next tools are a proper assessment, possibly [a certified stress leave](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/resources/workplace-mental-health-bc) , which [medical EI](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/ei-sickness-benefits-and-therapy) can part-pay ( [what a stress leave would pay you, week by week](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/tools/stress-leave-pay-calculator) ), and treatment, in that order, before the involuntary version arrives. - **The day off does not restore anything anymore** , Early in a stress cycle, a day genuinely resets. Late in one, it does not touch the sides, and that difference is one of the more reliable home tests for "tired" versus "something needing treatment". The guide on [burnout or depression](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/burnout-vs-depression) draws that line properly, and the [three-minute check](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/tools/burnout-or-depression) is a way to start on it without a form or a score. ## Common questions **Can I use a sick day for a therapy appointment?** Yes. A counselling appointment is health care, and BC's paid sick days under the Employment Standards Act cover illness and injury without listing what kind. A session is 50 minutes by video, so some people fit it around work. When that is not possible, the appointment is a legitimate use of sick time and your employer is not entitled to know what it was for. **Is a wellness day the same as a sick day?** Only if your employer calls it that. "Wellness days" are a policy some employers add on top of the statutory sick days and they are governed by the policy, not the Act. The five paid sick days under the Employment Standards Act are the legal floor, apply to mental health, and cannot be taken away by a wellness-day policy. **Can I take a sick day for mental health in BC?** Yes. The ESA’s paid sick days cover personal illness, and mental health is included without qualification. A day taken for anxiety or depression is as protected as one taken for the flu, and you do not have to disclose which it was. **How many paid sick days do BC employees get?** Five paid and three unpaid per calendar year under the Employment Standards Act, after 90 days of employment. They do not carry over. Federally regulated employees are under the Canada Labour Code instead, which provides up to ten paid medical days, and better contractual terms override both floors upward. **Does my employer need a doctor’s note for one mental-health day?** They may ask for reasonably sufficient proof, and for a single day most do not. If yours does, a simple medical note suffices. It never needs to state a diagnosis. A pattern of demanding notes for every single day is worth a conversation with the Employment Standards Branch. **Do mental health days count as sick days in BC?** Yes. Legally there is no difference: BC has one sick-leave entitlement and mental health is inside it. Culturally the phrase does useful work, but do not let it create a second-class category in your head: you are not borrowing the real entitlement, you are using it. **How many mental health days can you take from work in BC?** As many sick days as you have: five paid and three unpaid each calendar year under the Employment Standards Act once you have worked for the employer for 90 days, and a mental-health day comes out of the same allowance. Your employer’s policy or a collective agreement may give more. Beyond those days, a longer absence needs a medical certificate from a physician or nurse practitioner, which is a medical leave rather than a run of sick days. **Can you call in sick for mental health?** Yes. Say you are unwell and taking a sick day; you do not have to say what kind of unwell. Your employer may ask for reasonably sufficient proof but is not entitled to your diagnosis, and a mental-health day is as protected as one taken for the flu. **Are mental health days paid in BC?** The first five sick days in a calendar year are, at an average day’s pay, once you have worked for the employer for 90 days, and a mental-health day is a sick day. The next three are unpaid but still job-protected. Anything an employer offers above that, such as wellness days or a larger sick-leave bank, is paid on the employer’s policy or your collective agreement. **Can a psychologist write a sick note?** The Employment Standards Act asks only for reasonably sufficient proof and does not name who must write it, so whether an employer accepts a registered psychologist’s note is the employer’s call; most accept a physician’s or nurse practitioner’s. For EI sickness benefits, Service Canada asks for a certificate from your treating medical practitioner; canada.ca lists who that can be. A Registered Clinical Counsellor does not diagnose and is not the person to certify an absence. **Is mental health leave paid for BC government employees?** For BC Public Service employees, yes, through the Short Term Illness and Injury Plan (STIIP), which covers an illness or injury "due to physical and/or mental health concerns". A regular employee with six months or more of service can receive up to six calendar months at 75% of the regular rate of pay; shorter service gets less, as the BC Public Service STIIP page sets out. Other public employers, such as health authorities, school districts and municipalities, have their own plans in their collective agreements, which can only improve on the five paid days in the Employment Standards Act. **Do BC sick days reset on January 1?** Yes. The Employment Standards Act grants the five paid and three unpaid days "in each calendar year", so the allowance starts again on 1 January. Unused days do not carry over, and in a new job the 90-day qualifying period still comes first. An employer policy or collective agreement can be more generous and may run on its own year. **What if I need more days than exist?** That is the signal to change tools: an honest medical assessment, the possibility of a certified leave with job protection, and treatment for whatever is consuming the days. The stress-leave guide covers the whole path, including the money. ## Sources - [Province of BC, paid sick leave](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/paid-sick-leave) - [Employment Standards Act, s. 49.1, illness or injury leave (read 16 Oct 2026)](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96113_01) - [BC Public Service, Short Term Illness and Injury Plan (STIIP) (read 16 Oct 2026)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/careers-myhr/all-employees/leave-time-off/sick-leave/stiip) - [Government of Canada, medical leave with pay for federally regulated employees](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/laws-regulations/labour/interpretations-policies/medical-leave-pay.html) - [Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division](https://cmha.bc.ca/) This guide is general information, not clinical advice, and it cannot diagnose anything or replace an assessment. If you are in crisis, call or text **9-8-8** (Canada, 24/7) or BC Mental Health Support at **310-6789**. ## Who you would talk to Taking new clients and seeing people across BC by secure video. Each is a Registered Clinical Counsellor; the registration is on the profile and can be checked on the BCACC register. ![Camille Granda, Registered Clinical Counsellor, seated and listening](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/_next/image?url=%2Fimg%2Fphoto%2Fcamille-chin.jpg&w=256&q=75&dpl=dpl_5oWqSyeZ3Dmx9o1tJgbj87jckevt) ### Camille Granda, RCC, CCC English and Tagalog · Trauma, Anxiety and chronic stress, Grief, loss and life transitions In her words: “I want sitting with me to feel like the biggest belly breath you have ever taken.” [Book with Camille](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/book?with=camille-granda#calendar) [More about Camille](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/practitioners/camille-granda) ![Savneet Singh, counsellor at Westpeak Wellness, smiling at the camera](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/_next/image?url=%2Fimg%2Fphoto%2Fsavneet-singh.jpg&w=256&q=75&dpl=dpl_5oWqSyeZ3Dmx9o1tJgbj87jckevt) ### Savneet Singh, RCC English and Punjabi · Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and attachment In her words: “Comforting, safe and supportive, is what I aim for.” [Book with Savneet](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/book?with=savneet-singh#calendar) [More about Savneet](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/practitioners/savneet-singh) Individual sessions are $140 for 50 minutes, after a free 15-minute consultation; card at booking. Many [extended health plans](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/resources/does-my-plan-cover-counselling-bc) reimburse a Registered Clinical Counsellor, depending on the plan, so check yours; MSP does not cover private counselling. [All fees](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/pricing). ## Still deciding? A free 15-minute consultation is the least committal way to find out whether this is a fit. No pressure, and no obligation to book a session afterward. [Book Free Consultation](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/book) Not ready to book? [Send a line about what is going on](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/contact). A reply comes within one business day. Or a smaller step: [Burnout, or depression? A reflection](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/tools/burnout-or-depression) · [What sessions cost](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/pricing) · [What the free 15 minutes is like](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/resources/before-your-first-consultation) Looking on behalf of someone else? [What to send them, and what not to](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/refer), including the funded routes most people do not know they qualify for. Keep reading ## Related pages [Individual counselling for burnout and stress](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/services/individual-therapy) [Stress leave in BC, the full picture](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/resources/workplace-mental-health-bc) [Burnout vs depression](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/burnout-vs-depression) [Getting the doctor’s note](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/doctors-note-for-a-mental-health-leave) [Signs it might be time for therapy](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/signs-it-might-be-time-for-therapy) [Burnout or depression? A three-minute check](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/tools/burnout-or-depression) Keep going ## More counselling guides [Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/is-online-therapy-as-effective-as-in-person) [What is EMDR, and what actually happens in a session?](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/what-is-emdr-and-how-a-session-works) [Anxiety attack vs panic attack: what is the difference?](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/anxiety-attack-vs-panic-attack) [High-functioning anxiety: when everything looks fine from outside](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/high-functioning-anxiety) [What actually happens in a first therapy session](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/guides/what-to-expect-first-therapy-session) Where this leads If this is close to your own situation, there is a page written for it: [Counselling for teachers in BC](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/for/teachers). Where you are ## Online counselling across British Columbia Every session is by secure video, so the counsellor you see does not depend on where you live. Each city page covers coverage, local public services and who is taking new clients there. [Online counselling in Vancouver](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/vancouver) [Online counselling in Surrey](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/surrey) [Online counselling in Burnaby](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/burnaby) [Online counselling in Abbotsford](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/abbotsford) [Online counselling in Langley](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/langley) [Online counselling in Chilliwack](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/chilliwack) [Online counselling in Victoria](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/victoria) [Online counselling in Kelowna](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/kelowna) [Online counselling in Kamloops](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/kamloops) [Online counselling in Prince George](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/prince-george) [Online counselling in Saanich](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/saanich) [Online counselling in Maple Ridge](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/maple-ridge) [Online counselling in Vernon](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/vernon) [Online counselling in Mission](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/mission) [Online counselling in Courtenay](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/courtenay) [Online counselling in Langford](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/langford) [Online counselling in Cranbrook](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/cranbrook) [Online counselling in Campbell River](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/campbell-river) [Online counselling in North Vancouver](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/north-vancouver) [Online counselling in New Westminster](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/new-westminster) [Online counselling in White Rock](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/white-rock) [Online counselling in Richmond](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/richmond) [Online counselling in Coquitlam](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/coquitlam) [Online counselling in Delta](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/delta) [Online counselling in Nanaimo](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/nanaimo) [Online counselling in Penticton](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/penticton) [Online counselling in Fort St. John](https://www.westpeakwellness.com/online-counselling/fort-st-john)