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Overview
Alberta’s government provided a range of temporary supports to help minimize disruption and ease costs for families affected by the recent labour action in schools.
With students now back at school, the Parent Payment Program will stay open for applications until December 1. Other temporary support programs have ended.
Parent payment program
The deadline to apply is December 1.
A parent payment program was introduced during labour action to help ease the extra costs families faced while schools were closed. Parents and guardians of students aged 12 and under who attend a public, Catholic or francophone school affected by the disruption can still apply for the payment program.
The deadline to start new applications is December 1. No new applications will be accepted after this date.
Receiving payments
Parents who are entitled to additional funding but have not yet received it will be included in a future payment run.
For questions about the payment program or for help applying, call: 310-0000.
Find your e-transfer security answer
If you do not have auto-deposit set up, you will need your Application Reference Number to manually accept your e-transfer. To find this number, click the “view my application” button in the parent portal and sign in with your verified Alberta.ca account.
The Application Reference Number will be in the form of "XXXX-XXXX" and must be entered as shown, including dashes. Do not copy and paste.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the parent payment program, the following criteria must be met:
- You must be the parent/guardian of a child aged 12 or under.
- Your child must be enrolled in a public, Catholic or francophone school as of October 6, 2025.
- You and your child must be Alberta residents.
Parent applications will be reviewed and validated to ensure eligibility criteria are met.
Eligible parents and guardians will receive $30 per child for each day of labour action. For a 5-day school week, this equates to $150 per week, per child.
- Payments are for the period of labour disruption, from October 6 to 28, 2025.
- Payments will be delivered by e-transfer on November 28 and into December, depending on when applications were received.
The parent payments are considered non-taxable income. The benefit is available to a parent or guardian of all eligible children, regardless of household income. These payments are intended to help parents impacted by labour action and do not have to be paid back.
Note: Only one parent or guardian per child will be eligible for the parent payment program.
Support for children with disabilities
Additional support is available through the parent payment portal for families of children aged 5 to 17 with active Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) agreements who are affected by labour action.
- $30 per child per instructional day for children aged 12 years and under
- $60 per child per instructional day for children aged 13 years and older
Families will need to provide their FSCD file ID number when they apply for this additional support through the parent payment portal. The number can be found on the FSCD agreement.
Register for payments
- Step 1. Log into your verified Alberta.ca Account.
- Create an Alberta.ca Account if you do not have one.
- If you have an existing Alberta.ca account, ensure it is verified.
- You can begin your registration before your Alberta.ca Account is verified.
- Step 2. Register on the parent portal.
Note: Payments will be issued on November 28 and into December, depending on when applications were received.
Changes to provincial assessment
November 2025 diploma exams are optional. January 2026 diploma examinations and Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests have been cancelled. Students will be automatically exempted but may write diploma exams in April or June 2026, if they choose.
School authorities will meet all learning outcomes for the school year and will have flexibility to adjust the school calendar as needed. Any changes in the school calendar will be communicated to families by their school.
Fall 2025
With instructional time in schools disrupted due to the teacher strike, the November 2025 diploma exams are optional for students. Students who wish to write a diploma exam may request to do so, and their school boards will accommodate their request.
The optional diploma exams apply to all schools provincewide. Optional exams will still take place on the currently scheduled dates.
Students who choose not to write the November diploma exams can still complete their courses and graduate on time. Their final grade will be based entirely on the school-awarded mark provided by their teacher.
Choosing not to write the November diploma exams will not affect a student’s ability to apply to, be accepted by, or attend post-secondary institutions after graduation.
January 2026
January 2026 diploma examinations and Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests have been cancelled. Grade 12 Students who choose not to write at a later date will receive their school-awarded mark as their final official course mark. A notation will be added to student transcripts confirming that no diploma exam was written. This ensures there is no impact on students’ ability to graduate or transition into post-secondary programs. Alberta’s post-secondary institutions have been notified and will continue to accept school-awarded marks as final grades.
Students may choose to write January diploma exams in April or June 2026.