Pay Services

Non-connected employees with timekeepers, such as seagoing personnel and some hatcheries employees, can also contact their timekeeper to access these services on their behalf.

Help with pay and benefits

Email MyPay (the DFO Pay Support Team)

Include your region in the subject line and your PRI in the body of the email with details about your enquiry. If you are a seagoing employee, or a non-connected employee who is assigned a timekeeper, you may also request that your timekeeper do this on your behalf.

What the MyPay team can do for you

MyPay is a single point of contact for employees, managers, and timekeepers enquiring about pay and benefits issues. Employees, managers, and timekeepers can contact the Pay Support Team to begin the process for resolving a pay issue. MyPay logs, triages and tracks the inquiry to determine the best course of action, providing the first line of support in attempting to resolve the issue.

We are DFO and Coast Guard employees and not employees of the Public Service Pay Centre. As such we can:

  • answer questions
  • give advice
  • help managers understand schedule assignments, and offer support with Phoenix pay transaction approvals and exceptions
  • resolve issues
  • help report and track issues that must be resolved at the Pay Centre
  • provide advice on life events
  • assist in obtaining a priority payment
  • provide contact information for pension, overpayments or T4 issues

A priority payment

Speak with your manager and email MyPay

Email MyPay (the DFO Pay Support Team)

Include your region in the subject line and your PRI in the body of the email.

Priority payments can be requested when there is a disruption of pay for an active employee due to issues related to Phoenix. It is a payment issued by the department on a priority basis to ensure employees do not encounter financial hardship due to processing delays at the Public Service Pay Centre. This applies to employees who have not received all of the monies they are owed due to processing delays for their regular or acting pay, allowances, salary increases related to a promotion or a pay increment, and unpaid overtime that has been submitted.

What is a priority payment?

  • The amount of a priority payment is 66% of monies owed; this represents the approximate amount of salary after tax that you would normally receive.
  • Priority payments must be recovered once all monies owed to the employee have been paid; the employee has received three consecutive correct gross pays and a recovery agreement has been established with the employee. You will be consulted on a flexible repayment plan.
  • Priority payments are essentially loans issued by the department; they are not considered taxable income and, consequently, accepting a priority payment will not affect your income taxes.

How do I request a priority payment?

Speak to your manager and send an email to MyPay. They will provide you with all of the instructions and forms that you will need to request a priority payment. If you are an employee without DFO network access, and are assigned a timekeeper, you may choose to contact your timekeeper or regional MariTime Unit for assistance or MyPay.

Sending a Pay Action Request (PAR)

Email the Trusted Source

Include your PAR form and all signed supporting documents.

If you are seagoing personnel, or any other employee who is assigned a timekeeper, the timekeeper will submit PARs required for the management of your pay.

What the Trusted Source can do for you

The Trusted Source is a designated team responsible for ensuring that PARs and all required supporting documentation are fully completed, and have the proper section 34 manager approval, before submitting to the Pay Centre on your behalf. Employees, timekeepers and managers will be contacted when PARs have not been completed correctly or when documentation is missing. All PARs and supporting documentation will be triaged and logged to quickly identify emerging trends and issues.

For more information about using PARs consult the

Employees, managers and timekeepers may contact the Trusted Source with any questions regarding the submission of a PAR, but once submitted to the Pay Centre, employees without DFO network access may follow up on PARs by contacting the Public Services and Procurement Canada Client Contact Centre at 1-855-686-4729.

Advice about pay during a life event such as becoming a parent or retiring

Email MyPay (the DFO Pay Support Team)

Include "Life Events" in the subject line and your PRI in the body of the email with details about your enquiry.

If you are a seagoing employee, or a non-connected employee who is assigned a timekeeper, you may also request that your timekeeper do this on your behalf. The response, however, will be sent to you in order to preserve your privacy.

What the Life Events team can do for you

The Life Events team provides confidential advice and guidance regarding pay and benefits to employees prior to, during, and returning from major life events.

Examples of major life events include:

  • getting married
  • getting divorced
  • taking leave without pay of any kind - examples:
    • maternity/parental
    • leave with income averaging
    • pre-retirement transition leave
    • self-funded leave
  • returning to work from a period of leave without pay
  • going on extended paid sick leave or sick leave without pay/disability insurance
  • considering retirement or resignation
  • in the event of an employee or employee’s spouse passing

As part of your DFO Pay Support Team, the Life Events advisors can provide guidance and counselling on the pay and benefit effects of major Life Events and assist you in navigating processes and completing the appropriate forms.

Help with PeopleSoft or your leave balances

Non-connected employees do not have access to PeopleSoft. Your manager or timekeeper can provide you with information regarding your leave balances.

For questions or issues related to your leave balances, please contact MyPay.

HR records for seagoing personnel are managed in the MariTime system, not PeopleSoft. Seagoing personnel should contact their MariTime Units with any questions regarding leave.

To follow up on a Phoenix feedback form

The Phoenix feedback form is a way to address a question or raise a pay concern with the Pay Centre. It is different from an enquiry to MyPay, who are DFO employees with the knowledge and training to assist DFO and Coast Guard employees with their pay questions and issues.

If you or your timekeeper have submitted a Phoenix feedback form, or the MyPay team has submitted on your behalf, you may obtain further information about your pay enquiry by contacting the PSPC Client Contact Centre at 1-855-686-4729.

Information about my pension, T4 or taxes

Pension: Contact the Pension Centre

T4: Contact the PSPC Client Contact Centre

  • Telephone: 1-855-686-4729

Taxes: Contact the CRA

  • Telephone: 1-800-959-8281

To make a claim for financial loss due to Phoenix

Contact the departmental claims officer

About claims for financial losses and damages caused by Phoenix

The Government of Canada is doing everything possible to ensure that no employee remains out-of-pocket because of Phoenix.

There are processes in place to compensate employees who have incurred expenses, financial losses or other damages because of the implementation of the Phoenix pay system.

Filing a claim will not impact your pay, since claims are not processed through the Phoenix pay system.

What I need to know

There are various types of claims with different eligibility and documentation requirements, including:

  • out-of-pocket expenses
  • impact on income taxes and benefits
  • temporary loss of government benefits
  • reimbursement for tax advice
  • compensation for severe impacts

For more information about your eligibility and the process for applying for any type of claim, consult the Treasury Board Secretariat website Claim expenses, financial losses and damages caused by Phoenix.

Who to contact

DFO has identified a departmental claims officer who can answer your questions, help you fill out the form, guide you through the request process and help you submit your completed request.

Keep a copy for your records.

Claims officer: Janice Golden, Manager Accounts Payable

Alternate claims officer: Sean O'Connor

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