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Stat Holiday Pay Calculator
Work out what you owe an employee for a statutory holiday, whether they get the day off or work it. Free, no sign-up.
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How We Calculate This
Rules checked October 8, 2026. Each section follows the employment standards law for that province or territory, or the Canada Labour Code for federally regulated employers. Where the law and the government's guidance page say different things, we follow the law. A few points are not settled by the law itself. We say so where they come up. For those points, check with the employment standards office for that jurisdiction.
Alberta
Alberta holiday pay for a day the employee does not work is the average daily wage. Use wages from the four weeks before the holiday, or from the four weeks ending on the last day of the pay period before the holiday. The employer chooses the period. Divide by the days worked in that period. Overtime pay, vacation pay, general holiday pay, termination pay, and tips are not wages for that average. The employee needs 30 work days with that employer in the 12 months before the holiday, and must not miss the scheduled day before or after without consent.
Who Qualifies
Thirty work days in the prior 12 months, and no absence without consent on the holiday if scheduled, on the last scheduled day before it, or on the first scheduled day after it.
What Counts as a Normal Work Day
The weekday is a normal work day if the employee worked that weekday in at least 5 of the 9 weeks before the week of the holiday.
What If They Work the Holiday
On a normal work day the employer pays the average daily wage plus 1.5 times the wage for the hours, or pays the holiday as a normal day and gives a later day off at the average daily wage. On a day that is not a normal work day, working the holiday pays 1.5 times the wage for the hours only.
What If the Holiday Is a Day Off
If it is not a normal work day and the employee does not work, there is no general holiday pay.
What If the Holiday Falls During Vacation
The employee takes a paid day on the first scheduled working day after the vacation, or another work day before the next annual vacation if they agree. Pay is the average daily wage.
British Columbia
Statutory holiday pay is an average day's pay. Add the wages from the 30 calendar days before the holiday. Leave out overtime. Include regular wages, salary, commission, statutory holiday pay, paid vacation, and paid sick days required by employment standards. Divide by the days worked in those 30 days. Paid vacation days, other paid statutory holidays, and those sick days count as days worked.
Who Qualifies
The employee has been employed for 30 calendar days and has worked or earned wages on at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday. An employee working under an averaging agreement can also qualify by working under that agreement in the 30 days before the holiday. Working the day before and the day after is not the test in British Columbia.
What If They Work the Holiday
Add the average day's pay, plus 1.5 times the regular wage for the first 12 hours, plus double the regular wage after 12 hours. Someone who does not qualify gets regular pay for the hours only.
What If the Holiday Is a Day Off
A qualified employee is still paid an average day's pay when the holiday falls on a regular or scheduled day off.
What About a Substitute Day
The employer and the employee, or a majority of the affected employees, may agree to another day. That day is treated as the statutory holiday.
Which Jobs Are Left Out
Some workers, such as managers, farm workers, fishers, listed professionals, nursing students, auxiliary or volunteer firefighters, high technology professionals, and some commission salespeople, have different rules or are not covered. Some silviculture workers are paid 4.4 percent instead. The calculator does not check for these groups. If one applies, check with the Employment Standards Branch.
Manitoba
An employee whose hours stay the same is paid one regular work day's wage. If hours or wages vary, holiday pay is 5 percent of gross wages, not including overtime, in the four weeks immediately before the holiday. There is no minimum length of employment.
Who Loses the Day
Someone who is absent without the employer's permission on the last scheduled workday before the holiday, or the first after, or who was scheduled to work the holiday and was absent without permission. The employer is treated as having given permission if the absence is a leave the employee is entitled to or has been given, or is because the employee is injured or ill.
What If They Work the Holiday
Holiday pay plus 1.5 times the regular wage for the hours worked. Some listed businesses may instead pay regular wages and give a paid day off within 30 days.
What If the Holiday Is on a Weekend
If it falls on a Saturday or Sunday the employee does not normally work, the next regular workday is off with general holiday pay.
What If It Falls During Vacation
The holiday is not a vacation day. The employee gets another day off with pay, and general holiday wages for the holiday.
Which Jobs Have Different Rules
Construction employees are paid differently. They get 4 percent of the year's wages, other than overtime, for every general holiday, plus the overtime wage rate for hours worked on a holiday. The calculator does not work out the construction amount.
Election workers may have different rules. The government fact sheet says election officials, enumerators and other temporary workers appointed under The Elections Act are not entitled to general holiday pay. Check with Manitoba Employment Standards before treating an election worker as not entitled.
New Brunswick
The Act names eight public holidays. An employee who qualifies and does not work is paid regular wages. If wages vary, holiday pay is the average daily earnings, not including overtime, for the days worked in the 30 calendar days before the holiday.
Who Qualifies
At least 90 days of employment in the 12 months before the holiday, and the employee does not, without reasonable cause, miss the scheduled day before or after, or fail to work the holiday after agreeing to.
What If They Work the Holiday
At least 1.5 times the regular rate for the time worked. An employee who qualifies also receives regular wages for the holiday. The 1.5 times rate for working applies even when the employee does not qualify for the regular holiday wages.
What If the Holiday Is Not a Working Day
The employee gets regular wages for the holiday if both agree, or a paid working day before the next vacation.
What a Part-Time Schedule Uses
Steady hours use regular wages. Varying wages use the 30-day average.
Which Jobs Are Left Out
Some workers, such as employees in small agricultural operations, are not covered by the Act. The calculator does not check for these groups. If one applies, check with the New Brunswick Employment Standards office.
Newfoundland and Labrador
For a day not worked, holiday pay is the hourly rate times the average hours worked in a day in the three weeks before the holiday.
Who Qualifies
The holiday is not in the first 30 days of employment, and the employee works the scheduled day before and the scheduled day after unless there is just cause or consent.
What If They Work the Holiday
The Act pays twice the wages of a normal working day. That is one payment. The government pamphlet describes it as twice the regular rate for the hours worked. This calculator follows the Act. The employee may instead take a paid day off within 30 days or an extra vacation day.
How Double Pay Works
Do not add the normal day's pay and also double the hours actually worked. Twice the normal day is the whole amount.
What If They Do Not Qualify and Do Not Work
Holiday pay is zero.
Northwest Territories
If wages are paid by time, such as hourly or salary, holiday pay is the regular rate for normal hours. If wages are paid another way, holiday pay is the average of daily wages for the four weeks the employee worked immediately before the week of the holiday. The government FAQ still calls June 21 National Aboriginal Day. The Act calls it National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Who Qualifies
At least 30 days worked for the employer in the preceding 12 months, they reported if required to work the holiday, and they did not miss the last regular working day before or after without consent. Part-time employees use the same tests. The holiday is paid whether or not it is a usual day of work.
What If They Work the Holiday
Holiday pay plus overtime pay for the time worked. The overtime rate in the Act is 1.5 times the regular rate. Or a substitute holiday no later than the next annual vacation or the end of employment.
A Related Hours Rule
In a week that contains a statutory holiday the employee is entitled to, standard hours that day are treated as 8 and standard hours that week as 32. That rule is about overtime, not the holiday pay amount.
What If They Do Not Work and Do Not Qualify
Holiday pay is zero.
Nova Scotia
A general holiday for someone whose hours do not change is a regular day's pay at the regular rate. Salary is not reduced. The paid general holidays are New Year's Day, Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Christmas Day.
Who Qualifies
The employee received pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday, and worked the scheduled day before and the scheduled day after, unless the employer said not to come in. A day that was not scheduled does not fail the test.
What If Hours Change
The government's holiday pay page shows an average: hours worked in the 30 days before the holiday, divided by the days worked, times the regular rate. Its example is 170 hours divided by 20 days. The Labour Standards Code itself says normal hours. This average is a guide, not a settled rule. Check with the Nova Scotia Labour Standards office before using it.
What If They Work the Holiday
Holiday pay plus 1.5 times the regular rate for the time worked.
What About Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is not a general holiday under the Labour Standards Code. It falls under a separate Act and is not calculated here.
Nunavut
The Act matches the Northwest Territories. Wages paid by time use a normal day's pay. Wages paid any other way use the average of daily wages for the four weeks worked immediately before the week of the holiday.
Who Qualifies
At least 30 days worked in the preceding 12 months, they reported if called in, and they were not absent without consent on the last regular working day before or after. There is no holiday pay while on pregnancy or parental leave.
What If They Work the Holiday
Holiday pay plus at least 1.5 times the regular rate for the time worked, or a later paid holiday. The government page gives a shorter version. This calculator follows the Act.
Nunavut Day
The Act names Nunavut Day as a general holiday. It is July 9. In 2026 that is a Thursday. In 2027 it is a Friday.
What a Salary Day Uses
Someone paid by time, including a salary tied to normal hours, is paid those normal hours. Someone paid another way uses the four-week average.
Ontario
Public holiday pay is the regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the week of the holiday, plus vacation pay payable for that same period, divided by 20. There is no minimum length of employment.
What Is Inside Regular Wages
Regular wages do not include overtime, vacation pay, public holiday pay, premium pay, domestic or sexual violence leave pay, termination pay, severance pay, or termination of assignment pay. Vacation pay payable is added as its own figure before dividing by 20.
Who Loses the Day
An employee who, without reasonable cause, does not work all of the last regularly scheduled day before the holiday, or all of the first regularly scheduled day after it.
What If They Work the Holiday
Either the regular rate for the hours plus a substitute day with public holiday pay, or public holiday pay plus 1.5 times the regular rate for each hour worked.
What If the Holiday Is Not a Working Day
A substitute working day within 3 months, or within 12 months if they agree, with a written statement before the holiday. Or public holiday pay instead, if both agree.
Which Jobs Are Left Out
Some workers, such as listed professionals, teachers, commercial fishers, real estate and commissioned outside salespeople, many farm workers, firefighters, guides, taxi drivers, live-in superintendents, and some seasonal hospitality workers given room and board, are not covered by public holiday rules. Some construction employees are not covered if they already receive 7.7 percent, or 9.7 percent after five years, for vacation or holiday pay. Fruit, vegetable and tobacco harvesters are covered after 13 weeks. The calculator does not check for these groups. If one applies, check with the Ontario Ministry of Labour employment standards office.
Prince Edward Island
Holiday pay is 5 percent of wages, not including overtime, earned in the four weeks before the holiday. Include vacation pay and other holiday pay received in that time. The Act and the 2026 Employment Standards Guide say the same thing.
Who Qualifies
There is no minimum length of employment. Holiday pay is lost if, without permission or a valid reason, the employee misses both the last scheduled shift before the holiday and the first shift after. It may also be lost if the employee was asked to work the holiday and chose not to.
What If They Work the Holiday
1.5 times the regular rate for the hours, plus holiday pay. Or the regular wage for the hours, and holiday pay on a later day agreed before the next vacation.
What If It Is Not a Usual Work Day
A paid day off on the next scheduled workday, the first workday after vacation, or another agreed day before the next vacation.
Which Day Is Islander Day
The third Monday in February.
Saskatchewan
Public holiday pay is 5 percent of wages, not including overtime, in the four weeks before the holiday. Count vacation pay for vacation taken, and public holiday pay already received in that period. There is no minimum length of employment and no before-and-after test.
Who Qualifies
Every employee is paid for each public holiday. There is no minimum length of employment and no rule about working the scheduled day before or after the holiday. Hourly-paid construction employees are paid a different way.
What If They Work the Holiday
The 5 percent amount, plus 1.5 times the hourly wage for each hour or part hour worked. Managers and professionals get this rate too.
A Worked Example
Regular wages of 1,800 dollars, plus 600 dollars of vacation pay, plus 1,000 dollars of commission, is 3,400 dollars. Five percent is 170 dollars.
What Counts as Wages
Salary, commission, vacation pay, public holiday pay already received, and pay instead of notice are included in the 5 percent. Overtime is left out. Tips and gratuities are not named in the wages definition. Leave them out unless they are pay the employer gives for work. That reading is not settled by the law. Check with the Saskatchewan Employment Standards office if a tip or a discretionary bonus is in doubt.
Hourly-paid construction employees have a different minimum: 4 percent of calendar-year wages, not including overtime and vacation pay, plus 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked. The calculator does not work out the construction amount.
What If the Person Does Not Usually Work That Weekday
The 5 percent is still paid.
Yukon
Regular hours are paid at the regular rate for normal hours. Salary is not reduced. Irregular hours, or hours below the standard, are 10 percent of wages, not including vacation pay, for the hours worked in the two calendar weeks immediately before the week of the holiday.
Who Is Not Paid for a Day They Do Not Work
The holiday falls in the first 30 calendar days of employment, the employee was called in and did not report, the employee is already on 14 or more consecutive days of unpaid leave they requested, or the employee is absent without consent on the last scheduled working day before or the first after.
What If They Work the Holiday
Holiday pay, plus the overtime rate for every hour worked. The Act sets that overtime rate at 1.5 times the regular wage. Or the regular rate for the hours, plus a day off.
Commission and Piece Work
Commission or piece work on a regular schedule is paid the average of daily wages, not including overtime or bonus, for the week in which the holiday occurs. Choose Commission or Piece Rate in the calculator for this.
Holiday Dates
Discovery Day is the third Monday in August: August 17, 2026 and August 16, 2027. National Indigenous Peoples Day is June 21.
What a Part-Time Week Uses
Hours that are irregular, or below the standard, use 10 percent of wages, not including vacation pay, for the two calendar weeks immediately before the week of the holiday.
Federal
For an employee under the Canada Labour Code, holiday pay is at least one twentieth of wages, not including overtime, earned in the four weeks immediately before the week of the holiday. There is no minimum length of service, and most employees have no rule about working the day before and after.
Who Qualifies
Every employee is paid for each general holiday. There is no minimum length of service and no rule about working the scheduled day before or after the holiday. The one exception is an employee in a continuous operation: no holiday pay if they do not report after being called to work that day, or if they make themselves unavailable to work. An employee paid by commission uses the commission formula only after 12 continuous weeks.
Commission
After at least 12 continuous weeks, commission holiday pay is at least one sixtieth of wages, not including overtime, in the 12 weeks before the week of the holiday. Before 12 continuous weeks, use one twentieth.
What If They Work the Holiday
Holiday pay plus at least 1.5 times the regular rate for the time worked, when the employee is entitled to holiday pay.
Continuous Operations
No holiday pay if the employee does not report after being called to work, or if the employee makes themselves unavailable. A continuous operation may also give a holiday with pay at another time instead. That is not a second cash amount on top of the 1.5 times rate.
When a Holiday Falls on a Weekend
Christmas Day in 2027 falls on a Saturday. When New Year's Day, Canada Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday that is not a working day for that employee, they get the paid holiday on the working day immediately before or after it (section 193(2)). Any other general holiday on a non-working day is a holiday with pay at another time (section 193(1)). This does not apply under a collective agreement that already gives at least nine paid holidays (section 194). The calculator shows the holiday on its calendar date because the paid day depends on the employee's schedule.
Managers and Longshoring
Managers and designated professionals who must work a holiday they are entitled to get a substitute day with pay instead of the 1.5 times rate (section 199). Longshoring employees in multi-employer units are paid on a different formula set out in the regulations. The calculator does not work out either of these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Easter Monday a General Holiday in Alberta?
No. Easter Monday, Heritage Day, Boxing Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation are not general holidays under the Code. An employer may choose to give them as paid days.
Does a Part-Time Employee Get Holiday Pay in Alberta?
Yes, if they meet the same tests. For a part-time employee, the normal work day test matters most. If they have not worked that weekday in at least 5 of the 9 weeks before, and they do not work the holiday, there is no general holiday pay.
Is Boxing Day a Statutory Holiday in British Columbia?
No. Boxing Day and Easter Monday are not statutory holidays in British Columbia. An employer may choose to give them as paid days.
Do Paid Sick Days Count Toward the Average?
Yes. Paid sick days required by employment standards count in the wages and as days worked, the same as paid vacation days and other paid statutory holidays.
Which Businesses Can Give a Day Off Within 30 Days?
Gas stations, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, places of amusement, continuously operating businesses, climate-controlled agricultural businesses, seasonal industries other than construction, and employers of domestic workers. They may pay regular wages for the hours worked and give a paid day off within 30 days, or before the next vacation if the employee agrees.
Is Terry Fox Day a General Holiday in Manitoba?
No. Terry Fox Day, Remembrance Day and Boxing Day are not general holidays under the Code. Remembrance Day has its own rules, which this calculator does not cover.
Does Someone With Less Than 90 Days Get Anything for Working the Holiday?
Yes. They are not paid for the holiday itself, but they still get at least 1.5 times their regular rate for the hours they work.
Is Easter Monday or Boxing Day a Public Holiday in New Brunswick?
Neither is one of the eight public holidays in the Act. An employer may choose to give them as paid days.
Can the Employee Take a Day Off Instead of Double Pay?
Yes. The employee may take a paid day off within 30 days, or an extra day of vacation, instead of double pay. The calculator works out the double pay amount only.
Which Days Are Public Holidays in Newfoundland and Labrador?
New Year's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (also Canada Day), Labour Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day.
Is Holiday Pay Owed During Pregnancy or Parental Leave?
No. The Act says there is no holiday pay while the employee is on pregnancy or parental leave.
Are Managers Owed Holiday Pay in the Northwest Territories?
Yes. Employees who mainly manage are outside the hours and overtime rules, not outside statutory holidays.
Do Sick Days or Vacation Count Toward the 15 Days?
They can. Paid sick time, a paid training day, or recent vacation can count as a day with pay.
Is Victoria Day or Natal Day a Paid Holiday in Nova Scotia?
No. Victoria Day, Natal Day and Easter Monday are not general holidays under the Code. An employer may choose to give them as paid days.
Who Is Not Covered in Nunavut?
Some workers, such as trappers, people in commercial fisheries, and professions designated by regulation, are not covered by the Act. The calculator does not check for these groups. If one applies, check with the Nunavut Labour Standards office.
Are Managers Owed General Holiday Pay in Nunavut?
Employees who mainly manage are outside the hours rules. The calculator treats them as entitled to general holiday pay.
Is the Civic Holiday in August a Public Holiday in Ontario?
No. The first Monday in August, Easter Monday, Remembrance Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation are not public holidays under the Act. An employer may choose to give them as paid days.
Why Is Vacation Pay Added Before Dividing by 20?
The Act counts both regular wages and the vacation pay payable for the same four weeks. Add them together, then divide by 20.
Can a Collective Agreement Remove Paid Holidays?
No. Even where a collective agreement replaces other parts of the Act, the paid holiday rules still apply.
Is Remembrance Day a Paid Holiday in Prince Edward Island?
Yes. Remembrance Day is one of the eight paid holidays, along with New Year's Day, Islander Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Christmas Day.
Does an Employee Need to Work a Minimum Time to Get Holiday Pay?
No. Saskatchewan has no minimum length of employment and no rule about working the day before and after. Every employee is paid for each public holiday.
When Is the Construction 4 Percent Paid?
By December 31, or within 14 days after employment ends.
Does the 10 Percent Include Overtime?
Yes. The Yukon government's employee page says the 10 percent includes overtime earned in the two weeks. Leave out vacation pay.
Are Government of Yukon Employees Covered?
No. Employees of the Government of Yukon are not covered by the Employment Standards Act.
Is Boxing Day a Federal Holiday?
Yes. The Canada Labour Code has ten general holidays, including Boxing Day, Remembrance Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Who Uses the Federal Rules?
Employees of federally regulated businesses, such as banks, airlines, railways, trucking across provincial borders, telecommunications and broadcasting. Most other employers use their province or territory's rules.
Is This the Most I Can Pay?
No. These are the minimums under employment standards law. A contract, a collective agreement or your own policy can give the employee more.
Do Part-Time Employees Get Holiday Pay?
Yes, in every province and territory, as long as they meet the same tests as full-time employees. Where hours vary, holiday pay is based on wages or hours in a set period before the holiday, so it works for part-time schedules.
Should I Include Overtime in the Wages?
Usually not. Enter wages without overtime unless the hint under the wages box says otherwise. The calculator uses the amount you enter as is. It does not take overtime out for you.
What If My Employee Does Not Qualify?
They are not owed holiday pay for a day they do not work. If they work the holiday, pay them for the hours they work. In New Brunswick, they still get at least 1.5 times their regular rate.
Why Are Some Days Marked Not Statutory?
Some days, like Easter Monday or Boxing Day, are paid holidays in some places but not others. We list them so you can check. If a day is not statutory where you are, there is no holiday pay owed unless you choose to give it.
Is Anything I Enter Saved?
No. The math runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
What If a Worker Is in a Group With Different Rules?
Some jobs and industries have their own holiday pay rules or are not covered at all. Each section lists them. The calculator does not check for these groups, so if one applies, check with the employment standards office for that province or territory.
Rules Checked: October 8, 2026 · Source: the Act and the government employment standards page for each province and territory, linked when you choose one.
General information about employment standards minimums, not legal advice. A contract, a collective agreement or the common law may give the employee more. Where the law does not settle a point, we say so. For that point, check with the employment standards office for that jurisdiction.
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