Ontario holiday pay calculator
Public holiday pay under Ontario's Employment Standards Act: what you earned in the 4 work weeks before the holiday, divided by 20. Next public holiday in Ontario: Christmas Day, Friday, December 25.
Public holiday pay = (regular wages earned + vacation pay payable in the 4 work weeks before the work week with the holiday) ÷ 20
Example: $2,400 in regular wages over those 4 weeks, no vacation pay: $2,400 ÷ 20 = $120.
Who qualifies in Ontario
Most employees covered by the Act qualify, full time or part time. You lose the holiday pay only if you skip, without reasonable cause, your last regularly scheduled day before the holiday or your first one after it (the "last and first rule"). Source: ontario.ca, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Public holidays.
Holiday pay in other provinces and territories
| Federal workplaces | At least 1/20 of the wages, excluding overtime, earned in the 4 weeks before the week of the holiday (commission pay: 1/60 of the last 12 weeks). Work on the holiday: holiday pay plus at least 1.5 times the regular rate.Canada Labour Code, Part III |
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| Quebec | 1/20 of the wages, excluding overtime, earned in the 4 complete weeks of pay before the week of the holiday.Act respecting labour standards; National Holiday Act |
| British Columbia | An average day's pay: the amount paid in the 30 calendar days before the holiday divided by the days worked. Work on the holiday: 1.5 times the regular wage up to 12 hours, double after 12 hours, plus an average day's pay.Employment Standards Act |
| Alberta | Average daily wage: wages earned in the 4 weeks before the holiday (or the 4 weeks ending with the last pay period) divided by the days worked; overtime is not included. Work on a regular workday that is a holiday: 1.5 times pay for the hours plus the average daily wage, or a future day off with pay.Employment Standards Code |
| Manitoba | A regular day's pay; with varying hours or wages, 5% of gross wages (excluding overtime) earned in the 4 weeks before the holiday.The Employment Standards Code |
| Saskatchewan | 5% of the wages, excluding overtime, earned in the 28 days (4 weeks) before the holiday. Work on the holiday: 1.5 times the regular rate for the hours plus holiday pay.The Saskatchewan Employment Act |
| Nova Scotia | A regular day's pay; with changing hours, the hours worked in the 30 days before the holiday are averaged.Labour Standards Code |
| New Brunswick | A regular day's pay for a qualifying employee who has the day off. Work on the holiday: a regular day's pay plus 1.5 times regular wages for the hours worked.Employment Standards Act |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | The wages the employee would have earned that day: hourly rate times the average hours worked per day in the 3 weeks before the holiday. Work on the holiday by agreement: the employee chooses double pay, a paid day off within 30 days, or an extra paid vacation day.Labour Standards Act |
| Prince Edward Island | 5% of the wages, excluding overtime, earned in the 4 weeks before the holiday (vacation pay and holiday pay in those weeks count). Work on the holiday: 1.5 times the regular rate for the hours plus regular pay for the holiday, or regular rate plus another paid day off.Employment Standards Act |
| Yukon | An average day's pay. Work on the holiday: regular rate for the hours plus a day off with pay (added to vacation or on an agreed date), or the overtime rate.Employment Standards Act |
| Northwest Territories | An average day's pay. Work on the holiday: 1.5 times the regular rate for the hours plus an average day's pay, or the holiday moved to another day off with pay.Employment Standards Act |
| Nunavut | A holiday with pay for each general holiday (Labour Standards Act, ss. 23 to 25).Labour Standards Act |
For information only. Collective agreements and some industries have their own rules. Check with your employer or your province's employment standards office.