[Canada] Statutory holiday pay requirements

This article applies to Payroll by Wave in Canada.

All employers in Canada need to be aware of the requirements for holiday pay. Each province and territory in Canada handles holiday pay a little differently, but the good news is that Wave has taken the headache out of trying to figure out what you owe to your employees for holiday periods. 

Simply put, employees could receive two types of holiday pay: 

1. Statutory Holiday Pay – This is the pay that an employee is entitled to for being employed during a holiday (whether they work on the holiday or not) 
2. Worked Holiday Pay –  Sometimes called "Holiday Premium Pay," this is pay at an increased hourly rate that an employee earns for working during a holiday 

You'll also need to know whether an employee is eligible for holiday pay. 

Just let Wave know if the employee worked on the holiday or not. We'll handle the rest, including the eligibility requirements for each employee.

Below we've included a few frequently asked questions: 

How is holiday pay calculated? 

Statutory holiday pay, the pay that an employee is entitled to for being employed during a holiday (whether or not they work on the holiday), can take a few different things into consideration, depending on the province where your business is located. 

Things like the pay this employee earned in previous periods and how long they've been employed come into play here. 

Worked holiday pay also differs from province to province. The rate at which this is paid out depends on business location.  

What days count as holidays?

This depends on the province where your business is located. Some statutory holidays are unique to only one province, where others are observed across Canada.  

Where can I find the holiday rules for my Province?