Wave's payroll feature helps make it easy to record and pay overtime hours to help you stay compliant with employment standards. Below you’ll find an overview of overtime requirements and links to more information directly from government agencies. Remember to confirm which regulations apply to you, as different situations and industries may be subject to different rules, even in the same jurisdiction.
In Canada, employers must follow the employment standards of the jurisdiction where the work is performed regardless of the province of employment or residence unless they are a federally regulated employer. Federally regulated employers must follow the Canada Labour Code regardless of where work is performed.
As a quick reference, we’ve provided a summary of when overtime takes effect, how overtime is calculated, and how overtime is affected by a statutory holiday. Remember that each province is able to outline special situations and rules that apply to them. These are outlined in provincial labour standards, which are linked below in each province’s more information section.
Select a jurisdiction to learn more about overtime requirements.
Alberta
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after eight hours a day or 44 hours a week, whichever is greater. Some industries and professions have exceptions to these requirements. Verify if an exception applies to you in the government resource linked in the more information section below.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
A statutory holiday does not decrease the maximum hours an employee can work in a week before being eligible for overtime.
Statutory holiday hours are only included when calculating overtime eligibility if hours worked on the holiday are paid at less than one and a half times the employee’s regular wage rate.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Employment standards rules – Overtime hours and overtime pay
British Columbia
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. Depending on how many hours an employee has worked, overtime has to be calculated as follows.
For any time worked over eight hours in a day, up to 12 hour (even if the employee does not work more than 40 hours in a week) or if the employee has worked over 40 hours in a week (even if they work less than eight hours a day) overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
For any time worked over 12 hours in a day overtime is calculated as rate times two. Enter these hours into timesheets as double time for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays do not decrease the maximum hours an employee can work before receiving overtime.
Hours worked on a holiday are included when calculating overtime eligibility, but paid unworked statutory holiday hours are not included.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource:
Federally regulated employers
General overtime rules
Federally regulated employers are a group of workplaces and employers regulated specifically by the Canada Labour Code.
Overtime applies after the approved daily or weekly hours have been exceeded, as well as after an average of 40 hours in a week where the schedule consists of 2 or more weeks. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
In a week in which a statutory holiday occurs, overtime rules generally apply after 32 hours. Unworked paid statutory holiday hours are not included when calculating overtime eligibility.
More information
For more details on employees this is applied to and special situations refer to this government fact sheet: CRA hours of work.
Manitoba
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week. Some industries have an exception to the standard hours of work in Manitoba. Verify if an exception applies to you in the government resource linked in the more information section.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays do not decrease the maximum hours an employee can work before receiving overtime, and paid unworked statutory holiday hours are counted towards the number of hours worked when determining overtime eligibility.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Employment standards – Overtime
New Brunswick
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after 44 hours a week.
Overtime is whichever is higher: regular rate or minimum wage times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime to ensure hours are accurately recorded. Using overtime in Wave calculates pay at regular rate times one and a half. If your employee’s regular rate is higher than minimum wage, and you pay overtime at the minimum rate required by New Brunswick, manually calculate the required pay and use the wage adjustment feature to deduct the difference between your calculation and regular rate times one and a half.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Overtime does not decrease the maximum hours an employee can work before receiving overtime, and unworked paid statutory holiday hours are included when calculating eligibility for overtime.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Minimum wage, overtime and minimum reporting wage
Newfoundland
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after 40 hours of work per week.
Overtime is whichever is higher: regular rate or minimum wage times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime to ensure hours are accurately recorded. Using overtime in Wave calculates pay at regular rate times one and a half. If your employee’s regular rate is higher than minimum wage, and you pay overtime at the minimum rate required by Newfoundland and Labrador, manually calculate the required pay and use the wage adjustment feature to deduct the difference between your calculation and regular rate times one and a half.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays do not decrease the maximum hours an employee can work before being eligible for overtime. Worked statutory holiday hours are included when calculating eligibility for overtime, but unworked paid statutory holiday hours are not.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Labour relations at work
Northwest Territories
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after eight hours of work a day or 40 hours of work per week.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
A statutory holiday reduces the maximum number of regular hours an employee can work before being eligible for overtime to 32 hours, A statutory holiday is not included when calculating eligibility for overtime.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Employment Standards Act
Nova Scotia
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after 48 hours a week.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays do not decrease maximum hours an employee can work before receiving overtime. Statutory holiday hours worked are included when calculating eligibility for overtime (including for Remembrance Day), but paid unworked statutory holiday hours are not included. When the hours worked on the holiday are included in the overtime calculation, any hours over the weekly overtime threshold of 48 hours are calculated at 0.5 times the regular rate since the hours worked on the holiday would have already been paid at one and a half times the regular rate
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Overtime pay.
Nunavut
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays reduce the maximum hours an employee can work in a week before receiving overtime to 32 hours. Statutory holiday hours worked are not included when calculating eligibility for overtime.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: The employment standards act
Ontario
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after 44 hours a week.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays do not decrease maximum hours an employee can work before being eligible for overtime, and are not included when calculating eligibility for overtime unless hours worked on the holiday are paid at the regular rate.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Overtime pay
Prince Edward Island
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after 48 hours a week.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays do not decrease the maximum hours that worked can be worked before an employee is eligible for overtime. Statutory holidays hours are not included when calculating eligibility for overtime.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Overtime
Saskatchewan
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after 40 hours a week. Employees scheduled four 10-hour days also receive overtime after 10 hours a day, and employees scheduled five eight-hour days also receive overtime after eight hours a day.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays reduce the maximum hours an employee can work in a week before receiving overtime to 32 hours. Statutory holiday hours worked are not included when calculating eligibility for overtime.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: Overtime
Yukon
General overtime rules
Overtime applies after eight hours a day or 40 hours a week.
Overtime is calculated as rate times one and a half. Enter these hours into timesheets as overtime for overtime pay and insurable hours to be automatically calculated.
How do statutory holidays impact overtime?
Statutory holidays reduce the maximum hours an employee can work in a week before receiving overtime to 32 hours. Statutory holiday hours worked are not included when calculating eligibility for overtime.
More information
Learn more and confirm if any exceptions apply to your business in this government resource: The employment standards act