Save the dates: here’s the 2025 statutory holiday schedule
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As a handy resource for Canadian businesses, we’ve put together a list of the statutory holidays in 2025, accompanied by the dates of the coinciding banking holidays!
What’s a statutory holiday?
Statutory holidays, also known as paid public holidays or general holidays, are designated days throughout the calendar year where it’s legislatively required (either at a federal, provincial, or territorial level) for eligible employees to receive the day off with pay or general holiday pay for working that day.
Why are statutory holidays important?
Statutory holidays are a critical element of payroll for Canadian businesses to ensure compliance with federal, provincial, or territory legislation when it comes to:
- Adhering to legislated time off for staff.
- Applying holiday or general holiday pay rates.
- Planning around any impacts to payroll-processing dates (so your team is paid on time).
What all businesses need to know about federally-regulated statutory holidays
It’s equally important for Canadian businesses and employers to be aware of federally-regulated statutory holidays, even if they’re not a federally-regulated workplace. Why? Because Payments Canada, the organization responsible for payment clearing and settling, is federally regulated, thereby possibly impacting and changing the payroll-processing and pay dates for Canadian businesses (regardless of the jurisdiction in which their business is located).
In the chart below, federally-regulated statutory holidays are bolded.
For a list of federally-regulated workplaces, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/workplace/federally-regulated-industries.html.
2025 statutory holidays
Holiday |
Date |
Banking Holiday |
|
January 1, 2025 |
Wednesday, January 1 |
|
|
January 2, 2025 |
Thursday, January 2 |
|
|
February 17, 2025 |
Monday, February 17 |
|
|
April 18, 2025 |
Friday, April 18 |
|
|
April 21, 2025 |
Monday, April 21 |
|
|
May 19, 2025 |
Monday, May 19 |
|
|
June 21, 2025 |
- |
|
|
June 24, 2025 |
Tuesday, June 24 |
|
|
July 1, 2025 |
Tuesday, July 1 |
|
|
July 9, 2025 |
Wednesday, July 9 |
|
|
August 4, 2025 |
Monday, August 4 |
|
|
August 18, 2025 |
Monday, August 18 |
|
|
September 1, 2025 |
Monday, September 1 |
|
|
September 30, 2025 |
Tuesday, September 30 |
|
|
October 13, 2025 |
Monday, October 13 |
|
|
November 11, 2025 |
Tuesday, November 11 |
|
|
December 25, 2025 |
Thursday, December 25 |
|
|
December 26, 2025 |
Friday, December 26 |
1 Statutory holiday in BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, PE, NS, and NB.
2 In QC, it is the employer’s choice to observe either Good Friday or Easter Monday. (Employees working in the clothing industry are entitled to both days. Employees working in a clothing store do not belong to this industry.)
3 Not a statutory holiday in PE, NS, NL, and NB.
4 Statutory holiday in BC, SK, NT, NU, and NB. This is an optional day at the employer’s discretion in AB, MB, ON, PE, and NS.
5 Statutory holiday in BC, MB, PE, NT, YT, and for federally-regulated workplaces (for NB and NU, this applies to public services employees and employees of provincially/territorially-regulated businesses.) This is an optional day at the employer’s discretion in AB.
6 Not a statutory holiday in MB, NS, ON, QC; governed by their respective Remembrance Day Acts in MB and NS.
7 Statutory holiday in ON, NU and for federally-regulated workplaces.
We recommend processing payroll three business days in advance of employees’ payment dates. Taking weekends and the above banking holidays into consideration, at times that could mean your business is processing payroll anywhere from three to six days in advance of your employees’ payment date. Be sure to mark your calendar with the above dates so you’re not caught off guard as holidays approach!
For more information on statutory holidays in Canada and other complex payroll legislation, download a free copy of our Payroll Guide (which was JUST updated for 2025): https://www.payworks.ca/landing-pages/campaigns/payroll-guide.
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