The Canadian 2026 guide to holiday stat pay employee eligibility

Statutory holiday eligibility rules differ across every Canadian province and territory; there’s no single national standard. It’s important that employers understand the rules and legislations across Canada. In this post, we’ll answer two of the most common questions asked of our Client Service Representatives: “how do I know who’s eligible to receive stat holiday pay?” and “how do I know how much to pay them?”

Key Takeaways:

• Stat holiday eligibility requirements differ across Canada.
• Most jurisdictions require employees to have worked a minimum number of days and to have worked their scheduled shifts before and after the holiday.
• Saskatchewan is the only province where all employees qualify with no minimum requirement.

What we’ll cover:

• What is stat holiday pay and why does eligibility matter?
• Quick reference: How do stat holiday eligibility rules compare across Canada?
• Frequently asked questions about stat holiday eligibility
• How does Payworks help with stat holiday pay calculations?

What is stat holiday pay and why does eligibility matter?

Stat holiday pay is the legislated compensation an eligible employee receives on a designated statutory, public, or general holiday, whether they work that day or not. Not every employe automatically qualifies. Eligibility depends entirely on where your business operates and what your employees’ work history looks like leading up to the holiday.

Running a business, you’re certainly already familiar with these days because they affect so many aspects of your operations – from fluctuating hours and employee schedules to the application of the legislative requirements to your payroll. However, this means you’re also familiar with how complex they can be!

Definition: Statutory Holiday

A statutory holiday (also called stat holiday, general holiday, public holiday or paid holiday depending on the jurisdiction) is a day designated by federal, provincial or territorial legislation on which eligible employees are entitled to a day off with pay or additional compensation for work. The terminology and eligibility rules differ by province.

Quick reference: How do stat holiday eligibility rules compare across Canada?

Use this table to compare eligibility requirements at a glance. Always verify against current provincial legislation or consult your Payworks account for jurisdiction-specific guidelines.

Below are the employee eligibility requirements for every Canadian province and territory. Rules are drawn directly from each jurisdiction’s employment standards legislation.

British Columbia (BC)

There are 11 statutory holidays in BC where eligible employees receive statutory holiday pay whether or not they work that day.

Employee eligibility in BC

In BC, an employee must have been employed for 30 calendar days and have worked or earned wages on at least 15 of the 30 days before the holiday.

However, there’s a notable exception: there are eight employee groups who don’t receive stat holiday pay:

• Nursing students and volunteer firefighters
• Farm workers
• Managers
• Fishers
• High technology professionals
• If receiving 4.4% on each pay in lieu – silviculture workers
• If all wages earned in the pay period are greater than the amount earned at base rate plus overtime and stats – commission sales
• If receiving 4.4% each pay in lieu – car and truck sales

If this applies to your business, BC employers are encouraged to check the Employment Standards Regulations for more information.

Source: Employment Standards | British Columbia

Alberta

There are nine general holidays in Alberta where eligible employees must be paid general holiday pay for working on or in lieu of the holiday.

Employee eligibility in Alberta

In Alberta, an employee qualifies for general holiday pay if they have worked for the same employer for at least 30 work days in the 365 days before the holiday and have worked their scheduled shifts both before and after the holiday (unless otherwise approved).

The “Five of Nine” Rule: If a general holiday falls on a weekday, Alberta uses this test to determine if it’s a “regular working day” for the employee. If the employee worked five of the same weekday in the nine weeks prior, that day is considered regular, and they’re entitled to general holiday pay.

Source: Employment Standards | Alberta

Saskatchewan

In Saskatchewan, there are 10 public holidays where “for most employees, these are days off with pay” (according to the provincial website). “Some employees may be required to work and special wage rates would apply.”

Employee eligibility in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan has the most straightforward rule in Canada: all employees working in the province are entitled to receive public holiday pay. There is no minimum employment or days-work required.

Source: Employment Standards | Saskatchewan

Manitoba

There are nine general holidays in Manitoba where most employees receive general holiday pay whether or not they’re working that day.

Employee eligibility in Manitoba

In Manitoba, all employees are eligible for general holiday pay regardless of employment status (full-time, part-time, etc.). There are two basic rules to qualify: Employees must have worked their scheduled shifts before and after the holiday unless their employer approved of the absence.

Exception: Certain employees under the Elections Act (such as election officials and enumerators) are not eligible. Employers within the construction industry should also be aware that there is different general holiday pay legislative parameters applicable to them.

Source: Employment Standards | Manitoba

Ontario

There are nine public holidays in Ontario, where eligible employees are entitled to receive the day off work with public holiday pay.

Employee eligibility in Ontario

Ontario uses what’s know as the “Last and First rule”. Employees qualify for public holiday pay if they worked their last regularly scheduled shift before the holiday and their first regularly scheduled shift after it, or if they have worked their entire shift on the public holiday, unless the absence was approved by their employer.

Source: Your Guide to the Employment Standards Act | Ontario

Québec

There are eight paid statutory holidays in Québec where eligible employees are to receive the day off and an indemnity (compensation).

Employee eligibility in Québec

Employers in the province should be aware of two provisions when it comes to paid stat holidays:

1. They’re unable to choose a different day to observe the holiday
2. They have the option to observe either Good Friday or Easter Monday

To qualify for the indemnity for a paid stat holiday in the province, an employee can’t be absent from work either the day before or after the holiday without a valid reason or approval from their employer.

Fête nationale du Québec: For this specific holiday, employees are eligible if they are employed on the date of the holiday, the before/after rule doesn’t apply.

Source: CNESST | Statutory holidays in Quebec

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)

There are six public holidays in Newfoundland, any of which can be substituted with a different date of recognition if outlined in the workplace’s collective agreement.

Employee eligibility in NL

To qualify for public holiday pay in NL, an employee must have been employed for 30 calendar days leading up to the holiday and must have worked their scheduled shift before and after the holiday. Holidays may be substituted with a different date if outlined in a collective agreement.

Source: NL Labour Standards | Your Rights at Work

New Brunswick (NB)

There are eight paid public holidays in New Brunswick where eligible employees are entitled to receive the day off with holiday pay.

Employee eligibility in NB

New Brunswick has one of the longer minimum employment requirements in Canada:

• Employees must have been employed for 90 calendar days in the 365 days before the holiday
• Employees must also have worked their regularly scheduled shifts before and after the holiday (which doesn’t have to immediately precede or follow the holiday).

There are also two exceptions:

• The employee cannot have a superseding agreement in which they decide which days to work or not.
• There are specific occupations exempt by legislation (for a list of occupations, NB employers should contact the Employment Standards Act).

Employers in the province should be aware that for an employee to work on a public holiday, there must be an agreement in place to do so. If an employee has agreed to work on a paid public holiday, they should do so unless there’s a good reason not to.

Source: Employment Standards | New Brunswick

Nova Scotia

There are six paid holidays in Nova Scotia where eligible employees typically receive the day off with pay.

Employee eligibility in Nova Scotia

To qualify for holiday pay in Nova Scotia, employees must have worked their last scheduled shifts before and after the holiday and must have been eligible to receive pay on at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before it.

Note: Employers in Nova Scotia should be aware that the province has a separate legislation for Remembrance Day (the Remembrance Day Act), and designated retail closing days. Holiday pay applications may vary for those days.

Source: Employment Rights | Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

There are eight paid holidays in PEI where eligible employees are typically entitled to the day off work with pay.

Employee eligibility in PEI

In PEI, employees must have been employed by the same employer for 30 calendar days, earned wages on at least 15 of those days, and must have worked their scheduled shifts before and after the holiday.

Exceptions: Commission-based salespersons and farm labourers are excluded from holiday legislation in PEI.

Source: Paid Holidays | PEI

Yukon

There are 11 statutory holidays in Yukon where eligible employees receive the day off with general holiday pay.

Employee eligibility in Yukon

Employees in Yukon qualify for general holiday pay meeting three conditions:

1. Have been employed for 30 calendar days.
2. Have worked their scheduled shift both before and after the stat holiday.
3. Work on the holiday if they’re called in by their employer.

If an employee is absent on their scheduled shift either before or after the statutory holiday, but the absence is due to sick leave or a permitted time off request, they can still be eligible for general holiday pay.

Source: Employer Responsibilities | Yukon

Northwest Territories (NWT)

There are 11 statutory holidays in the Northwest Territories where eligible employees are entitled to receive the day off with general holiday pay.

Employee eligibility in NWT

Employees in the Yukon qualify for general holiday pay by meeting three conditions:

1. 30 calendar days of employment
2. Working scheduled shifts before and after the holiday
3. Working on the holiday if called in by their employer.

If the employee is absent for their scheduled shift either before or after the holiday, but it was due to sick leave or approved vacation, the employee is still eligible for general holiday pay.

Source: Employment Standards Fact Sheet | Northwest Territories

Nunavut

There are 10 general holidays in Nunavut where eligible employees are to receive the day off with general holiday pay.

To qualify in Nunavut, employees must have worked for the same employer for 30 of the last 365 days, worked their scheduled shifts before and after the holiday (unless approved), worked the holiday if called in, and must not be on pregnancy or parental leave at the time of the holiday.

Source: Labour Standards Compliance Office | Nunavut

Frequently asked questions about stat holiday eligibility

Do part-time employees qualify for stat holiday pay in Canada?

In Manitoba, part-time employees are explicitly included, eligibility doesn’t depend on employment status. In most other provinces, part-time employees can qualify as long as they meet the minimum days-worked and scheduled-shift requirements. The rules are the same as for full-time employees in most jurisdictions.

What happens if an employee is sick on the day before or after a stat holiday?

In most jurisdictions, including Yukon, NWT, Manitoba and Nunavut, an approved sick day does not disqualify an employee from stat holiday pay. In Ontario and Alberta, the key test is whether the absence was approved by the employer. Employees should document the approval to protect themselves in the event of a dispute.

Which province has the most generous stat holiday eligibility rules?

Saskatchewan offers the broadest employee eligibility for stat holiday with no minimum employment or days-worked requirement. Manitoba is also notably inclusive, as eligibility has applied to all employees regardless of status.

How does Payworks help with stat holiday pay calculations?

Tracking eligibility manually across jurisdictions is one of the most error-prone tasks in Canadian payroll. Our Time Management solution includes a built-in Statutory Holiday Calculator that applies the eligibility rules you configure and automatically flags which employees qualify in each pay run.

Key features:

• Applies province-specific eligibility rules based on your configuration, no re-entering rules each pay cycle.
• Admins can toggle “Show only Employees Entitled to Stat Pay” to quickly see who qualifies
• Eligibility rules can be overridden by the administrator when exceptions arise.
• All stat pay values are visible on the Pay Grid and flow directly into payroll.

Figuring out who qualifies is only half the equation, calculating what they’re owed is the other. Read our full guide on How Statutory Holiday Pay is Calculated in Canada.

Ready to simplify stat holiday pay?

Stat holiday compliance doesn’t have to mean manual calculations and second-guessing eligibility rules. Payworks’ Time Management solution handles the complexity, so you don’t have to. Check it out.