Overtime pay · Alberta
Alberta overtime pay.
When overtime starts in Alberta, what it is worth, and what a week of long shifts actually pays.
Alberta pays overtime at 1½ times the regular rate for hours over 8 in a day or 44 in a week, whichever gives the greater total.
The two tests are never added together. Alberta’s own worked example pays 17 hours on a 61-hour week where the daily excess was 14 and the weekly excess 17.
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Alberta overtime rules
- Weekly threshold: overtime starts after 44 hours in a week.
- Daily threshold: overtime also starts after 8 hours in a day.
- Overtime rate: 1.5× the regular rate.
Alberta’s 8/44 rule pays the greater of the daily total and the weekly total, never both. Alberta’s own example: a 61-hour week with 14 hours of daily excess and 17 hours of weekly excess pays 17 hours of overtime, not 31. Overtime can be banked at 1 hour per overtime hour under a written agreement, and must be taken within six months. A shorter contractual work week does not lower the 8/44 threshold unless a collective agreement, another agreement or a consistent written employer practice says so.
Who is exempt
Managers, supervisors and those employed in a confidential capacity; most licensed professionals; salespersons of vehicles, farm machinery and heavy equipment; commission salespeople soliciting principally away from the employer’s premises; licensed real estate and securities salespersons; direct sellers aged 16 and over; land agents; film and video extras; non-profit camp counsellors; and domestic employees. Several industries have their own thresholds, such as trucking at 10 hours a day and 50 a week and taxi at 10 and 60.
Source, last verified 2 September 2026: Alberta.ca — Overtime hours and overtime pay.
The 8/44 rule, worked out with real numbers
Section 21 of Alberta’s Employment Standards Code defines overtime hours as the greater of two totals: the hours worked over 8 on each work day and the hours worked over 44 in the work week. If the two totals happen to be the same, those common hours are the overtime hours. Section 22 sets the pay at an overtime rate of at least 1½ times the employee’s wage rate. Because the test is the greater total, the two are never added.
Example 1: long days, no weekly overtime
You work four 11-hour days (44 hours) at $30.00 an hour. The weekly excess is zero, but each day is three hours over eight, so the daily excess is 12 hours. You are owed 12 overtime hours: 32 regular hours × $30.00 = $960.00, plus 12 × $45.00 = $540.00, for $1,500.00.
Example 2: five nine-hour days
Five 9-hour days is 45 hours. Daily excess is 5 hours (one per day) and weekly excess is 1 hour, so the greater total, 5 hours, is the overtime. Pay at $30.00: 40 × $30.00 = $1,200.00 plus 5 × $45.00 = $225.00, or $1,425.00.
Salaried employees and commission
Alberta applies the same overtime rules to salaried and non-salaried employees. Where pay is entirely commission, piecework or similar, there is no set wage rate, so Alberta treats the minimum wage as the rate for overtime. If the incentive pay is lower than what minimum wage would have produced, the employer has to top it up. With a salary plus incentive pay, the salary sets the rate if it is higher than minimum wage, and minimum wage is used if it is not.
Overtime is based on the work week, not the pay period
The province points out that even where a pay period ends mid-week, overtime pay is based on the overtime hours in the work week. If you are paid every two weeks, add up the hours week by week, not across the two weeks. A week with 38 hours does not offset the next week’s 50.
Industries with different thresholds
Several industries have their own daily, weekly or monthly hours before overtime starts. The province’s table includes:
| Industry or occupation | Daily hours | Weekly hours | Monthly hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trucking | 10 | 50 | — |
| Taxi cab industry | 10 | 60 | — |
| Ambulance attendants | 10 | 60 | — |
| Irrigation districts | 9 | 54 | — |
| Highway and railway construction, brush clearing | 10 | 44 | — |
| Oilwell servicing | 12 | — | 191 |
| Logging and lumbering | 10 | — | 191 |
Caregivers in home care and residential care follow separate rules that depend on the type of shift, and firefighting services use an average of 44 hours over the work cycle. The calculator on this page applies the basic 8/44 rule only. If you work in one of these industries, use the province’s figures instead.
Banked overtime and group agreements
An overtime agreement can replace overtime pay with paid time off, banked at 1 hour per overtime hour. It is the only exception to the 1½ rate. Agreements can be individual, or group agreements signed by the employer and a majority (more than 50%) of the designated group, which then bind everyone in the group. Either side can cancel or change an agreement with one month’s written notice, and for a group the cancellation notice must be signed by a majority of the affected employees. Time off must be given at a time when the employee could have worked, and banked time must be used within six months of the end of the pay period in which it was earned unless a collective agreement allows longer.
When a business changes hands, the previous owner must pay all overtime accumulated to the transfer date, and the new owner must grant any banked time.
Who is not eligible
The province lists employees who are not eligible for overtime, including managers, supervisors and employees in a confidential capacity; waged non-family farm and ranch employees; a list of professionals such as engineers, lawyers, architects, accountants and dentists; salespeople of vehicles, farm machinery and heavy equipment; commission salespeople who solicit principally outside the employer’s premises; and several others. Being on salary does not make an employee ineligible.
This is the statutory minimum. A contract, collective agreement or consistent written employer practice can set a lower threshold, such as a 40-hour week. The tool gives gross pay and takes off no tax. Related: overtime by province, federal overtime and the paycheque calculator.
Frequently asked questions
When does overtime start in Alberta?
Under the 8/44 rule: hours over 8 in a day, or hours over 44 in a week, whichever produces the greater total. Overtime is paid at 1½ times the regular wage.
The two are never added together.
How does the "greater of" rule actually work?
Work out the daily excess and the weekly excess separately, then pay the larger of the two. Alberta’s published example is a 61-hour week: daily excess 3+3+2+4+2 = 14 hours, weekly excess 61−44 = 17 hours, so 17 hours of overtime is owed.
Adding them would give 31, which is exactly the mistake the rule exists to prevent. The calculator on this page applies the rule correctly.
My employer says my work week is 40 hours — do I get overtime after 40?
Not automatically. In Alberta a shorter contractual work week does not lower the statutory 8/44 threshold on its own.
It does if a collective agreement, another agreement, or a consistent written employer practice sets the lower threshold. Absent that, overtime is still calculated on 8/44.
Can Alberta overtime be banked instead of paid?
Yes, under a written overtime agreement — individual, or a group agreement signed by a majority of the group. Overtime earned after 1 September 2019 banks at one hour per overtime hour, not one and a half.
Banked time must be taken and paid within six months of the end of the pay period in which it was earned, or the employer must pay 1½ times instead. Either party can cancel with one month’s written notice.
Is overtime calculated by pay period or by work week in Alberta?
By work week. The province notes that even if a pay period ends mid-week, overtime is based on the overtime hours in the work week. For employees paid every two weeks, hours are totalled week by week, so a short week does not cancel the overtime in a long one.
Do salaried employees get overtime in Alberta?
Yes, unless they fall into an exempt group such as managers or supervisors. The Alberta guide says the same overtime rules apply to salaried and non-salaried employees. The salary is converted to an hourly wage rate, and overtime is paid at least 1½ times that rate.
How does overtime work for commission-only pay in Alberta?
When pay is entirely commission, piecework or similar incentive pay, there is no established wage rate, so the minimum wage is used as the rate for calculating overtime. If the incentive pay is less than minimum wage would have produced, the employer has to top it up. When a salary is combined with incentive pay, the salary sets the rate if it exceeds minimum wage.
Who is not eligible for overtime in Alberta?
Managers, supervisors and employees in a confidential capacity; waged non-family farm and ranch employees; certain professionals including engineers, lawyers, architects, accountants and dentists; salespeople of vehicles and heavy equipment; commission salespeople selling away from the employer’s premises; licensed real estate and securities salespeople; and some others. Some industries also have different overtime thresholds rather than none.
Sources
Official and primary sources used for this page. Rates and rules were read from these pages in October 2026; check them again before relying on a figure for a dispute or a payroll run.
Estimate only — not legal advice
This calculator produces an estimate from the published employment-standards minimums. It is not legal advice and it is not a determination of what you are owed. Overtime rules in Alberta are set by Alberta Employment Standards, and a long list of occupations is exempt or subject to a different threshold.
Collective agreements, employment contracts, exemptions for your occupation, averaging agreements and permits can all change the answer. For a binding answer, contact the employment-standards office named above or a lawyer.