Overtime pay · Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador overtime pay.
When overtime starts in Newfoundland and Labrador, what it is worth, and what a week of long shifts actually pays.
Overtime in Newfoundland and Labrador starts after 40 hours in a week, and the statutory rate is the minimum overtime wage of $24.53 an hour rather than 1½ times your own rate.
That makes it a floor. If your regular rate is above $24.53, the statutory overtime entitlement adds nothing, and a better rate has to come from your contract or collective agreement.
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Newfoundland and Labrador overtime rules
- Weekly threshold: overtime starts after 40 hours in a week.
- No daily threshold: a long single shift is not overtime on its own — only the weekly total counts.
- Overtime rate: 1.5× the regular rate.
Standard working hours are 40 in a week, and the Labour Standards Regulations set the overtime rate as the minimum wage multiplied by 1.5 — currently $24.53 an hour — rather than 1.5 times your own rate. That is a province-wide floor, which is why the province publishes a single dollar figure. This calculator therefore pays overtime hours at the greater of your regular rate and $24.53, which is what payroll must do to satisfy both your contract and the Regulations. There is no daily threshold, but you must be given at least eight consecutive hours off in each unbroken 24-hour period and 24 consecutive hours off each week. Overtime may be banked at 1½ hours per overtime hour, taken within three months.
Who is exempt
Agricultural employees are outside the overtime provisions, except greenhouse and nursery operations. Livestock raising, and live-in housekeepers and babysitters where a time-off arrangement exists, are also exempt. An employer-approved written shift swap between employees that pushes someone past 40 hours does not trigger overtime.
Source, last verified 2 September 2026: NL Labour Standards Division — Your Rights at Work (April 2026).
How Newfoundland and Labrador overtime works
The Labour Standards Act does not write the overtime rate into the Act. Section 25 says that when an employee works more than the standard working hours, the employer pays the rate of wages for overtime that is set out in the regulations. The province’s own guide spells out the result: standard working hours are 40 in a week, and time beyond that must be paid at the minimum overtime wage rate, which is $24.53 an hour from April 1, 2026.
Worked examples
Minimum-wage worker, 46 hours. At $16.35 an hour: 40 × $16.35 = $654.00, plus 6 overtime hours at $24.53 = $147.18. Gross pay is $801.18.
Regular rate below the overtime floor. At $20.00 an hour for 46 hours: 40 × $20.00 = $800.00, plus 6 × $24.53 = $147.18, for $947.18. The overtime hours are paid at the province’s minimum overtime rate, which here is lower than 1½ times $20.00.
Regular rate above the floor. At $26.00 an hour for 46 hours, the calculator on this page never pays an overtime hour below your regular rate, so the six hours are $26.00 each: 40 × $26.00 + 6 × $26.00 = $1,196.00. The guide does not say what happens when your own rate is above $24.53, so a higher overtime rate for you would come from your contract or collective agreement.
What counts as the work week and as hours worked
The Act defines a “week” as seven continuous days designated and consistently used by the employer, or seven continuous days beginning after midnight on a day the regulations prescribe. The guide describes it as beginning after midnight on a Saturday. Hours are counted for that week, not for the pay period.
The guide is explicit that you must be paid for time you spend at the workplace at the employer’s request, including mandatory meetings before or after the shift, staying after to close the cash, clean or lock up, and employer-required training. All of that time counts toward the 40 hours. A week that looks like 38 hours on the schedule can be 41 hours of work.
Rest rules that sit alongside overtime
- Daily rest. Except in an emergency posing imminent hazard to life or property, you must have at least eight consecutive hours off in every unbroken 24-hour period, in addition to your breaks.
- Weekly rest. 24 consecutive hours off in each week, a Sunday where possible, with exceptions for collective agreements, remote areas, ferry crews and emergency work.
- Meal breaks. An unbroken one-hour rest period after each five consecutive hours of employment, unless a different arrangement is in a written contract or collective agreement. It is unpaid unless the employer keeps direction and control.
- Minimum shift pay. A scheduled shift of three hours or more that is cancelled on arrival must be paid for at least three hours.
Banked time and shift swaps
An employer and employee may agree to one and a half hours of paid time off for each overtime hour in place of overtime pay. The time off must be taken within three months of the week the overtime was earned, or within 12 months if you agree, and the payment or time off must be finalized within 12 months. If employment ends before it is used, the overtime is paid out, which the guide says must happen within seven days of termination.
Section 25.1 contains a rule that surprises people: if you ask in writing to swap shifts with a co-worker and your employer approves, and the swap pushes you past the standard hours, the employer is not required to pay the overtime rate for those hours. Without your own written request, that exception does not apply.
Other points and limits
- Overtime is part of gross wages for vacation pay, which is 4% under 15 years of continuous employment with the same employer and 6% from 15 years.
- Overtime provisions do not apply to agricultural employees. The guide also lists farming, raising livestock, and live-in housekeepers and babysitters with a time-off arrangement among the exemptions.
- This is the statutory minimum for one week. It does not apply collective-agreement or contract terms, and it is not legal advice.
Related: Newfoundland minimum wage, overtime by province and the paycheque calculator for take-home pay.
Frequently asked questions
When does overtime start in Newfoundland and Labrador?
After 40 hours in a week. The Regulations define standard working hours as 40 hours in a week, and there is no daily threshold.
You must still be given at least eight consecutive hours off in each unbroken 24-hour period and 24 consecutive hours off each week.
Is Newfoundland overtime 1.5 times my own rate?
Not under the Regulations. The overtime rate is the minimum wage multiplied by 1.5, currently $24.53 an hour, which is why the province publishes a single figure rather than a multiplier.
If your regular rate is above $24.53, the statutory entitlement adds nothing on top of it. A higher overtime rate has to come from your contract or collective agreement.
Can I bank overtime in Newfoundland?
Yes, by agreement, at 1½ hours of paid time off per overtime hour. The time off must be taken within three months, extendable by agreement, and finalised within 12 months.
On termination any remaining balance is paid out within seven days.
Who is exempt from overtime in Newfoundland?
Agricultural employees, except greenhouse and nursery operations; livestock raising; and live-in housekeepers and babysitters where a time-off arrangement is in place.
An employer-approved written shift swap between employees that pushes one of them past 40 hours also does not trigger overtime.
Do I get paid for mandatory meetings and closing duties in Newfoundland?
Yes. The Labour Standards guide says employees must be paid for time spent at the workplace at the employer’s request, including mandatory meetings scheduled before or after the workday, staying to close cash or clean, and required training. That time counts toward the weekly hours, so it can tip a week into overtime.
How much rest do I have to get between shifts in Newfoundland?
At least eight consecutive hours off in each unbroken 24-hour period, in addition to your breaks, except in an emergency that poses an imminent hazard to life or property. You must also receive 24 consecutive hours off in each week, on a Sunday where possible, subject to exceptions such as collective agreements and remote-area work.
What is a work week for overtime purposes in Newfoundland and Labrador?
The Act defines a week as seven continuous days that the employer designates and uses consistently, or seven continuous days beginning after midnight on a day prescribed by the regulations. The provincial guide describes it as starting after midnight on a Saturday. Overtime is counted per week, not per pay period.
Does overtime count toward vacation pay in Newfoundland?
Yes. Vacation pay is calculated on gross wages including commissions and overtime: 4% for employees with under 15 continuous years with the same employer and 6% from 15 years. An overtime week therefore also raises the vacation pay you earn.
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.
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador — Labour Standards, Your Rights at Work (hours, overtime, minimum overtime rate, rest, vacation pay) — retrieved 2026-10
- House of Assembly — Labour Standards Act, RSNL 1990 c L-2, ss. 21, 25 and 25.1 (week, overtime, shift swaps) — retrieved 2026-10
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador — Minister Goosney Announces Increase to Minimum Wage Effective April 1, 2026 (minimum overtime wage rate $24.53) — retrieved 2026-10
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 Newfoundland and Labrador are set by the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Standards Division, 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.