Overtime pay · Nunavut
Nunavut overtime pay.
When overtime starts in Nunavut, what it is worth, and what a week of long shifts actually pays.
Nunavut pays overtime at 1½ times the regular rate for work beyond 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week.
In a week containing a general holiday the weekly standard drops to 32 hours. Maximum hours are 10 a day and 60 a week without a permit.
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Nunavut overtime rules
- Weekly threshold: overtime starts after 40 hours in a week.
- Daily threshold: overtime also starts after 8 hours in a day.
- Overtime rate: 1.5× the regular rate.
Section 4 defines standard hours of work as eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week, and section 11(1) requires not less than 1½ times the regular rate for work in excess of them. In a week containing a general holiday you are entitled to, section 11(3) deems standard hours to be 8 in a day and 32 in that week and excludes the hours worked on the holiday itself. Maximum hours are 10 in a day and 60 in a week; exceeding them needs a written permit from the Labour Standards Officer. Every employee must get at least one full day of rest per week, on Sunday wherever practicable. The Act contains no explicit anti-double-counting instruction, so this calculator applies the standard approach in which hours already paid as daily overtime are removed before the weekly test.
Who is exempt
The managerial exemption from the hours-of-work provisions is the one consistently stated. Other exemptions have been published on the Labour Standards Compliance Office site, which is materially out of date on other points, so they are not repeated here. Averaging permits under section 7 can vary the thresholds, and section 7(3) requires every such permit to specify which hours are overtime.
Source, last verified 2 September 2026: Nunavut Labour Standards Act (official consolidation).
Frequently asked questions
When does overtime start in Nunavut?
After 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week, at not less than 1½ times your regular rate — sections 4 and 11(1) of the Labour Standards Act.
Maximum hours are 10 in a day and 60 in a week, and exceeding them requires a written permit from the Labour Standards Officer.
Does a general holiday change my Nunavut overtime threshold?
Yes. Section 11(3) deems standard hours in a week containing a general holiday you are entitled to be 8 in a day and 32 in that week.
The hours worked on the general holiday itself are excluded from the overtime calculation.
How do the daily and weekly Nunavut overtime tests interact?
The Act defines overtime as hours in excess of standard hours, and standard hours is a single composite of 8 a day and 40 a week, so either test can trigger the entitlement. There is no explicit greater-of or anti-double-counting instruction.
This calculator applies the standard approach: hours already paid as daily overtime are removed before the weekly test, so no hour is counted twice. Averaging permits under section 7 must specify which hours are overtime, which is the statutory mechanism for settling the question in practice.
Am I entitled to a day of rest in Nunavut?
Yes. Section 10 requires hours to be scheduled so that every employee gets at least one full day of rest per week, on Sunday wherever practicable.
Maximum hours may be exceeded under section 9 only for an accident to machinery, equipment, plant or persons, urgent and essential work, or other unforeseen or unpreventable circumstances.
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 Nunavut are set by the Nunavut Labour Standards Office, 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.