Overtime pay · Ontario
Ontario overtime pay.
When overtime starts in Ontario, what it is worth, and what a week of long shifts actually pays.
In Ontario overtime starts after 44 hours in a work week and is paid at 1½ times your regular rate.
There is no daily overtime threshold in Ontario. A 12-hour day earns no overtime by itself — only the weekly total matters, unless an averaging agreement changes it.
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Ontario overtime rules
- Weekly threshold: overtime starts after 44 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.
Ontario is explicit that there is no daily overtime: a 14-hour shift is not overtime on its own. Only the weekly total counts, unless an averaging agreement is in place — a written agreement averaging hours over two to four weeks, with an expiry date, under which overtime is owed only when the average week exceeds 44 hours.
Who is exempt
Managers and supervisors are not entitled to overtime when the work they do is managerial or supervisory, even if they occasionally do other work. Where an employee does more than one kind of work, the “50% rule” decides. A long list of industry and professional exemptions also applies.
Source, last verified 2 September 2026: Ontario.ca — Overtime pay, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act.
How Ontario overtime is calculated
Ontario overtime is a two-step calculation: count the hours past 44 in the work week, then pay each of those hours at 1½ times the employee’s regular rate. Everything else — salaries, commissions, banked time — is about working out the regular rate correctly.
Overtime rate at common hourly wages
| Regular rate | Overtime rate (× 1.5) |
|---|---|
| $18.00 | $27.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 |
| $40.00 | $60.00 |
Worked example: hourly pay
You earn $28.00 an hour and work 52 hours in the week. Regular pay: 44 × $28.00 = $1,232.00. Overtime hours: 52 − 44 = 8, at $28.00 × 1.5 = $42.00, which is $336.00. Gross pay for the week is $1,568.00. It does not matter how the 52 hours were spread across the days, because Ontario has no daily overtime.
Worked example: a fixed weekly salary
Salaried employees are not automatically exempt. Ontario treats a fixed salary as covering the first 44 hours, so the regular hourly rate is the salary divided by 44. On $1,100 a week, the regular rate is $1,100 ÷ 44 = $25.00, the overtime rate is $37.50, and a 50-hour week includes 6 overtime hours: 6 × $37.50 = $225.00. Total pay is $1,100 + $225 = $1,325.00.
Worked example: commission or a base wage plus commission
If part of your pay is commission, Ontario’s guide works out the regular rate by dividing total wages paid for the week, commission included, by 44 hours, so commissions form part of the base the overtime premium is built on. An employee paid $25.00 an hour plus $200 in commissions for 50 hours earns $1,250 + $200 = $1,450. Divided by 44 hours, the regular rate is $32.95 and the overtime rate is about $49.43, so 6 overtime hours are worth about $296.58 — and the $150 already paid for those hours at the flat $25.00 comes off the top, leaving $146.58 still owing. Ontario’s guide works through this exact pattern with the same figures.
Averaging agreements and time off instead of pay
Two arrangements change when overtime is owed without removing the right to it.
Averaging. An employer and employee can agree, in writing or electronically, to average hours over two to four weeks. Overtime is then owed only on the average above 44 hours. Suppose the agreement covers three weeks and you work 48, 40 and 50 hours. That is 138 hours, an average of 46 a week, so 2 overtime hours per week for 3 weeks, or 6 hours. At $30.00 an hour that is 6 × $45.00 = $270.00. The periods cannot overlap, and for non-union employees the agreement has to carry an expiry date no more than two years out.
Time off in lieu. By written or electronic agreement, you can take paid time off instead of overtime pay, at 1½ hours off for every overtime hour. It has to be taken within three months, or within 12 months if you agree in writing. If your job ends first, the unused overtime must be paid out.
What an employer cannot do
An agreement to give up overtime pay is void. An employer also cannot cut your regular rate in a week with overtime to reduce the premium: dropping a $25.00 rate to $20.00 for that week and paying 1½ times the lower figure is not permitted.
Who is covered, and the edge cases
- Hours not worked don’t count. In a week with a public holiday you did not work, the holiday does not add hours toward 44; public holiday pay is paid separately. Hours you worked on a holiday and were paid premium pay for are also left out of the overtime count.
- Two regular rates. If you do two jobs at different wages, each overtime hour is priced at the rate for the work you were doing that hour.
- Managers and supervisors are not entitled to overtime for managerial or supervisory work. Occasional non-supervisory tasks do not change that, but a job that is at least 50% covered work does carry the entitlement.
- Other thresholds and exemptions. Some occupations have a higher threshold or no overtime at all; Ontario points employees to its special rules tool.
This calculator works out gross pay from the Act’s minimums. It does not apply a better contract or collective-agreement term, or take off income tax, CPP or EI. Related: overtime rules by province, the paycheque calculator for take-home pay, and Ontario public holiday pay.
Frequently asked questions
When does overtime start in Ontario?
After 44 hours in a work week. Every hour past 44 is paid at 1½ times your regular rate.
Ontario counts a work week as a recurring period of seven consecutive days chosen by the employer, not necessarily Sunday to Saturday.
Is there daily overtime in Ontario?
No. Ontario is explicit that an employee does not earn overtime by working more than a set number of hours in a day. A 13-hour shift earns no overtime on its own.
Overtime is calculated weekly, or over a longer period where an averaging agreement is in place.
Can my employer average my hours to avoid overtime?
Only under a written or electronic averaging agreement, averaging over a maximum of two to four weeks, with an expiry date — at most two years for non-unionised employees.
Under such an agreement overtime is owed only when your average weekly hours over the period exceed 44. Agreements cannot overlap, and one cannot be imposed on you.
Do managers get overtime in Ontario?
Not when the work they do is genuinely managerial or supervisory. Occasionally performing other tasks does not restore the entitlement.
Where someone does a real mix of managerial and non-managerial work, the “50% rule” decides: if more than half the time is spent on non-managerial work, overtime is owed.
How do I calculate overtime on a salary in Ontario?
Divide your fixed weekly salary by 44 to get the regular hourly rate, multiply that by 1½ for the overtime rate, then multiply by the hours past 44. On $1,100 a week that is a $25.00 regular rate, a $37.50 overtime rate and $225.00 for 6 overtime hours. The overtime is paid on top of the salary.
Can I take time off instead of overtime pay in Ontario?
Yes, but only if you and your employer agree in writing or electronically. You must receive 1½ hours of paid time off for each overtime hour. It must be taken within three months, or within 12 months if you agree, and unused time is paid out as overtime pay if employment ends.
What counts toward the 44 hours in an Ontario work week?
Hours actually worked in the work week count. A public holiday you did not work does not add hours toward 44, because public holiday pay is separate. Hours worked on a public holiday that were paid at premium pay are excluded, but if you took a substitute day off instead of premium pay, those hours are counted.
Can my employer have me waive overtime in Ontario?
No. An agreement to give up overtime pay under the Employment Standards Act is void. The two arrangements the Act does allow are paid time off in lieu of overtime pay and an averaging agreement, and neither removes the underlying entitlement.
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.
- Ontario.ca — Overtime pay, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act (threshold, rate, salary, commission, averaging and time-off examples) — retrieved 2026-10
- Ontario.ca — Public holidays, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act (holiday pay and how it interacts with weekly hours) — 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 Ontario are set by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, 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.