Statutory holiday pay · Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories stat holiday pay.

What you are owed for a Northwest Territories statutory holiday, whether you take the day off or work it.

The Northwest Territories has 11 statutory holidays, including National Indigenous Peoples Day on 21 June and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on 30 September.

You need at least 30 days of work for the employer in the preceding 12 months to be paid for a holiday you take off.

the wages you would have earned at your regular rate for your normal hours —or— average of daily wages for the 4 weeks worked immediately before the week of the holiday

2026 rates Source: NWT Employment Standards Act (consolidation) Last verified 2 September 2026

Inputs

Your qualifying window
$

Wages for the four weeks you worked immediately before the week containing the statutory holiday, and the number of days you worked in them.

The average day’s pay is the wages above divided by the number of days you actually worked in the window.

$

What you are normally paid for one day’s work.

If you worked the holiday
$

What you are owed

Fill the form and press Calculate.

Northwest Territories statutory holidays in 2026

Northwest Territories recognises 11 statutory holidays:

The Act names National Indigenous Peoples Day in section 22(1)(d) — some territorial pages still use the superseded name “National Aboriginal Day” for the same 21 June holiday. Section 22(1)(g.1) names the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and states the 30 September date expressly. Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays; an employer may recognise them voluntarily.

Who qualifies for holiday pay

Under section 22(7) you are not entitled to pay for a statutory holiday you do not work if you have not worked for the employer a total of at least 30 days during the preceding 12 months; or you were required to work that day and did not report; or, without the employer’s consent, you did not report on your last regular working day before or after the holiday.

How Northwest Territories calculates the pay

Section 23(1) sets two paths. If your wages are calculated on the basis of time, holiday pay is the wages you would have earned at your regular rate for your normal hours of work. If they are calculated on another basis, it is your daily wages based on the average of daily wages for the four weeks you worked immediately before the week containing the holiday.

Working the holiday: Section 23(2): in addition to holiday pay, the employer must either pay overtime pay — 1½ times — for the time worked that day, or grant a substitute holiday at another mutually convenient time, no later than your next annual vacation or termination. Section 23(3) adds that an employee not required to work a statutory holiday cannot be made to work another otherwise non-working day that week unless paid at double the regular rate.

Source, last verified 2 September 2026: NWT Employment Standards Act (consolidation).

Frequently asked questions

How many statutory holidays does the NWT have?

11, including National Indigenous Peoples Day on 21 June, the first Monday in August, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on 30 September.

Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays, though an employer may recognise them voluntarily.

Do I qualify for NWT statutory holiday pay?

You are not entitled to pay for a holiday you do not work if you have not worked for that employer a total of at least 30 days in the preceding 12 months.

You also lose it if you were required to work the day and did not report, or if you failed without consent to report on your last regular working day before or after the holiday.

How is NWT holiday pay calculated?

If your wages are calculated on the basis of time, it is the wages you would have earned at your regular rate for your normal hours. If they are calculated on another basis, it is the average of your daily wages for the four weeks you worked immediately before the week of the holiday.

That is section 23(1) of the Employment Standards Act.

What do I get for working a statutory holiday in the NWT?

Holiday pay plus either overtime pay at 1½ times for the time worked, or a substitute holiday at another mutually convenient time no later than your next annual vacation.

Section 23(3) adds a separate protection: if you are not required to work the holiday, you cannot be made to work another otherwise non-working day that week unless you are paid double your regular rate.

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. Statutory holiday entitlement in Northwest Territories is set by Northwest Territories Employment Standards, and several occupations are exempt.

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.

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