Statutory holiday pay · Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia stat holiday pay.

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

Nova Scotia has just six paid holidays under the Labour Standards Code, one of the shortest lists in Canada.

Neither Remembrance Day nor the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a Code holiday here — Remembrance Day has its own separate statute.

wages in the 30 calendar days before ÷ days worked = an average day's pay

2026 rates Source: Nova Scotia Labour Standards — Holiday pay Last verified 2 September 2026

Inputs

Your qualifying window
$

If your hours are steady this is simply a regular day’s pay. If they vary, Nova Scotia averages over the 30 calendar days immediately before the holiday. Regularly earned commissions are included.

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

If you worked the holiday
$

What you are owed

Fill the form and press Calculate.

Nova Scotia statutory holidays in 2026

Nova Scotia recognises 6 paid holidays:

Remembrance Day is not a Labour Standards Code holiday in Nova Scotia — it is covered by a separate statute, the Remembrance Day Act. An employee who works Remembrance Day and was entitled to pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before it may be entitled to another day off with pay. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not a paid holiday under the Code either: the 2021 provincial announcement closed government offices, schools and regulated child care, which is a different thing from a Code entitlement.

Who qualifies for holiday pay

Both conditions must be met. You must be entitled to receive pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday — entitled to pay, which is broader than having worked — and you must have worked your last scheduled shift before and your first scheduled shift after the holiday. If the employer told you not to report on those days, the second condition is waived.

How Nova Scotia calculates the pay

A qualifying employee gets a regular day’s pay. Where hours vary, Nova Scotia averages the hours worked over the 30 calendar days immediately before the holiday — its own example divides 170 hours by 20 days worked to reach an 8.5-hour average day. Where commissions are regularly earned they are included, so $2,040 over 17 days gives a $120 average day’s pay.

Working the holiday: Working the holiday pays a regular or average day’s pay plus 1½ times your regular rate for the hours worked. Continuous operations may instead pay straight time and give another day off with pay.

Source, last verified 2 September 2026: Nova Scotia Labour Standards — Holiday pay.

Frequently asked questions

How many paid holidays does Nova Scotia have?

Six: New Year’s Day, Nova Scotia Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day and Christmas Day.

That is among the shortest lists in Canada — British Columbia and the three territories each recognise eleven.

Is Remembrance Day a paid holiday in Nova Scotia?

Not under the Labour Standards Code. Remembrance Day is governed by a separate statute, the Remembrance Day Act, which handles retail closing.

An employee who works Remembrance Day and was entitled to pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before it may be entitled to another day off with pay, taken at the end of vacation or on another agreed day.

Do I qualify for holiday pay in Nova Scotia?

Two conditions, both required. You must be entitled to receive pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday, and you must have worked your last scheduled shift before and first scheduled shift after it.

Being entitled to pay is broader than having worked — paid leave counts. If the employer told you not to report on those shifts, the second condition is waived.

What do I get for working a paid holiday in Nova Scotia?

A regular or average day’s pay plus 1½ times your regular rate for every hour worked.

Continuous operations have an alternative: straight-time wages for the hours worked plus another day off with pay.

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 Nova Scotia is set by Nova Scotia Labour 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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