Statutory holiday pay · Ontario
Ontario stat holiday pay.
What you are owed for a Ontario statutory holiday, whether you take the day off or work it.
Ontario has nine public holidays, and public holiday pay is calculated from your last four work weeks, not from a standard shift.
Work the holiday and you can take premium pay at 1½ times your rate on top of public holiday pay, or your regular wages plus a substitute day off with public holiday pay.
(regular wages in the 4 work weeks before + vacation pay payable for those weeks) ÷ 20Inputs
What you are owed
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Ontario statutory holidays in 2026
Ontario recognises 9 public holidays:
- New Year's Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day (26 December)
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (30 September) and Remembrance Day are not Ontario public holidays. Neither is the August civic holiday, Easter Sunday or Easter Monday.
Who qualifies for holiday pay
Almost every employee qualifies, whatever their length of service. You lose the entitlement only if you fail, without reasonable cause, to work all of your last regularly scheduled shift before the holiday or all of your first regularly scheduled shift after it. This is the “last and first rule”.
How Ontario calculates the pay
Public holiday pay is all the regular wages you earned in the four work weeks before the work week with the holiday, plus all the vacation pay payable to you for those same four weeks, divided by 20. Overtime and premium pay are left out of the wages figure.
Working the holiday: You choose between two packages: public holiday pay plus premium pay at 1½ times your regular rate for every hour worked and no day off; or your regular wages for the hours worked plus a substitute day off paid at public holiday pay.
Source, last verified 2 September 2026: Ontario.ca — Public holidays, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Ontario have?
Nine: New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on 30 September and Remembrance Day on 11 November are not Ontario public holidays, and neither is the August civic holiday.
How is public holiday pay calculated in Ontario?
Take all the regular wages you earned in the four work weeks before the work week containing the holiday, add all the vacation pay payable to you for those four weeks, and divide by 20.
Overtime and premium pay are excluded from the wages figure. The divisor is always 20 regardless of how many days you actually worked, which is why a part-time week produces a smaller amount.
What is the "last and first rule"?
You lose public holiday pay only if you fail, without reasonable cause, to work all of your last regularly scheduled shift before the holiday or all of your first regularly scheduled shift after it.
Reasonable cause is a real test, not a formality: illness, injury and circumstances beyond your control generally satisfy it, and the burden is on the employer to show you had none.
What am I paid if I work on a public holiday in Ontario?
You and your employer pick one of two packages. Either public holiday pay plus premium pay at 1½ times your regular rate for every hour worked and no day off; or your regular wages for the hours worked plus a substitute day off paid at public holiday pay.
Premium pay is 1½ times your regular rate, and hours paid at premium rates do not also count toward that week’s overtime.
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 Ontario is set by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, 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.