Vacation pay · Canada
Vacation pay by province.
What percentage of your wages you are owed as vacation pay, how many weeks off you have earned, and when the next step up arrives.
Most of Canada starts at two weeks of vacation and 4% of gross wages, then steps up with length of service. What varies enormously is when.
Quebec steps at three years and Prince Edward Island at five; Nova Scotia splits the pay step and the time step a year apart; Newfoundland and Labrador makes you wait fifteen years; Saskatchewan starts everyone at three weeks; Yukon never steps at all; and only the federal jurisdiction has a four-week, 8% tier.
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Your vacation entitlement
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Vacation entitlement by province and territory, 2026
| Jurisdiction | Vacation time and pay by length of service |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| Quebec | 2 wks / 4% 2 wks / 4% at 1 yrs 3 wks / 6% at 3 yrs |
| Nova Scotia | 2 wks / 4% 2 wks / 6% at 7 yrs 3 wks / 6% at 8 yrs |
| New Brunswick | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 8 yrs |
| Manitoba | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| British Columbia | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| Prince Edward Island | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| Saskatchewan | 3 wks / 5.77% 4 wks / 7.69% at 10 yrs |
| Alberta | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 15 yrs |
| Northwest Territories | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| Yukon | 2 wks / 4% |
| Nunavut | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs |
| Federal (Canada Labour Code) | 2 wks / 4% 3 wks / 6% at 5 yrs 4 wks / 8% at 10 yrs |
What counts as the wages the percentage is applied to also differs — Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador include overtime, Alberta and Manitoba exclude it, and Prince Edward Island adds the cash value of employer-provided meals and lodging. Sources, last verified 2 September 2026: each jurisdiction page cites the authority that sets its own base. Accrued vacation pay is also owed when a job ends — see Ontario severance pay and EI benefits. Also on this site: minimum wage, statutory holiday pay, overtime pay.
Frequently asked questions
How much vacation pay am I owed in Canada?
It depends where you work and how long you have been there. Most jurisdictions start at 4% of gross wages with two weeks off and step to 6% and three weeks later on.
Saskatchewan is the outlier at the generous end, starting everyone at three weeks and 3/52 of wages — 5.77% — from the first year. Yukon is the outlier at the other end, staying at two weeks and 4% no matter how long you stay.
When does vacation pay go from 4% to 6%?
At three years in Quebec, five in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the federal jurisdiction, seven in Nova Scotia, eight in New Brunswick and fifteen in Newfoundland and Labrador. Ontario steps at five.
Nova Scotia is a special case: the pay steps to 6% after seven completed years but the third week only arrives after eight, so there is a year in which you get 6% on two weeks off.
Does overtime count toward vacation pay?
That depends on the jurisdiction, and it changes the answer materially. Ontario, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories all include overtime in the base; Alberta and Manitoba both exclude it.
Prince Edward Island goes further the other way and adds the cash value of employer-provided meals and lodging into the base — the only jurisdiction that does.
Can my employer pay vacation pay on every cheque?
In most jurisdictions, only with your written agreement, and it never removes your right to the time off. The money and the time are separate entitlements.
Being paid 4% each pay period means the vacation itself is unpaid when you take it, because you were paid for it in advance — not that you have no vacation.
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. The vacation pay percentage, the wages it applies to, and the service threshold that triggers each step all differ by jurisdiction.
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.