Vacation pay · Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia vacation pay.
How much vacation pay you are owed in Nova Scotia, and how many weeks of vacation time your years of service entitle you to.
Nova Scotia pays vacation at 4% of gross wages with two weeks off, rising to 6% after seven completed years and to three weeks after eight.
The pay step and the time step are deliberately one year apart, which is unique in Canada — for one full year you earn 6% while still taking two weeks.
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Your vacation entitlement
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How Nova Scotia vacation entitlement steps up
| Length of service | Vacation time | Vacation pay |
|---|---|---|
| From the first year up to 7 years | 2 weeks | 4% |
| 7 years up to 8 years | 2 weeks | 6% |
| 8 years and over | 3 weeks | 6% |
Nova Scotia is the one province where the two thresholds do not line up. Vacation pay rises to 6% at the start of your eighth year of service — after completing seven — while the third week of vacation time only arrives in your ninth year, after completing eight. So there is a full year in which you get 6% pay on two weeks off. Vacation must be given within ten months following the 12-month period it was earned in.
Source, last verified 2 September 2026: Nova Scotia Labour Standards — Vacation time and vacation pay.
Frequently asked questions
How much vacation pay am I owed in Nova Scotia?
4% of gross wages until you complete seven years of service, then 6% from the start of your eighth year.
Wages here means salaries, commissions and most other compensation, but not the vacation pay itself.
When do I get three weeks of vacation in Nova Scotia?
In your ninth year of service, having completed eight years. Note that this is a year later than the pay step.
So between seven and eight years of service you are paid at 6% while still taking two weeks — a quirk unique to Nova Scotia.
Why do the 6% and the third week arrive in different years?
Because the Labour Standards Code sets them separately. Vacation pay steps to 6% at the start of the eighth year of service, after completing seven; vacation time steps to three weeks in the ninth year, after completing eight.
It is not an error in the guide — the two thresholds are deliberately one year apart.
When must Nova Scotia vacation be given?
Vacation time must be given within ten months following the 12-month period in which it was earned.
It is the employer’s obligation to schedule it within that window, not the employee’s to ask.
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. Vacation entitlement in Nova Scotia is set by Nova Scotia Labour Standards.
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.