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Overtime and statutory holiday pay follow provincial rules, so the same shift can pay differently from one province to the next. In Ontario overtime starts after 44 hours a week at 1.5 times your regular rate. In British Columbia it starts after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, and payroll has to get both right.
When does overtime start in each province?
Most provinces set a weekly line, and several add a daily one too. Where both exist, the worker gets whichever produces more overtime. Here are the thresholds we checked on the official pages.
| Province | Weekly line | Daily line |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 44 hours | none |
| Quebec | 40 hours | none |
| British Columbia | 40 hours | 8 hours |
| Alberta | 44 hours | 8 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 40 hours | 8 hours |
| Manitoba | 40 hours | 8 hours |
| Nova Scotia | 48 hours | none |
The rate is 1.5 times the regular wage in all of them. Ontario’s own overtime pay guide states the 44-hour line and the time-and-a-half rate in plain terms. British Columbia adds double time after 12 hours in a day. Nova Scotia’s Bill 256 would lower its line from 48 to 44 hours from 1 April 2027, but it isn’t law yet, so use 48 until it passes. Managers, some salespeople and other listed jobs are often exempt, and each province words the exemptions differently.
What does the same week pay in Ontario and BC?
Picture a worker on $25 an hour who puts in 50 hours over five days. In Ontario, 6 hours are overtime. The overtime pay calculator shows $1,100.00 of regular pay and $225.00 of overtime, for $1,325.00 in the week.
Now move that person to BC and spread the hours as five 10-hour days. Ten hours of overtime appear, because each day has 2 hours over the daily line. The overtime is $375.00 and the week pays $1,375.00. The extra $50 comes purely from where the shift happens. That’s a few bucks a week, but across a crew of twenty and fifty-two weeks it adds up fast, which is why you can’t reuse one province’s setup for staff in another.
The overtime rate works out to $37.50 an hour in both places.
How does statutory holiday pay work?
Every province has a list of paid holidays, and the number varies: 9 in Ontario and Alberta, 10 in Saskatchewan, 11 in British Columbia. The way you work out the pay also varies, which is where payroll mistakes creep in.
In Ontario, holiday pay is your regular wages in the four work weeks before the holiday week, plus vacation pay owing for that period, divided by 20. With $4,000 of wages and $160 of vacation pay, the holiday pay calculator gives $208.00 for the day. In British Columbia the formula is an average day’s pay: total wages, without overtime, divided by the days worked in the 30 days before the holiday.
Alberta uses an average daily wage over the four weeks before. Different bases give different answers for the same worker, so use the rule for the province where the person works.
What if someone works on the holiday?
Then the employer usually owes more than a normal day. In Ontario there are two routes, and both need a written or electronic agreement: pay the holiday pay plus 1.5 times the regular rate for the hours worked, or pay regular wages for the hours and give a substitute paid day off within three months, extendable to 12 by agreement. British Columbia pays the average day’s pay plus 1.5 times for the first 12 hours worked and double after that.
Saskatchewan has a quirk that catches payroll teams. The province’s employment standards page on overtime in a day versus a week says a week with a public holiday has 32 hours, and overtime is payable after those 32 hours, down from the usual 40.
Who qualifies? That differs too. BC wants 30 calendar days of employment and pay on 15 of the previous 30 days. Alberta asks for 30 workdays in the past 12 months. Ontario has no minimum service, but the worker must show up for the last scheduled day before and the first after, unless there’s a good reason.
Errors that cost employers money
You’ll see one mistake more than any other: applying one province’s rule to staff in two provinces. Another is mixing up holiday pay bases, for instance including overtime in a British Columbia average, which leaves it out. A third is treating a salaried employee as exempt from overtime just because they’re on salary. Exemption depends on the job, not on how you’re paid. Check the province’s list.
Keep a simple habit that avoids most disputes: record start and end times every day, not just weekly totals. Daily overtime can’t be worked out from a weekly number, and a paycheque that’s wrong by two hours is the kind of thing staff notice.
We’d check those on the provincial site before paying anyone. Once you know the hours, the payroll deductions calculator shows what comes off the extra pay.
Common payroll questions about overtime and holidays
Which province’s rules apply? Generally the province where the employee works, not where the head office sits. If someone splits time, ask the employment standards office before you guess.
What if a holiday lands on a day off? Most provinces still require holiday pay if the worker is eligible, though how it’s worked out varies. Check the rule for your province.
Our sources
Overtime and holiday rules come from the employment standards pages of each province, including Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, read in September 2026. No level of government runs or endorses this site.
Frequently asked questions
When does overtime start in Ontario?
After 44 hours in a week, at 1.5 times the regular rate. Ontario has no daily overtime line unless a contract sets one.
How is Ontario stat holiday pay calculated?
Add regular wages from the four work weeks before the holiday week and the vacation pay for that period, then divide by 20.
Does BC have daily overtime?
Yes. Overtime starts after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, and double time applies after 12 hours in a day.
How many paid holidays are there?
It depends on the province. Ontario and Alberta have 9, Saskatchewan 10 and British Columbia 11.
Are salaried staff exempt from overtime?
Not because of salary. Exemptions depend on the job type and the province's list, so check that list.
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