Entitlement by province
| Jurisdiction | Weeks and percentage by years of service |
|---|---|
| Federal (Canada Labour Code) | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6%; from 10 yr: 4 wk / 8% |
| Alberta | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| British Columbia | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Manitoba | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| New Brunswick | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 8 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 15 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Nova Scotia | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 7 yr: 2 wk / 6%; from 8 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Northwest Territories | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Nunavut | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Ontario | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Prince Edward Island | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 5 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Quebec | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4%; from 3 yr: 3 wk / 6% |
| Saskatchewan | from 0 yr: 3 wk / 3/52 (5.77%); from 10 yr: 4 wk / 4/52 (7.69%) |
| Yukon | from 0 yr: 2 wk / 4% |
Estimate of the legal minimum before tax. It leaves out earnings that do not count in some provinces, pay already received on each cheque, employer plans that are more generous, and the first-year timing of when vacation is earned.
What each government says
A short reading of the rule used for each jurisdiction. Confirm on the government page before relying on it.
Federal (Canada Labour Code)
Federal: 2 weeks (4%) after the first year, 3 weeks (6%) from 5 years and 4 weeks (8%) from 10 years of service.
Alberta
2 weeks (4%) after the first year; 3 weeks (6%) after 5 consecutive years.
British Columbia
2 weeks (4%) after 12 months; 3 weeks (6%) after 5 consecutive years.
Manitoba
2 weeks after each of the first 4 years, 3 weeks after 5 consecutive years; vacation pay is 2% of the year’s wages for each week.
New Brunswick
2 weeks (4%) after the first year; 3 weeks (6%) after 8 years.
Newfoundland and Labrador
2 weeks (4%) after the first year; 3 weeks (6%) after 15 years.
Nova Scotia
2 weeks (4%) in the first years; 6% after 7 completed years of service, and 3 weeks after 8 completed years.
Northwest Territories
4% for the first 5 years of service and 6% afterwards. The Northwest Territories fact sheet is the source.
Nunavut
3 weeks and 6% from 5 years of service. Two Nunavut government texts we found disagree on the number of years, and the site could not be opened by our automated check; confirm before relying on it.
Ontario
2 weeks (4%) under 5 years; 3 weeks (6%) from 5 years of service.
Prince Edward Island
2 weeks (4%); 3 weeks (6%) after 5 years under the new Employment Standards Act in force since June 30, 2026. We could confirm this only from secondary reports of the new Act.
Quebec
2 weeks (4%) under 3 years of service; 3 weeks (6%) from 3 years.
Saskatchewan
3 weeks, paid at 3/52 of earnings, for the first years; 4 weeks, paid at 4/52, after 10 years. One Saskatchewan page says nine years and another says ten, so confirm the threshold.
Yukon
2 weeks (4%). We could not open the Yukon government site to confirm longer-service tiers, so none are applied.
Frequently asked questions
How is vacation pay calculated?
In most provinces it is a percentage of your gross earnings in the vacation year: 4% for the first tier and 6% after 5 years of service (8% after 10 years for federally regulated employees). In Saskatchewan it is a fraction of 52 weeks of earnings: 3/52 or 4/52.
Does vacation pay include overtime, bonuses and tips?
Rules differ. In many provinces overtime and most regular pay count, while some extras do not. This estimate uses the single earnings figure you enter, so adjust it to the earnings your province counts.
Are vacation weeks and vacation pay the same thing?
No. Weeks are the time off you must be given; vacation pay is the money paid for that time. You may be paid vacation pay as you go on each cheque if you agree, in some provinces.
Does my employer have to give more than the minimum?
No, but many do. Contracts, collective agreements and company policies can give you more than the legal minimum, never less.
Which figures on this page are uncertain?
Prince Edward Island rests on secondary reports of its new Act. Nunavut and Yukon could not be checked on the territories’ sites, and the Saskatchewan 10-year threshold is worded two ways. The page says so beside each one.
Last updated
Related tools
Official sources
- Federal labour standards: vacations and holidays
- Alberta: vacation pay
- British Columbia: vacation
- Manitoba: vacations fact sheet
- New Brunswick: holidays and vacation
- Newfoundland and Labrador: Your Rights at Work
- Nova Scotia: vacation pay
- Northwest Territories: employment standards fact sheet
- Nunavut: labour and employment standards
- Ontario: vacation (ESA guide)
- Prince Edward Island: new Employment Standards Act
- Quebec CNESST: annual vacation
- Saskatchewan: vacation pay calculator
How we check
The weeks, percentages and years of service were read from the government pages listed under Official sources and asserted in the tests for every jurisdiction. The arithmetic is compared with the Saskatchewan government’s own calculator example ($28,000 at 4/52 gives $2,153.85) and with hand-worked cases for the percentage provinces. For 3/52 the Saskatchewan page shows one cent more than exact rounding; we assert our own rounded value.
Limits: no other province publishes a worked example we could copy. Prince Edward Island, Nunavut, Yukon and the Saskatchewan threshold are flagged on the page. We do not model which earnings count, vacation pay already paid on each cheque, or first-year timing. This page is not legal advice.