Holidays in Alberta

Alberta has 9 general holidays. If you qualify and the holiday is one of your regular work days, you get an average day’s pay. Working on the holiday pays 1.5×.

The holidays

• New Year’s Day: January 1
• Alberta Family Day: third Monday in February
• Good Friday
• Victoria Day: the Monday before May 25
• Canada Day: July 1, or July 2 when July 1 is a Sunday
• Labour Day: first Monday in September
• Thanksgiving Day: second Monday in October
• Remembrance Day: November 11
• Christmas Day: December 25

Who qualifies

You must have worked 30 days in the 12 months before the holiday. Paycheq checks that from your shifts. Its day card in Week asks two questions:

• Did you work your last scheduled day before the holiday and your first scheduled day after it, or have your employer’s OK to miss them?
• If you were scheduled to work on the holiday, did you work?

Is it a regular work day?

Holiday pay is only owed if the holiday falls on a day you’d normally work. Paycheq counts it as a regular work day if you worked that weekday in at least 5 of the last 9 weeks. If your records don’t go back that far, the day card asks you.

How much

An average day’s pay: your wages in the 4 weeks before the holiday, divided by the days you worked. Overtime, vacation pay and earlier holiday pay are left out.

If you work on the holiday

You’re paid 1.5× for the hours you work, plus your holiday pay. Or your employer may pay your regular rate and give you another day off with pay. On the day screen, choose Premium pay or Day off later under “How were the hours you worked paid?”

If the holiday isn’t a regular work day and you work it, you’re paid 1.5× for the hours worked, with no holiday pay.

Estimates only. Not legal advice. Alberta Employment Standards has the official rules.