Setting up your contract rules
Contract rules tell Paycheq how your collective agreement pays: overtime, day rates, premiums, call-outs, banked time and more. They replace your province’s rules wherever your contract covers them.
Contract rules are part of Paycheq Pro.
Turning them on
- Go to Jobs and tap your job.
- Under Rules, set Rule profile to Union contract.
- Tap Contract rules.

What’s already there
A new contract starts with:
- Your overtime from setup.
- Holiday pay of 8 hours at your regular rate.
- The meal premium: half an hour at double time plus $10 after 11 hours, and again after 15.
- An overtime window from midnight to 6 a.m.
Change or remove any of them to match your agreement.
Changing a rule
- Tap the rule.
- Make your changes and tap Save.
- Go back and tap Save on the job. Your changes aren’t kept until you do.
Adding a rule
- Tap Add a rule and choose the kind of rule, such as Day rate, Call-out minimum or Banked time.
- Fill it in and tap Add.
- Tap Save on the job.
Most rules have Applies when options, so a rule only applies when you want it to:
- Days, and Whole shift if it starts on these days
- Only between certain times
- Shifts, such as Called in or On call
- Only on public holidays
- After hours in a shift
- After hours in the week
Leave them all off for a rule that always applies.
When two rules apply at once
Under How rules combine, When multipliers overlap decides what happens when two rules give a rate for the same time. Highest wins pays the higher rate. Work week starts sets the start of the week for weekly overtime.

Checks against the law
If a rule pays less than your province’s minimum, such as overtime at a lower rate, Paycheq warns you. The Pay screen also compares your contract with the law every pay period.
Turning them off or removing them
- To stop using them for now: set Rule profile to Labour rules only and tap Save. Your rules stay saved, and switching back brings them back.
- To delete them: in Contract rules, tap Remove agreement at the bottom and confirm, then tap Save on the job. Pay is then worked out with your province’s labour rules. Your shifts, rates, dues and stubs stay.
Good to know
- Each job has its own contract rules.
- You can share your rules with coworkers as a file, and import theirs.
- Your contract rules stay on your phone, and are included in your backups.
Estimates only. Not legal advice. Check your collective agreement.
- Next in Getting Started →Setting up your first job
- Next in Getting Started →Your pay schedule from your last cheque
- Next in Getting Started →Clocking in and out
- Next in Getting Started →Entering a shift by hand
- Next in Getting Started →Reading the Week screen
- Next in Getting Started →Clock-in and clock-out reminders
- Next in Getting Started →Working more than one job
- Next in Getting Started →Your widget and Live Activity
- Next in Getting Started →Checking your first cheque
- Next in Your pay →Reading the Pay screen
- Next in Your pay →Why your estimate can differ from your cheque
- Next in Your pay →Entering a cheque stub
- Next in Your pay →CPP and EI and the yearly maximums
- Next in Your pay →Adding pay from before you started using Paycheq
- Next in Your pay →Vacation pay
- Next in Your pay →Exporting shifts and pay summaries
- Next in Overtime and rates →The overtime window (such as midnight to 6 a.m.)
- Next in Overtime and rates →Saturday, Sunday and other day rates
- Next in Overtime and rates →Daily and weekly overtime
- Next in Overtime and rates →Shifts entered at 1.5× or 2×
- Next in Overtime and rates →The rate highlighted on the Clock card
- Next in Overtime and rates →Other rates, such as a lead rate
- Next in Overtime and rates →Raises and retro pay
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →Setting up your contract rules
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →The long-shift meal premium
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →Call-out minimums
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →How does banked time work?
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →When more than one rule applies
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →Working two rates in one shift
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →Paid breaks and unpaid meal breaks
- Next in Union contracts & custom rules →Shift premiums and on-call pay
- Next in Holidays →How holiday pay works
- Next in Holidays →Your contract's own holidays
- Next in Holidays →How do my two vacation balances work?
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Alberta
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in British Columbia
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Manitoba
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in New Brunswick
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in the Northwest Territories
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Nova Scotia
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Nunavut
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Ontario
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Prince Edward Island
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Saskatchewan
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in Yukon
- Next in Holidays →Holidays in the federal sector
- Next in Your data →Backing up and restoring
- Next in Your data →Using a flat tax percentage
- Next in Your data →Union dues
- Next in Your data →How Paycheq estimates tax
- Next in Your data →TD1 claim amounts
- Next in Your data →Your data stays on your phone
- Next in Paycheq Pro →What Paycheq Pro adds
- Next in Paycheq Pro →Restoring a purchase
- Next in Paycheq Pro →If your Pro subscription ends
- Next in Troubleshooting →My figures don't match my cheque
- Next in Troubleshooting →A backup won't restore