How holiday pay works

On a statutory holiday, you may get holiday pay, usually a day's wage, whether or not you work. If you do work, you're also paid a premium for those hours.

Who qualifies

Each province has its own rules, such as being employed for 30 days, or working a number of days before the holiday. Paycheq checks what it can from your shifts and start date.

Some things Paycheq can't know, such as whether you worked at least 15 of the 30 days before the holiday, if those days are before you started using the app. For those, the holiday's card in Week asks a question:

1. Open the Week tab and go to the week with the holiday. It's marked with a star.

2. Answer the question on the holiday's card with Yes or No.

Until you answer, the Pay screen shows how much more you'd get if you qualify.

Suggested image: Thanksgiving on the Week screen with its Yes and No question.

How much

• Under your province's rules: your province's formula, usually an average of your recent daily pay.

• Under a union contract: your contract's holiday pay, which is 8 hours at your regular rate by default. At $39.51 an hour, that's $316.08.

Working on a holiday

Hours you work on a holiday are paid at your province's holiday rate, such as 1.5×, or your contract's holiday rate, plus holiday pay if you qualify. Tap the holiday in Week to see how it was paid. If your employer gave you a day off later instead of premium pay, tap the day and choose how the hours you worked were paid.

Your contract's own holidays

Contracts can add holidays, such as Boxing Day or Easter Monday, or have their own rules for who qualifies. Set them in Contract rules, under Holidays.

Good to know

• Paycheq covers every province and territory except Quebec, and the federal sector.

• Holiday pay shows on the day as Holiday pay, and on the Pay screen under Earnings.

• Estimates only. Not legal advice. Your province's employment standards office has the official rules.