- BC statutory holidays 2026
- BC statutory holidays 2027
- Last year's dates, for checking 2025 pay
- Who qualifies for statutory holiday pay in BC
- How statutory holiday pay is calculated
- Working on a statutory holiday in BC
- Employees who don't get statutory holiday pay
- If you weren't paid
- A quick checklist for BC employers
- The verdict
- Frequently asked questions
British Columbia has 11 statutory holidays. In 2026 they're New Year's Day, Family Day (February 16), Good Friday (April 3), Victoria Day (May 18), Canada Day, B.C. Day (August 3), Labour Day (September 7), National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30), Thanksgiving (October 12), Remembrance Day and Christmas Day. Easter Monday and Boxing Day aren't statutory holidays in B.C.
That last point surprises a lot of people who've worked in other provinces. The B.C. government's own page says it plainly: Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Boxing Day aren't statutory holidays in B.C. Everything below comes from the Province of British Columbia's employment standards pages.
BC statutory holidays 2026
| Holiday | 2026 date |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday, January 1 |
| Family Day | Monday, February 16 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 3 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 18 |
| Canada Day | Wednesday, July 1 |
| B.C. Day | Monday, August 3 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 7 |
| National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Wednesday, September 30 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Monday, October 12 |
| Remembrance Day | Wednesday, November 11 |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25 |
BC statutory holidays 2027
| Holiday | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Friday, January 1 |
| Family Day | Monday, February 15 |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 24 |
| Canada Day | Thursday, July 1 |
| B.C. Day | Monday, August 2 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 6 |
| National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Thursday, September 30 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Monday, October 11 |
| Remembrance Day | Thursday, November 11 |
| Christmas Day | Saturday, December 25 |
Last year's dates, for checking 2025 pay
If you're reviewing a payslip from last year, these were the B.C. statutory holidays in 2025:
| Holiday | 2025 date |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Wednesday, January 1 |
| Family Day | Monday, February 17 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 18 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 19 |
| Canada Day | Tuesday, July 1 |
| B.C. Day | Monday, August 4 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 1 |
| National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Tuesday, September 30 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Monday, October 13 |
| Remembrance Day | Tuesday, November 11 |
| Christmas Day | Thursday, December 25 |
If you're planning around these dates for a team, our PTO tracker roundup covers tools that load provincial holiday calendars.
Who qualifies for statutory holiday pay in BC
An employee gets statutory holiday pay if both of these are true:
- They've been employed for 30 calendar days.
- They've worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before the statutory holiday. Paid vacation days and another statutory holiday count as days with wages earned.
The B.C. government calls out a common myth here: some people think you only need to work the day before and the day after the holiday. That isn't the rule in B.C. It's the 15 of 30 days test. An employee who doesn't qualify still gets regular pay if they work on the holiday, but no holiday premium and no day's pay for a day off.
How statutory holiday pay is calculated
Statutory holiday pay is an average day's pay, and the formula is simple:
| Part of the formula | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Total wages | Regular wages, salary, commission, statutory holiday pay, paid vacation and paid sick days required by employment standards, earned in the 30 calendar days before the holiday. Don't include overtime. |
| Divided by days worked | Any day wages were earned, including paid vacation days, other paid statutory holidays and paid sick days required by employment standards |
| Equals | Statutory holiday pay, an average day's pay |
Working on a statutory holiday in BC
A qualifying employee who works on the holiday is paid time-and-a-half for the hours worked, and double-time for hours over 12, on top of their average day's pay. A regular or scheduled day off that falls on a statutory holiday still earns an average day's pay.
The B.C. government's worked example, for someone whose average day's pay is $150, as of October 2026:
| What the employee does on the holiday | What they're paid |
|---|---|
| Doesn't work | $150 |
| Works 7 hours | Time-and-a-half for 7 hours, plus $150 |
| Works 14 hours | Time-and-a-half for 12 hours, double-time for 2 hours, plus $150 |
Employees who don't get statutory holiday pay
The Employment Standards Regulation excludes some jobs. The B.C. page lists nursing students and volunteer firefighters, farm workers, managers, fishers and high technology professionals. Silviculture workers and car and truck sales staff are excluded if they get 4.4% on each paycheque in lieu. Commission salespeople are excluded when their wages for the pay period come to more than the base rate or minimum wage plus overtime and stats. If you're one of these, check the regulation section that applies to you before assuming you're owed anything.
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If you weren't paid
If you qualified and weren't paid statutory holiday pay, the B.C. government points you to its Solution Explorer, to Employment Standards directly, or to a complaint. For pay rates to plug into the formula, see our guide to the BC minimum wage, and if you also employ people in Ontario, its rules differ: see statutory holidays in Ontario.
A quick checklist for BC employers
- Check each employee has been employed for 30 calendar days before the holiday.
- Count the days they worked or earned wages in the 30 days before it, and confirm it's at least 15.
- Add up total wages for those 30 days without overtime, and divide by the days worked to get the average day's pay.
- For anyone working the holiday, pay time-and-a-half, double-time past 12 hours, plus the average day's pay.
- Check whether anyone falls into an excluded group under the Employment Standards Regulation.
The Employment Standards Act sections behind all of this are 44 (entitlement), 45 (holiday pay), 46 (working on the holiday) and 48 (substituting another day for a statutory holiday), which is worth reading if you plan to move a holiday to a different day.
The verdict
Put all 11 dates in the payroll calendar now, and drop Boxing Day and Easter Monday if you've brought habits from another province. Then check each person against the 15 of 30 days test before each holiday, because that's where most BC holiday pay mistakes start, not in the maths.
Frequently asked questions
How many statutory holidays are there in BC?
11, from New Year's Day to Christmas Day, including the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.
Is Boxing Day a statutory holiday in BC?
No. The B.C. government says Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Boxing Day aren't statutory holidays in B.C.
How do you qualify for stat holiday pay in BC?
Be employed for 30 calendar days and have worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before the holiday.
What do you get paid for working a stat holiday in BC?
Time-and-a-half for hours worked, double-time over 12 hours, plus an average day's pay if you qualify.
