Statutory Holidays in Nova Scotia 2026: the Six Paid Days and the Pay Rules

That short list surprises people who've worked in other provinces. Here are the 2026 dates, who qualifies, how the pay works and the separate retail closing rules, all from Nova Scotia's Labour Standards pages, as of October 2026.

Nova Scotia paid holidays in 2026

Holiday	2026 date
New Year's Day	Thursday 1 January
Nova Scotia Heritage Day	Monday 16 February
Good Friday	Friday 3 April
Canada Day	Wednesday 1 July
Labour Day	Monday 7 September
Christmas Day	Friday 25 December

Remembrance Day, Wednesday 11 November, sits under the Remembrance Day Act rather than the Code. Easter Monday, Victoria Day and Natal Day are commonly treated as holidays but aren't paid general holidays. Employers can agree to give extra paid days, and Labour Standards says it may be able to enforce that kind of agreement.

Who qualifies: the two-part test

1. The employee must be entitled to receive pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday.
2. They must have worked their last scheduled shift before the holiday and their first scheduled shift after it.

The insight most people miss is in the wording. The first test is about being entitled to pay, not about working 15 days. Paid sick time under an employer policy, a paid training course or recent vacation can all count. And the second test is about scheduled shifts, so an employee who isn't scheduled the day after the holiday can still qualify. If the employer tells someone not to come in on either of those days, they still qualify if they meet the first test. There's no waiting period either: Labour Standards says an employer can't make a new hire finish a probation period before getting holiday pay.

How holiday pay is worked out

An employee who qualifies and gets the day off is paid a regular day's pay. Where hours change from day to day, the employer averages the 30 days before the holiday. Labour Standards gives these examples, as of October 2026:

• Hours: an employee who worked 20 of the 30 days for 170 hours gets 170 divided by 20, or 8.5 hours, for the holiday.
• Commission: someone who worked 17 days and earned $2040 including commissions gets $2040 divided by 17, or $120, as an average day's pay.

If the holiday falls on a regular day off, the employee gets another paid day off, on the next working day, the working day after their vacation, or a day they agree. Employees also earn vacation pay on their holiday pay.

Working on a Nova Scotia holiday

An employee who qualifies and works the holiday gets both a regular or average day's pay and one and a half times their regular rate for the hours worked. Continuous operations, such as round-the-clock production, trucking, telephone services or businesses that normally open on Sundays and holidays, can instead pay straight time and give a different paid day off. In a continuous operation, an employee who doesn't report after being called in loses holiday pay.

Swapping a holiday for another day

Employers can substitute another day for a general holiday, but only if employees agree in writing and the Director of Labour Standards approves a letter setting out the substituted day. The Code doesn't let the employer simply move it.

Retail closing days and the right to refuse

Retail closing days are a separate list. On top of the six holidays, they add Easter Sunday (5 April 2026), Thanksgiving (12 October 2026) and Boxing Day (26 December 2026). Employees of retail businesses that must close can refuse to work on those days and on Sundays. They give seven days' notice, or two days if the employer gave them less than seven days' notice of the shift. Small grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and many tourism businesses are exempt.

Remembrance Day is different

Remembrance Day is always observed on 11 November. Most grocery stores, big box stores and malls must close. Employees who work at a business allowed to open may be entitled to another day off with pay. Employees who don't work aren't paid for the day unless the employer offers it. For pay rates, see my Nova Scotia minimum wage guide, and compare with statutory holidays in Ontario.

Employees the holiday pay rules don't cover

• Employees working under a collective agreement.
• Most farm employees.
• Real estate and car salespeople, and commissioned salespeople who sell away from the employer's premises, except on an established route.
• Employees on a fishing boat.
• Some domestic and personal care workers in private homes.
• Athletes while engaged in their athletic activities.

My verdict

Nova Scotia's list is short, but the rules are generous to employees in the detail: no probation wait, paid-time-counts qualifying and time and a half plus a day's pay for working. Employers should build the six dates and the 30-day averaging into payroll now, and check whether Remembrance Day closing applies to their business before 11 November.

Frequently asked questions

How many statutory holidays are there in Nova Scotia?

Six paid holidays under the Labour Standards Code: New Year's Day, Nova Scotia Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day and Christmas Day. Remembrance Day has its own act.

Is Victoria Day a statutory holiday in Nova Scotia?

No. Labour Standards lists Victoria Day, Easter Monday and Natal Day as commonly recognised holidays that aren't paid general holidays under the Code.

Is Boxing Day a holiday in Nova Scotia?

Boxing Day isn't one of the six paid holidays, but it's a designated retail closing day, so many retail employees can refuse to work.

What do you get paid for working a statutory holiday in Nova Scotia?

A qualifying employee gets a regular or average day's pay plus one and a half times their regular rate for the hours worked on the holiday.

Can an employer make you wait out probation before holiday pay in Nova Scotia?

No. Labour Standards says employers and employees can't contract out of the Code, so a qualifying employee gets holiday pay however long they've worked there.