- Alberta general holidays for 2026 and 2027
- The days that aren't stat holidays in Alberta
- Who qualifies for holiday pay
- The 5 of 9 rule for irregular schedules
- What you owe, case by case
- How to work out average daily wage
- Holidays during vacation and at the end of employment
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
Alberta has 9 general holidays, which most people call stat holidays: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day. To be paid for one, an employee needs at least 30 workdays with the same employer in the 12 months before the holiday.
Everything below comes from the Government of Alberta's employment standards pages, checked in October 2026. The dates are the easy part. The pay rules are where small employers slip, because what you owe depends on two questions: was the holiday a regular day of work for that person, and did they work it?
Alberta general holidays for 2026 and 2027
| General holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | January 1 |
| Alberta Family Day | February 16 | February 15 |
| Good Friday | April 3 | March 26 |
| Victoria Day | May 18 | May 24 |
| Canada Day | July 1 | July 1 |
| Labour Day | September 7 | September 6 |
| Thanksgiving Day | October 12 | October 11 |
| Remembrance Day | November 11 | November 11 |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | December 25 |
Canada Day moves to July 2 in any year July 1 falls on a Sunday.
The days that aren't stat holidays in Alberta
This is the part people get wrong. Easter Monday, Heritage Day in August, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 and Boxing Day are optional holidays in Alberta. An employer can choose to recognise them, but nothing in the Code makes them paid days off. If you do recognise one, though, every holiday pay rule applies to it exactly as it does to the 9 general holidays, so decide on purpose and write it down.
Who qualifies for holiday pay
Most employees qualify if the holiday falls on a regular day of work, or if they work on a holiday that isn't a regular day. The same calculations apply to full-time, part-time and casual staff. An employee doesn't get general holiday pay if they:
- have worked fewer than 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday
- don't turn up on the holiday when they were required or scheduled to work
- are absent without the employer's consent on the last scheduled day before the holiday or the first scheduled day after it
Some roles are excluded altogether, including teachers, licensed insurance salespeople paid entirely by commission, real estate and securities salespeople, and film extras. Construction and farm workers have their own rules.
The 5 of 9 rule for irregular schedules
If someone works different days each week, look back at the 9 weeks before the holiday. If they worked that weekday at least 5 times, it counts as a regular day of work for this holiday. Alberta's own example: Labour Day is a Monday, the employee worked 5 of the previous 9 Mondays, so Monday is a regular day for them this time. You have to run the test again for every holiday, because a schedule that qualified in May may not in September.
What you owe, case by case
| Situation | What the employee gets |
|---|---|
| Regular day of work, doesn't work | Average daily wage |
| Regular day of work, works (option 1) | 1.5 times wages for hours worked, plus average daily wage |
| Regular day of work, works (option 2) | Normal wages for hours worked, plus a future day off paid at average daily wage |
| Not a regular day, doesn't work | Nothing |
| Not a regular day, works | 1.5 times wages for hours worked |
Under option 1, hours worked on the holiday don't count towards weekly overtime. Under option 2 the holiday is treated as a standard workday, so overtime is worked out as normal.
How to work out average daily wage
- Pick the period: either the 4 weeks immediately before the holiday, or the 4 weeks ending on the last day of the pay period before the holiday.
- Add up the wages earned in that period. Leave overtime pay out, because it doesn't count as wages here. Performance bonuses do count.
- Divide by the number of days the employee worked in that period.
Alberta's worked example: an employee on $25 an hour earned $4000 over 20 days in the 4 weeks before July 1, so their average daily wage is $200. If they work 8 hours on the holiday under option 1, they're owed $500. Under option 2 they're paid $200 for the shift plus a future day off at $200. All figures are the province's own example, as of October 2026.
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For salaried staff Alberta allows a simpler approach: if the holiday falls on a regular workday, they can take the day off on full salary.
Holidays during vacation and at the end of employment
If a general holiday lands during someone's vacation, they get a paid day off on the first scheduled working day after the vacation, or another agreed workday before their next annual vacation. If employment ends before a promised day in lieu is taken, it depends who ended it. If the employer terminates, the employee is owed the average daily wage plus time and a half for the hours they worked on the holiday, less what was already paid for those hours. If the employee quits, they're owed the average daily wage for each untaken day.
My verdict
Put the 9 general holidays in your payroll calendar, and decide in writing whether you're recognising any optional days. Then make the 30-workday check and the 5 of 9 rule part of every holiday pay run, because those two tests decide most disputes. Compare it with BC's statutory holidays, where September 30 is a paid holiday, and check pay rates against the Alberta minimum wage. Complaints can be made up to 6 months after employment ends.
Frequently asked questions
How many stat holidays are there in Alberta?
Alberta has 9 general holidays: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day.
Is Boxing Day a stat holiday in Alberta?
No. Boxing Day, Easter Monday, Heritage Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation are optional holidays that an employer can choose to recognise.
Do part-time employees get stat holiday pay in Alberta?
Yes, if they qualify. The same holiday pay calculations apply to full-time, part-time and casual employees who have worked at least 30 workdays in the previous 12 months.
Is overtime included in average daily wage?
No. Overtime pay isn't counted as wages for the average daily wage calculation, so leave it out.
