Ontario has nine public holidays under the Employment Standards Act: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Most qualifying employees get the day off with public holiday pay, worked out as four weeks' regular wages plus vacation pay, divided by 20.
Ontario calls them public holidays, though most people say statutory holidays or stat holidays. The list is shorter than many people think, and the pay rules are different from what most payroll systems assume. Here's what the province's guide to the Employment Standards Act (ESA) says.
Ontario public holidays: 2026 and 2027 dates
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Family Day | Monday 16 February | Monday 15 February |
| Good Friday | Friday 3 April | Friday 26 March |
| Victoria Day | Monday 18 May | Monday 24 May |
| Canada Day | Wednesday 1 July | Thursday 1 July |
| Labour Day | Monday 7 September | Monday 6 September |
| Thanksgiving Day | Monday 12 October | Monday 11 October |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December |
| Boxing Day | Saturday 26 December | Sunday 26 December |
Look at 2027: Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend. For staff who don't normally work weekends, that's where the substitute holiday rules below come in.
The days that aren't on the list
This is the insight that surprises a lot of employers and staff. The ontario.ca guide says some employers give a holiday on Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, the first Monday in August or Remembrance Day, but the employer isn't required to do so under the ESA. The August civic holiday is a popular day off, not a public holiday under the ESA.
Who qualifies: the last and first rule
Full-time, part-time, permanent and term contract employees can all qualify, and it doesn't matter how recently they were hired. An employee generally doesn't qualify if, without reasonable cause, they:
- Fail to work all of their last regularly scheduled day before the holiday, or all of their first regularly scheduled day after it
- Fail to work their entire shift on the holiday after agreeing to, or being required to, work it
The guide notes that most employees who fail to qualify still get premium pay for every hour they work on the holiday. Its examples also show that the last and first days don't have to be the days right next to the holiday: an employee on vacation or leave qualifies by working their last shift before it and first shift after it.
Some people do two kinds of work for the same employer, one covered by the public holiday rules and one exempt. The guide says they qualify for a holiday if at least half the work in that holiday's work week was covered work. Its example is a taxi company worker who drives cabs and also works as a dispatcher.
How public holiday pay is calculated
Public holiday pay is all the regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the work week with the holiday, plus the vacation pay payable for those four weeks, divided by 20. Regular wages don't include overtime, vacation pay, public holiday pay, premium pay, termination pay or severance pay. The guide gives this worked example for an employee paid vacation pay on every cheque:
| Step | Ontario's example (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Regular wages in the four work weeks | $1,500 |
| Vacation pay at 4% | $60 |
| Total | $1,560 |
| Divide by 20 | $78 public holiday pay |
The four weeks follow your work week, not the calendar week, so check where your pay week starts.
If someone works on the holiday
Premium pay is one and a half times the employee's regular rate for each hour worked. The guide's example: a regular rate of $20 an hour gives premium pay of $30.00 an hour. When an employee agrees, electronically or in writing, to work on a public holiday that falls on a working day, they get one of two options:
- Regular wages for the hours worked, plus a substitute day off with public holiday pay
- Public holiday pay plus premium pay for all hours worked, with no substitute day, if the employee agrees to this in writing or electronically
A substitute holiday must be no later than three months after the public holiday, or up to 12 months with the employee's written or electronic agreement, and you must give a written statement setting out the holiday, the substitute date and when the statement was given.
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Holidays on a day off, and special industries
When a public holiday falls on an employee's non-working day or during their vacation, they get a substitute day off with public holiday pay, or public holiday pay alone if they agree in writing. Hotels, motels and tourist resorts, restaurants and taverns, hospitals and nursing homes, and continuous operations can require staff to work on a holiday that falls on a normal working day, with the employer choosing between the two pay options. That's still subject to the right to a day off for religious observance under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Setting up a business in the province? Read my guide to registering a business in Ontario, and use payroll software that handles the divide-by-20 rule for you.
My verdict
Ontario's nine public holidays are simple to list, but the pay formula isn't a normal day's wage, and it changes with how vacation pay is paid. Diarise the 2027 weekend Christmas, get substitute days agreed in writing, and use the four-week, divide-by-20 rule for every qualifying employee, part-timers included.
Frequently asked questions
How many statutory holidays are there in Ontario?
Nine: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Is the August civic holiday a statutory holiday in Ontario?
No. The ESA guide says employers aren't required to give the first Monday in August, Easter Monday, Easter Sunday or Remembrance Day as holidays.
How is public holiday pay calculated in Ontario?
Regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the holiday's work week, plus vacation pay payable for that period, divided by 20.
Do part-time employees get public holiday pay in Ontario?
Yes, if they qualify. Full-time, part-time, permanent and term contract employees can all qualify, however recently they were hired.
What is premium pay on a public holiday in Ontario?
One and a half times the employee's regular rate for each hour worked on the holiday.
What happens if a public holiday falls on a weekend in Ontario?
If it's a non-working day for the employee, they get a substitute day off with public holiday pay, or public holiday pay alone if they agree in writing.
