HR glossary · Pay and payroll

Overtime

Overtime is work past the daily or weekly hours limit in your province, usually paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. The limit differs across Canada.

Also called: overtime pay, time and a half, overtime threshold

What overtime means

Overtime is time an employee works beyond a set number of hours, called the overtime threshold. Once they cross it, the extra hours must be paid at a higher rate, usually 1.5 times their pay (often called time and a half).

Each province and territory sets its own threshold, and the Canada Labour Code sets one for federally regulated employers. Some count only weekly hours, others count daily and weekly hours. Some base the overtime rate on the employee's regular pay, and two base it on the minimum wage.

How it works

Start with the threshold where the work is done. In a weekly-only province such as Ontario (44 hours) you add up the week's hours and pay the hours past 44 at the overtime rate. In a daily-and-weekly province such as Manitoba (8 a day or 40 a week) you check both and pay overtime on whichever gives the employee more, without paying the same hour twice.

Multiply the overtime hours by the overtime rate. For most of Canada that is 1.5 times the employee's regular rate. In New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador it is 1.5 times the minimum wage, so a well-paid employee there may get less than time and a half of their own rate. British Columbia also has double time for hours past 12 in a day.

Many managers, supervisors and some other roles are excluded from overtime, and the exclusions differ by province. Check what the person actually does against your province's list before you treat a job as excluded.

Some provinces allow other arrangements, such as averaging hours over several weeks or giving paid time off instead of overtime pay. The conditions differ, and they usually need to be set up in advance, so check your province's rules before you rely on one. Otherwise, pay overtime in the pay period it was worked.

Overtime by province

Overtime thresholds and rates where you hire, checked against official government sources on 7 October 2026.

Where the work is done	The rule
Federal	Over 8 hours a day or 40 a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
British Columbia	Over 8 hours a day at 1.5 times, over 12 hours a day at 2 times; over 40 a week at 1.5 times.
Alberta	Over 8 hours a day or 44 a week, whichever is greater, at 1.5 times regular pay.
Saskatchewan	Over 8 hours a day or 40 a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
Manitoba	Over 8 hours a day or 40 a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
Ontario	Over 44 hours a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
Quebec	Over 40 hours a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
New Brunswick	Over 44 hours a week, at 1.5 times the minimum wage.
Nova Scotia	Over 48 hours a week, at 1.5 times regular pay. The threshold drops to 44 hours a week on 1 April 2027 (Bill 256).
Prince Edward Island	Over 44 hours a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
Newfoundland and Labrador	Over 40 hours a week, at 1.5 times the minimum wage.
Yukon	Over 8 hours a day or 40 a week, at 1.5 times regular pay.
Northwest Territories	Over 8 hours a day or 40 a week, at least 1.5 times regular pay.
Nunavut	Over 8 hours a day or 40 a week, at least 1.5 times regular pay.

Exclusions for managers and specific industries are not listed here; check your province's rules for the job.

Example: A busy week at a Halifax print shop

Dev runs a 10-person print shop in Halifax, Nova Scotia. During a rush week in November 2026, his press operator, Carla, works 50 hours at $22.00 an hour. Nova Scotia's threshold is 48 hours a week, so 2 hours are overtime.

Carla's pay is 48 hours at $22.00 ($1,056.00) plus 2 hours at $33.00 ($66.00), for $1,122.00. If the same week happened after 1 April 2027, the threshold would be 44 hours, and 6 hours would be overtime.

Employment standards by province

Staffkin's free employment standards by province page shows the overtime threshold, public holidays and vacation minimums side by side for every province and territory.

See the rules by province

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about overtime

Do salaried employees get overtime in Canada?

Being paid a salary does not decide it. What matters is whether the job falls under an overtime exclusion in your province, such as many managers and supervisors.

Is overtime calculated per day or per week?

It depends on the province. Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces use a weekly threshold; the federal rules, the western provinces and the territories also have a daily threshold.

Is overtime always time and a half?

In most of Canada, yes: 1.5 times regular pay. New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador use 1.5 times the minimum wage, and British Columbia pays double time after 12 hours in a day.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.