In Ontario, public holiday pay for a part-time employee is calculated the same way as for a full-time one: regular wages and vacation pay from the previous four work weeks, divided by 20. Part-time staff are more likely to have a holiday fall on a day they don't work, and the Act has a rule for that case: a substitute day off.
Updated October 9, 2026, based on the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Ontario Regulation 285/01 as of October 6, 2026.
What are the public holidays in Ontario?​
The Act lists nine (section 1): New Year's Day, Family Day (third Monday in February), Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and December 26. Easter Monday, the first Monday in August and Remembrance Day are not on the list: an employer can give them, but does not have to.
Three remain in 2026: Thanksgiving on Monday, October 12, Christmas on Friday, December 25, and December 26, which is a Saturday. For other provinces, see our article on public holidays in Canada.
Are part-time employees entitled to public holidays?​
Yes. The Act makes no distinction between part-time and full-time employees, and the ministry's guide states that the hire date does not matter. An employee loses the entitlement if they fail, without reasonable cause, to work all of their last regularly scheduled day of work before the holiday or all of their first one after it (section 26).
Some employees are not covered by the public holiday rules (section 9 of Ontario Regulation 285/01), including a student employed to instruct or supervise children or at a camp for children, and a student in a recreational program run by a registered charity. If in doubt, check your situation with the Ontario Ministry of Labour.
How do you calculate public holiday pay for a part-time employee?​
Public holiday pay equals the regular wages earned and the vacation pay payable in the four work weeks before the work week of the holiday, divided by 20 (section 24). Regular wages exclude overtime pay, vacation pay, public holiday pay and premium pay.
Example: Amina works Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 hours a day, at $22 an hour. She receives 4% vacation pay on each pay. Her work week runs Sunday to Saturday, so for Thanksgiving on October 12, 2026, the four work weeks are September 13 to October 10.
- Regular wages: 18 hours × $22 × 4 weeks = $1,584
- Vacation pay payable: $1,584 × 4% = $63.36
- Public holiday pay: ($1,584 + $63.36) ÷ 20 = $82.37
The divisor stays at 20 regardless of how many days the employee worked. Amina therefore receives $82.37, less than the $132 she earns in one of her 6-hour days: the formula gives one fifth of her average week. An employee hired less than four weeks earlier also receives less, since their wages for the period are lower.
If vacation pay is paid on each pay, add the vacation pay for the four weeks to regular wages before dividing by 20.
See it with your own rules
Feuille de temps can credit each public holiday with 1/20 of the hours paid in the previous four weeks, excluding overtime, and can keep a holiday list specific to an individual employee. The credit is in hours: vacation pay paid on each pay is added at payroll.
What if the holiday falls on a day the employee doesn't work?​
The employer picks another day that would ordinarily be a working day and gives it off with public holiday pay (section 29). This substitute day must fall no later than three months after the holiday, or 12 months if the employee agrees. Before the holiday, the employer gives a written statement setting out the holiday being substituted, the date of the substitute day and the date of the statement. The same rule applies if the employee is on vacation that day.
The employer and the employee can instead agree in writing that the employee receives public holiday pay without a day off.
Example: Karim works Tuesday and Thursday. Thanksgiving, a Monday, is not one of his working days. Before October 12, his employer gives him a statement setting his paid day off for Thursday, October 22. December 26, 2026, a Saturday, calls for the same step for every employee who doesn't work Saturdays.
What if the employee works on the holiday?​
With a written agreement, an employee can work on a public holiday that is ordinarily a working day (section 27). The employer then pays:
- their regular rate for the hours worked, plus a substitute day off with public holiday pay; or
- if both sides agree, public holiday pay plus premium pay, at one and a half times their regular rate, for each hour worked.
Example: Amina works 6 hours on October 12. With the first option, she receives $132 plus a substitute day paid $82.37. With the second, she receives $82.37 + 6 × $33 = $280.37.
In a hospital, a continuous operation, a hotel, motel, tourist resort, restaurant or tavern, the employer can require work on a public holiday and chooses between the two options itself (section 28). Hours paid at premium pay do not count toward the overtime threshold (section 31), covered in our article on overtime calculation in Ontario.
Give the written statement for a substitute day before the holiday, and keep a copy for three years.
Sources​
- Employment Standards Act, 2000, e-Laws
- Ontario Regulation 285/01, e-Laws
- Public holidays, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Government of Ontario
Feuille de temps​
Feuille de temps is timesheet software built for non-profits. Once we have set up your rules with you, it handles public holidays with a configurable holiday pay method, calculates overtime premiums and prepares reports for payroll. Both holiday pay methods are described in [Configuring the Public Holiday Indemnity Calculation](/docs/tutorial-admin/indemnite-jour-ferie).Frequently Asked Questions
Are part-time employees entitled to public holiday pay in Ontario?
Yes, on the same terms as full-time employees, regardless of how recently they were hired. They lose the entitlement if they miss, without reasonable cause, their last regularly scheduled day of work before the holiday or their first one after it.
How is public holiday pay calculated in Ontario?
Add the regular wages earned and the vacation pay payable in the four work weeks before the work week of the holiday, then divide by 20. The formula is the same for full-time and part-time employees.
What happens if a public holiday falls on an employee's day off in Ontario?
The employer gives them another day off with public holiday pay, within three months, or within 12 months if they agree. With a written agreement, the employer can instead pay public holiday pay without a day off.
How much is an employee paid for working on a public holiday in Ontario?
Their regular rate for the hours worked plus a substitute day off with pay, or, if both sides agree, public holiday pay plus one and a half times their regular rate for each hour worked.
How many public 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 (December 26).