In Alberta, overtime calculation follows the 8/44 rule: 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week. The Employment Standards Code and its regulation set the minimum, and your policy or collective agreement can offer more, never less (sections 3 and 4).
Updated October 9, 2026, based on the Employment Standards Code as of November 26, 2025 and the Employment Standards Regulation as of January 1, 2026.
When does an hour become overtime?​
For each week, you work out two totals (section 21):
- the hours worked over 8 on each work day, added together;
- the hours worked over 44 in the work week.
The greater of the two is the week's overtime. Each overtime hour is paid at least 1.5 times the employee's wage rate (section 22). No hour is paid as overtime twice.
The work week runs from midnight Saturday to midnight the following Saturday, or follows another 7-day period the employer uses consistently. A work day is a 24-hour period ending at midnight, or another 24-hour period set by the employer's consistent practice (section 1).
Example: a support worker paid $24 an hour works 10 hours on Monday and Tuesday, then 8 hours Wednesday to Friday, for 44 hours. The daily total is 4 hours, the weekly total 0. She has 4 hours of overtime: 40 × $24 + 4 × $36 = $960 + $144 = $1,104.
A week of six 8-hour days works the other way: no hour over 8 in a day, but 48 hours in the week, so 4 hours of overtime.
What about a week with a general holiday?​
When an employee works on a general holiday and is paid at least 1.5 times the wage rate for those hours, the hours are left out of that week's overtime calculation (section 33). Our article on statutory holidays in Canada lists Alberta's general holidays.
Work out both totals every week, even when no single day goes over 8 hours.
See it with your own rules
Feuille de temps calculates daily and weekly overtime on every timesheet, and keeps each employee's overtime bank balance.
Can overtime be taken as time off?​
Yes, under an overtime agreement (section 23). It is made with one employee or with the majority of a group, as part of a collective agreement or, if there is none, in writing. It can replace overtime pay, wholly or partly, with paid time off. The employer gives a copy to each employee it covers, and it also applies to employees hired after it was signed.
The Code reads these terms into every agreement:
- time off is paid at the employee's regular wage rate, at a time the employee could otherwise have worked; according to the Government of Alberta, each overtime hour gives at least one hour off;
- the time off is taken within 6 months of the end of the pay period in which it was earned, unless a collective agreement allows longer;
- otherwise, the hours are paid at least 1.5 times the wage rate;
- the agreement can only be changed or ended with one month's written notice.
One hour off per overtime hour is a floor: the agreement can provide more, such as an hour and a half off per overtime hour (section 3).
Example: the same support worker has an agreement at the minimum rate. Her 4 overtime hours give 4 hours of paid time off, worth $96. If she has not taken them within 6 months, the employer owes her 4 × $36 = $144.
When employment ends, the employer cannot require the employee to use banked overtime during the termination notice period, unless they agree in writing (section 61.1).
For each banked hour, record the end of the pay period in which it was earned: that date starts the 6-month clock.
Can hours be averaged over several weeks?​
Yes, through an averaging arrangement (section 23.1). It spreads hours over 1 to 52 weeks and must:
- be in writing;
- state the number of weeks;
- include a schedule of daily and weekly hours, unless a collective agreement provides otherwise;
- state how overtime pay, and time off instead of overtime pay, will be calculated.
The employer gives at least two weeks' written notice before requiring an arrangement, unless they agree otherwise (section 23.1), and gives each employee a copy before it starts; for a group, it also posts it in the workplace and on its website, if it has one (section 13.37 of the regulation).
Under an arrangement, overtime is counted after 8 hours in a day, or after the day's scheduled hours if 8 or more are scheduled, and after an average of 44 hours a week over the period (section 13.3 of the regulation). Here too, the employee gets the greater of the two totals (section 13.31 of the regulation). The arrangement can remove daily overtime altogether, if it says so.
Who is not covered by these rules?​
The regulation exempts several groups from the hours of work and overtime rules (section 2 of the regulation). Those most relevant to non-profits:
- employees in a supervisory, managerial or confidential capacity whose duties are similar to other employees' only in an incidental way;
- counsellors and instructors at an educational or recreational camp operated on a charitable or not-for-profit basis for children, persons with disabilities or religious purposes;
- some professionals practising their profession, including CPAs, psychologists, lawyers and information systems professionals.
The regulation's definitions are precise: if you are unsure about a position, check with Alberta Employment Standards.
Sources​
- Employment Standards Code, Alberta King's Printer
- Employment Standards Regulation, Alberta King's Printer
- Overtime hours and overtime pay, Government of Alberta
Feuille de temps​
Feuille de temps is timesheet software built for non-profits. Once we have set up your rules with you, it calculates daily and weekly overtime and keeps overtime banks. The guide [Configuring overtime premiums](/docs/tutorial-admin/heures-supplementaires-majorees) shows the settings. For the neighbouring province, read our article on [overtime calculation in British Columbia](/blog/heures-supplementaires-cb).Frequently asked questions
When does overtime start in Alberta?
After 8 hours in a day or 44 hours in a week. The greater of the two totals counts, and those hours are paid at least 1.5 times the wage rate.
Is an hour over 8 in a day counted twice if the week goes over 44 hours?
No. You add up the hours over 8 on each day, then the hours over 44 in the week, and only the greater of the two totals is paid as overtime.
Can overtime be banked as time off in Alberta?
Yes, under an overtime agreement, either in writing or in a collective agreement. Each overtime hour gives at least one hour of paid time off at the regular wage rate, to be taken within 6 months of the end of the pay period in which it was earned. Otherwise, the hours are paid at 1.5 times.
Can hours be averaged over several weeks?
Yes, through a written averaging arrangement covering 1 to 52 weeks, with a schedule. Overtime then starts after 8 hours a day, or after the day's scheduled hours if they are longer, and after an average of 44 hours a week.
Do summer camp staff at a non-profit get overtime?
Not counsellors and instructors at an educational or recreational camp operated on a charitable or not-for-profit basis for children, persons with disabilities or religious purposes. The regulation exempts them from the hours of work and overtime rules.