In British Columbia, overtime is calculated against two thresholds at once: 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. The Employment Standards Act and its regulation set the minimum, and your policy or collective agreement can offer more.
Updated October 9, 2026, based on the Employment Standards Act as of September 22, 2026 and the Employment Standards Regulation as of October 6, 2026.
When does an hour become overtime?​
An employer must pay overtime whenever it requires or allows an employee to work more than 8 hours a day or more than 40 hours a week (section 35). The rates are set in section 40:
- 1.5 times the regular wage for hours over 8 in a day;
- double the regular wage for hours over 12 in a day;
- 1.5 times the regular wage for hours over 40 in a week.
For the weekly threshold, only the first 8 hours of each day count (section 40). An hour already paid as daily overtime does not count toward the week. The week starts on Sunday, and a shift that runs past midnight counts as one day of 24 hours from the start of the shift (section 1).
Example: a support worker earning $25 an hour works 13 hours in one day. The first 8 hours are paid at $25, the next 4 at $37.50 and the last one at $50: $200 + $150 + $50 = $400.
How do daily and weekly overtime combine?​
Take the same support worker over a week: 11 hours on Monday, 8 hours Tuesday to Friday and 6 hours on Saturday, for 49 hours.
- Monday gives 3 hours of daily overtime.
- For the week, count 8 hours on Monday, 32 hours Tuesday to Friday and 6 hours on Saturday: 46 hours, so 6 hours over 40.
- In total, 40 hours at $25 and 9 hours at $37.50: $1,000 + $337.50 = $1,337.50.
Which wage is the base?​
For an hourly employee, the regular wage is the hourly wage. For a weekly salary, divide the weekly wage by the lesser of the employee's normal or average weekly hours; monthly and yearly salaries are brought back to an hourly rate the same way (section 1).
Check every day over 8 hours, even in a week under 40 hours.
See it with your own rules
Feuille de temps calculates daily overtime, with its two tiers, and weekly overtime on every timesheet, and keeps each employee's overtime bank balance.
How much rest is required each week?​
Each week, an employee is entitled to 32 consecutive hours free from work. Otherwise, hours worked during those 32 hours are paid at 1.5 times the regular wage (section 36). There must also be at least 8 consecutive hours off between shifts, except in an emergency.
Can hours be averaged over several weeks?​
Yes, through an averaging agreement (section 37). It spreads hours over 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks, and is only valid if it:
- is in writing and signed by both parties before its start date;
- sets out the number of weeks, the schedule for each day, how many times it can be repeated, a start date and an expiry date;
- schedules no more than 40 hours in a one-week agreement, or an average of 40 hours a week over a longer period;
- is given to the employee before the period begins.
Under the agreement, scheduled hours are not overtime, even past 8 hours. These hours still count as overtime:
- at double time, any hour over 12 in a day;
- at time and a half, hours worked beyond the day's schedule: over 8 hours if fewer than 8 were scheduled, over the scheduled hours if 8 or more were scheduled;
- at time and a half, hours over an average of 40 a week across the period.
Example: a one-week agreement schedules four 10-hour days. Those 40 hours are not overtime. If the employee works 11 hours on one of those days, the eleventh hour is paid at time and a half.
The employer keeps the agreement for 4 years after its expiry date.
Have the agreement signed and give the employee a copy before the first day of the period.
Can overtime be banked?​
Yes, at the employee's written request (section 42). Overtime is credited to the bank at overtime rates: an hour payable at time and a half is worth one and a half hours of wages. The employee can ask at any time to be paid all or part of it, to take paid time off at a time agreed with the employer, or to close the bank.
The employer can also close the bank with one month's written notice; it then has 6 months to pay out the balance or let the employee take it as time off. When employment ends, or when the employee asks in writing to close the bank, the balance is paid.
Who is not covered?​
The regulation excludes several groups from the entire hours of work and overtime part of the Act (section 34 of the regulation). Those most relevant to non-profits are:
- managers, meaning people whose main duties are supervising or directing, or who are employed in an executive capacity;
- counsellors, instructors, therapists and childcare workers employed by a charity, or a society under the Societies Act, to assist in a program of therapy, treatment or rehabilitation for people with disabilities;
- residential care workers who supervise or care for residents of a group home and must live on the premises;
- live-in camp leaders at a summer or seasonal camp run by a charity.
The regulation's definitions are precise: if you are unsure about a position, check with the Employment Standards Branch.
What happens on a statutory holiday?​
An employee who works on a statutory holiday is paid 1.5 times the regular wage for up to 12 hours, double time after that, plus an average day's pay (section 46). This applies after 30 calendar days of employment, with work or wages on 15 of the 30 days before the holiday, or work under an averaging agreement during those 30 days (section 44). Our article on public holidays in Canada lists the dates.
Sources​
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 overtime with two tiers and weekly overtime, and keeps overtime banks. The guide [Configuring overtime premiums](/docs/tutorial-admin/heures-supplementaires-majorees) shows the settings.Frequently Asked Questions
When does overtime start in British Columbia?
After 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. Those hours are paid at 1.5 times the regular wage, and at double the regular wage after 12 hours in a day.
Does daily overtime also count toward the weekly 40 hours?
No. For the 40-hour threshold, only the first 8 hours of each day are counted, so the same hour is never paid overtime twice.
What is an averaging agreement?
A written agreement, signed before it starts, that spreads hours over 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks on a schedule set out day by day. Scheduled hours are not overtime as long as they average 40 hours a week or less.
Can overtime be banked?
Yes, at the employee's written request. Overtime is credited to the bank at overtime rates, and the employee can ask at any time to be paid, to take paid time off, or to close the bank.
Do non-profit support workers get overtime?
Usually, yes. The regulation does exclude some people, including managers, and counsellors, instructors, therapists and childcare workers employed by a charity or a society to assist in a therapy, treatment or rehabilitation program for people with disabilities.