In Ontario, the Employment Standards Act, 2000 requires every employer to keep time records for each employee: the dates and times worked, the total hours per day and per week, and a few other details. These records must be kept for three years, and vacation records for five.
Updated October 9, 2026, based on the Employment Standards Act, 2000 as of October 6, 2026.
What must Ontario time records include?​
For each employee, the employer records (section 15):
- their name and address;
- their date of birth, if they are a student under 18;
- the date their employment began;
- the dates and times they worked;
- the number of hours they worked in each day and each week;
- if they have two or more regular rates and go past the overtime threshold in a week, the dates and times worked past the threshold at each rate;
- the content of the written statements given to them: wage statements, the statement at the end of employment, notices of substitute public holidays and the statement of vacation pay paid on each pay.
The record therefore shows both when the employee worked and their total hours.
What about salaried employees?​
For this section, an employee is salaried if they receive a fixed amount each pay period that does not vary with their hours, unless they work more than 44 hours in a week. The employer can then skip the dates, times and daily and weekly totals on one condition: it records the hours worked beyond the employee's regular work week, and those beyond 8 hours a day, or beyond their regular work day if it is longer (section 15). The employer is also exempt if the rules on hours of work and overtime do not apply to the employee.
For each salaried employee, decide whether you keep the full record or only the hours beyond their regular week and day, and write that choice into your policy.
See it with your own rules
Feuille de temps records the hours worked each day and the total for each week, along with vacation, sick and family leave hours, on a timesheet signed by the employee and countersigned by a manager.
How long must records be kept?​
| Record | Retention period | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Name, address and start date | 3 years after the employment ends | 15 |
| Dates and times worked, hours per day and per week | 3 years after the day or week concerned | 15 |
| Content of written statements given to the employee | 3 years after they were given | 15 |
| Vacation time and vacation pay record | 5 years after it was made | 15.1 |
| Notices, certificates and letters about a leave (sick, bereavement, parental, etc.) | 3 years after the leave ended | 15 |
| Agreement to work more than 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week | 3 years after the last day of work under it | 15 |
| Overtime averaging agreement | 3 years after the last day of work under it | 15 |
The date of birth of a student under 18 is kept for three years after their 18th birthday, or three years after the employment ends if that comes first.
The employer can have a third party, such as a payroll provider, keep the records. They must remain readily available for inspection by an employment standards officer, who can ask for them (section 16).
File signed agreements with the timesheets for the same period: their retention period runs from the last day of work under the agreement.
What must be recorded for vacation?​
The vacation record is a separate record (section 15.1). For each vacation entitlement year, it shows:
- vacation earned since the start of employment and not taken before the year began;
- vacation earned during the year, and vacation taken;
- vacation earned and not taken at the end of the year;
- the vacation pay earned during the year, and how it was calculated;
- the vacation pay paid, and the wages and period it was calculated on.
The record must be made no later than seven days after the next vacation entitlement year begins, or by the first pay day of that year if later. The last item does not apply when vacation pay is paid on each pay. The vacation rules are covered in our article on sick leave and vacation pay in Ontario, and averaging agreements in our article on overtime calculation in Ontario.
Sources​
- Employment Standards Act, 2000, e-Laws
- Record keeping, 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 keeps each week's hours and the vacation, sick, family leave and overtime banks, and sends Excel reports for payroll and leave taken. The report is described in [Payroll Report](/docs/tutorial-admin/rapport-paie).Frequently Asked Questions
What hours must an employer record in Ontario?
The dates and times each employee worked, and the number of hours worked in each day and each week. The record also includes the employee's name, address, start date and the content of the written statements given to them.
How long must timesheets be kept in Ontario?
Three years after the day or week the information relates to. Name, address and start date are kept for three years after the employment ends.
Do employers have to record the hours of salaried employees in Ontario?
Not day by day, if the employer records the hours worked beyond the regular work week and beyond 8 hours a day, or if the rules on hours of work and overtime do not apply to that employee.
How long must vacation records be kept in Ontario?
Five years after they are made. For each vacation entitlement year, they show the vacation earned, taken and outstanding, and the vacation pay.
Who can ask to see time records in Ontario?
An employment standards officer. The records must be readily available for inspection, even when a third party such as a payroll provider keeps them.