Canada Vacation Pay Calculator

Vacation pay is a legal entitlement in every province, a percentage of what you earn that depends on where you work and how long you have been there. Enter your gross wages, province and completed years of service, and the calculator returns the vacation pay owed, the rate applied and your wages excluding the vacation portion. Use it to check a pay cheque, estimate what has accrued or work out a payout when you leave.

How the calculation works

Vacation pay is gross wages times the provincial rate. In most provinces that is 4%, equal to two weeks a year, rising to 6%, three weeks, after a set period with the same employer. The calculator applies the rate your service has earned and shows how many years remain before the next step.

The step to 6% comes at three years in Quebec; five years in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut; seven in Nova Scotia; eight in New Brunswick; and fifteen in Newfoundland and Labrador. Saskatchewan starts at three fifty-seconds of wages and moves to four fifty-seconds at ten years. Yukon stays at 4% however long you stay.

Worked examples

With $50,000 of gross wages in Ontario and one year of service, the rate is 4%: $2,000 of vacation pay and $48,000 of wages excluding it. With six years of service the rate is 6%: $3,000, a $1,000 difference on the same wages.

The same $50,000 in Saskatchewan at about 5.77% gives about $2,885. The donut chart shows vacation pay as a slice of your gross wages.

Why the province and service matter

Each provincial employment standards law sets its own percentage and service thresholds, so both your province and your length of service decide your entitlement. Timing also varies: some employers pay vacation pay when you take time off, some add it to each cheque, and some hold it until the end of the vacation year or until you leave. The entitlement itself is the percentage of wages.

Federally regulated employees, in banking, telecommunications, air, rail and other interprovincial sectors, are covered by the Canada Labour Code instead, which adds a further tier for long-service workers that this table does not include. Confirm their schedule with the federal Labour Program.

Common mistakes and termination pay

• Being paid 4% after earning the 6% tier. Check the rate on your pay records against your length of service.
• Disputes over the base. Vacation pay is calculated on vacationable earnings, and whether commissions or bonuses count is set by provincial rules.
• Missing the payout on leaving. Accrued but unpaid vacation pay is owed on termination, on top of any notice or severance, and should be reflected in your Record of Employment.

Keep your own record of gross earnings so you can check the payout.

Assumptions and limits

The calculator applies the statutory rate for your province and completed service to the wages you enter, assuming they are vacationable earnings. It does not model when vacation pay is paid or the tax withheld, or the federal Canada Labour Code schedule. Rates and service rules change, so confirm your rate if your service entitles you to more.

This is general information only and not financial advice.

About This Tool: Vacation Pay Calculator Canada

Vacation pay calculator Canada: use this tool to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.