Remuneration and Public Holidays: What Are the Laws and Rules in Quebec?

This guide covers everything an employer needs to know: the 2026 holiday calendar with exact dates, the indemnity calculation formula with concrete examples, the rules for part-time, commission-based, and federally regulated employees, and special situations (vacation, unionized workers, interns, unauthorized absence).

List of statutory holidays in Quebec

In Quebec, 8 statutory holidays must be observed and paid under the Act respecting labour standards (see CNESST list of statutory holidays). Other days are recognized but are not required to be paid by Quebec employers, such as Remembrance Day (November 11) and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30). However, federally regulated employees must be paid for these days.

The 8 statutory holidays in Quebec for 2026

💡 Scheduling Tip

Holidays can quickly turn into a headache when you have to adjust everyone’s schedule.

With Agendrix, you can add these dates right into your schedule, and the software will automatically account for time off and holiday pay.

Your schedules stay accurate and compliant, with no manual calculations and no missed details.

Create the perfect schedule in minutes.

Create schedules that respect your employees’ availability – and your staffing needs.

Discover Agendrix

Quebec’s national holiday (Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day): special rules

The national holiday applies to all workers, with one exception: federal employees working in Quebec may be entitled to paid time off, but this depends on their collective agreement or employment contract.

The day off must be postponed to June 25 if the 24th falls on a Sunday. However, this rule does not apply to individuals who typically work on Sundays; in such cases, the holiday remains on June 24.

Similar to other public holidays, a June 24 leave cannot be taken within 3 weeks before or after the holiday. Instead, it must be scheduled for the working day immediately before or after June 24 if it falls on a non-working day.

If June 24 is a working day, you must offer compensation.

Other holidays in Canada

Quebec employees who work for a federally regulated employer are entitled to a paid day off on the following 10 statutory holidays:

• January 1 (New Year’s Day)
• Good Friday
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day (July 1)
• Labour Day (first Monday in September)
• National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (September 30)
• Thanksgiving Day (2nd Monday in October)
• Remembrance Day (November 11)
• Christmas Day (December 25)
• Boxing Day (December 26)

Certain holidays are specific to residents of particular provinces only, including:

• Family Day (3rd Monday in February): Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
• Islander Day (3rd Monday in February): Prince Edward Island.
• Heritage Day (3rd Monday in February): Nova Scotia, Yukon.
• Louis Riel Day (3rd Monday in February): Manitoba.
• St. Patrick’s Day (March 17): Newfoundland and Labrador.
• National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21): Northwest Territories.
• Discovery Day (Monday closest to June 24): Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Nunavut Day (July 9): Nunavut.
• Civic Holiday (first Monday in August): Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick (where it’s called New Brunswick Day), Nunavut, Ontario, Saskatchewan.
• Discovery Day (3rd Monday in August): Yukon.

💡 If you manage locations in several provinces, make sure you comply with the local laws. To do this, you can create different public holidays for each of your locations in your scheduling software and assign them to those concerned.

Statutory holiday pay calculation in Quebec

In Quebec, statutory holiday pay is calculated according to a single formula set out in the Act respecting labour standards: every employee is entitled to an indemnity equal to 1/20 of the wages earned during the 4 full pay weeks preceding the holiday. The overtime premium is excluded from the calculation.

The formula

Indemnity = (Wages earned in the 4 full weeks preceding the holiday) ÷ 20

Worked example

An employee earns $4,000 over the 4 full weeks preceding Labour Day (excluding the overtime premium). On September 7, she is entitled to an indemnity of $4,000 ÷ 20 = $200, whether or not she works that day.

If she works the holiday, she receives her regular wages plus the $200 indemnity, or an equivalent compensatory day off in the 3 weeks before or after the holiday (employer’s choice).

What counts as “wages earned”

According to the CNESST, the wages to include in the calculation are:

• Regular hourly or weekly salary
• Commissions
• Tips declared on the pay statement

What is excluded from the calculation

• The overtime premium: only the 50% top-up portion. The base hours themselves still count as regular wages.
• Undeclared tips: only tips declared in accordance with the law are included in the calculation.

Special case: commission-based employees

For employees paid in whole or in part on commission, the formula changes: use 1/60 of the wages earned during the 12 weeks preceding the holiday.

This is the number-one source of confusion in Quebec payroll preparation. If an employee is paid partly on commission, this formula applies, not the 4-week one.

Federally regulated employees

Employees working for a federally regulated employer (banks, telecoms, interprovincial transport, postal services) are not covered by Quebec’s labour standards. The Canada Labour Code applies instead. The calculation formula differs, and the Code recognizes 10 statutory holidays instead of 8.

If you employ staff under both jurisdictions in the same business, you must apply the rule that matches each employee’s status, not a single framework.

💡 Payroll tip

Using a time tracking software like Agendrix automates these calculations directly in your employees’ timesheets. You avoid the manual 4-weeks-vs-12-weeks errors and keep a clear audit trail for compliance.

Payroll shouldn’t steal hours from running your business.

Agendrix connects schedules and timesheets instantly, so you close payroll in minutes, not days.

Save time on payroll

Special situations of indemnity

If the holiday falls on a day the employee doesn’t normally work

You must pay the indemnity even if the holiday falls on a day when the employee doesn’t usually work. For example, a clerk who never works on Mondays is still entitled to the indemnity for Labour Day.

If the employee is on vacation during the holiday

The same rules apply: you must pay the indemnity or grant a compensatory day off. The paid statutory holiday does not count toward the employee’s annual vacation entitlement.

If the employee is unionized or covered by a collective agreement

The rules set out in the collective agreement apply first, provided they are not less favourable than the Act respecting labour standards. A collective agreement can never provide for conditions inferior to the law.

If you have interns

The Act respecting labour standards rules on statutory holidays do not apply to interns, paid or unpaid. However, it’s a best practice to offer them the same conditions as your regular employees: it strengthens your employer brand and helps convert internships into hires.

Exception: unauthorized absence before or after the holiday

There is only one exception that allows an employer not to pay the statutory holiday indemnity: if the employee is absent without a valid reason and without authorization on the working day before or after the holiday, you are not required to pay the indemnity. This rule applies equally to full-time and part-time employees.

Examples of holiday pay calculations

Example of a full-time employee

A care assistant in a retirement home (RPA) works 40 hours a week. She also sometimes works overtime when her colleagues are sick.

In the 4 weeks prior to Christmas, she worked 39.5 hours, 40 hours, 45 hours, and 40 hours respectively. Her hourly rate is $20.21 per hour. She therefore earned $798.30, $808.40, $959.98, and $808.40 respectively. Overtime is not included in the calculation, so the salary to be considered for the 3rd week is $808.40.

The allowance is therefore calculated as follows:

(798,30 + 808,40 + 808,40 + 808,40) ÷ 20 = $161,18

The employee will therefore receive $161.18 and a day off the following Thursday in accordance with her collective agreement.

Example of a part-time employee

A part-time employee works between 12 and 16 hours a week, depending on the needs of the restaurant.

During the 4 work weeks preceding the holiday, he worked 13 hours, 15.25 hours, 16 hours, and 12 hours. Taking into account his hourly rate of $16 per hour, he earned $208, $244, $256, and $192.

The calculation of his compensation is as follows:

(208 + 244 + 256 + 192) ÷ 20 = $45

The employee will therefore receive an allowance of $45 with his next pay, but will not benefit from an additional day off in accordance with his employer’s choice and as stipulated in his employment contract.

Better manage special situations

What happens when a holiday falls on a non-business day?

In Quebec, statutory holidays cannot be moved if they fall on a non-working day. However, employers must compensate employees for statutory holidays, even if they fall on a day on which they do not normally work.

For example, Christmas falls on a Saturday. You must therefore offer your employees a day off to compensate them, or pay them an indemnity equal to 1/20 of the wages earned during the 4 full working weeks preceding the holiday.

Can a public holiday be moved to another day?

You cannot move a public holiday to another day. However, you can offer your employees a paid day off if they have to work during the holiday. This leave must be taken at least 3 weeks before the holiday, or at most 3 weeks after (except for June 24).

What are my rights in the case of termination of employment?

If you dismiss an employee, you must still provide a holiday pay for as long as they are deemed to be in your company.

For example, if you dismiss an employee and the employment contract is terminated immediately, you do not have to pay vacation pay. If you terminate your employee’s contract of employment, but the end date is after a public holiday, you will have to pay compensation.

What are the rules for extended leave?

There are three situations in which employees are not entitled to vacation pay:

• When the employee is on extended sick leave;
• When the employee is on unpaid leave; and
• When the employee is on maternity, paternity or parental leave.

Need to track employee work hours?

When your employees clock in and out, Agendrix fills out their timesheets automatically.

Discover Agendrix