Alberta’s Employment Standards Code (ESC) sets out certain rules for employers during statutory (general) holidays to ensure that employees get proper time off, correct pay, and know when they are working. As an employer, you must understand what your obligations are during general holidays.
You could incur penalties for not paying your employees the correct general holiday pay. It is important that you have a stat holiday policy to correctly manage public holiday pay.
This blog provides information on the 2023 statutory holidays in Alberta, stat holiday pay eligibility, and how to correctly calculate stat holiday pay.
What is a Statutory Holiday in Alberta?
Statutory holidays in Alberta are paid general holidays during which most employees are entitled to a day off. Alberta has nine general holidays:
- New Year’s Day: Sunday, January 1, 2023
- Alberta Family Day: Monday, February 20, 2023
- Good Friday: Friday, April 7, 2023
- Victoria Day: Monday, May 22, 2023
- Canada Day: Saturday, July 1, 2023
- Labour Day: Monday, September 4, 2023
- Thanksgiving Day: Monday, October 9, 2023
- Remembrance Day: Saturday, November 11, 2023
- Christmas Day: Monday, December 25, 2023
The following are 4 optional general holidays employers can give off to their employees, but they are not obligated to do this:
- Easter Monday: April 10, 2023
- Heritage Day: Monday, August 7, 2023
- Boxing Day: Tuesday, December 26, 2023
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Saturday, September 30, 2023
Need help calculating stat holiday pay?
Our experts can help. Call us for free advice on calculating stat holiday pay and developing a stat holiday time off policy to protect your business.Talk to an expert today at 1 (833) 247-3652.
Which employees are eligible for statutory holiday entitlements?
An employee is entitled to general holiday pay if they have worked for the same employer for at least 30 workdays in the 12 months prior to the holiday.
Most employees are entitled to general holidays and receive general holiday pay if one of the following applies to them:
- a general holiday is a regular day of work, or
- they have worked on a general holiday that is not a regular day of work
An employee is not entitled to general holiday pay when they:
- do not work on a general holiday but are required or scheduled to do so
- are absent from employment without the consent of the employer on the employee’s last regular working day preceding, or the first regular working day following the general holiday.
How is statutory holiday pay calculated in Alberta?
If employees do not work on a general holiday, they are paid their average daily wage. If the stat holiday falls on a non-regular day of work and an employee doesn’t work on that day, they are not entitled to general holiday pay. Employees who work a general holiday are entitled to either:
- pay of 1.5 times what they would normally earn for the hours worked in addition to an amount that is their average daily wage, or
- their standard wage rate for hours worked plus a day off at a future date and an amount that is their average daily wage for that day off.
Under the new changes made to Alberta’s Employment Standards Code, it is now simpler to calculate general holiday pay. Employers no longer must include vacation pay or general holiday pay in the average daily wage calculation. To calculate the average daily wage, employers can choose to divide the total wages earned by the number of days worked in either:
- the four weeks immediately preceding the general holiday, or
- the four weeks ending on the last day of the pay period that immediately preceded the general holiday
How to manage stat holiday entitlements
Employers should understand how to correctly manage statutory holiday pay to avoid being slapped with administrative penalties. A well-drafted policy on statutory holiday pay should be included in your employee handbook. This will provide clarity to your staff on their holiday pay entitlements.
Does your employee handbook include a policy for statutory holiday time off?
As a small business owner, it is important that you know how to manage stat holiday pay and entitlements correctly. If you are unsure about your responsibilities when it comes to calculating statutory holiday pay, Peninsula can help. Consult our HR experts call us today at 1(833) 247-3652 to get advice on developing a stat holiday pay and entitlement policy tailored to your business.
