Guides Guide

Minimum Wage in Ontario 2026: Rates, Student Pay and the Next Increase

By Alex Francisco Updated Sep 29, 2026 Figures checked Sep 29, 2026 10 min read

What is the minimum wage in Ontario in 2026?

Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, up from $17.60 an hour, the rate from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. The student rate is $16.90, homeworkers get $19.70, and hunting, fishing and wilderness guides get $89.75 or $179.50 a day. Rates change each October 1.

Ontario's general minimum wage rises from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026, and the new rate runs until September 30, 2027.
The student minimum wage is $16.90 an hour from October 1, 2026, for students under 18 who work 28 hours a week or less during the school term, or who work during school breaks.
Homeworkers, who do paid work in their own homes, get a higher minimum of $19.70 an hour, and students of any age employed as homeworkers must get that rate too.
There is no separate liquor server rate on ontario.ca: servers get the general minimum wage, and tips never count toward it.
Minimum wage is checked per pay period, so salary, commission and piece-rate pay must still work out to at least the minimum for every hour worked.
Ontario publishes each new rate on or before April 1 and it takes effect on October 1; unpaid wages can be claimed through the Ministry of Labour within two years.

— YieldMaple, figures checked against official sources on September 29, 2026. Sources

Ontario sets one general minimum wage and a few special rates under the Employment Standards Act (ESA). Every rate on this page comes from the official ESA guide on ontario.ca, published by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. This page explains the rules; it is not legal advice, and a pay stub plus the hours actually worked is the only way to check a specific paycheque.

What is the minimum wage in Ontario right now?

The general minimum wage is $17.60 an hour until September 30, 2026, and $17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. The table shows every rate Ontario publishes, side by side, so the change on October 1 is easy to see.

Ontario minimum wage rates, before and after October 1, 2026

How to read this table: the 'From Oct 1, 2026' column is the rate in force from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. Guide rates are paid per day for a block of time, not per hour.

Rate	Until Sep 30, 2026	From Oct 1, 2026	Who it applies to
General minimum wage	$17.60 per hour	$17.95 per hour	Most employees, whether full-time, part-time or casual, and whether paid hourly, by salary, commission, piece rate or flat rate
Student minimum wage	$16.60 per hour	$16.90 per hour	Students under 18 who work 28 hours a week or less while school is in session, or who work during a school break or summer holidays
Homeworkers minimum wage	$19.35 per hour	$19.70 per hour	Employees who do paid work in their own homes (students of any age included)
Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides, less than five consecutive hours in a day	$88.05 per day	$89.75 per day	Hunting and fishing guides and wilderness guides (paid by blocks of time, not by the hour)
Hunting, fishing and wilderness guides, five or more hours in a day (consecutive or not)	$176.15 per day	$179.50 per day	Hunting and fishing guides and wilderness guides (paid by blocks of time, not by the hour)

The general rate is the one that applies to almost everyone: full-time, part-time and casual employees, whether paid by the hour, by salary, on commission, by piece rate or at a flat rate. The other rates are narrow exceptions with strict conditions, covered below.

What changes on October 1, 2026?

On October 1, 2026, every Ontario minimum wage rate goes up. The general rate rises by $0.35 an hour, an increase of about 1.99%. The student rate rises by $0.30 an hour, the homeworker rate by $0.35, and the short-day guide rate by $1.70.

For someone working 40 hours a week, the general increase is worth $14.00 a week, or $728 over a full year of 52 weeks, before deductions.

The new rate applies to hours worked on or after October 1, not to the pay date. Ontario’s rule is that when a new rate takes effect partway through a pay period, “the pay period will be treated as if it were two separate pay periods”, with at least the right minimum for each part.

A worked example with a hypothetical schedule: a weekly pay period runs from Monday, September 28 to Sunday, October 4, 2026. An employee works 24 hours on September 28 to 30 and 16 hours on October 1 and 2. The first part must pay at least $422.40 and the second at least $287.20, for a minimum of $709.60 for the week before deductions. Paying all 40 hours at the old rate would come to $704.00, which is $5.60 short.

How much is minimum wage per year in Ontario?

At the general rate from October 1, 2026, a 40-hour week pays $718.00 before deductions, which adds up to $37,336 a year or about $3,111 a month. The table covers common schedules. These are gross amounts: income tax, CPP contributions and EI premiums come off every paycheque.

Hours a week	Weekly at $17.60 (until Sep 30, 2026)	Weekly at $17.95 (from Oct 1, 2026)	Monthly at $17.95	Yearly at $17.95 (52 weeks)
20	$352.00	$359.00	$1,555.67	$18,668
25	$440.00	$448.75	$1,944.58	$23,335
30	$528.00	$538.50	$2,333.50	$28,002
37.5	$660.00	$673.13	$2,916.88	$35,002.50
40	$704.00	$718.00	$3,111.33	$37,336
44	$774.40	$789.80	$3,422.47	$41,069.60

The yearly figures assume 52 paid weeks at the same hours, with no overtime. Forty-four hours is the last row because overtime starts after 44 hours in a week. Employers withhold income tax, CPP and EI from each paycheque, and the annual return settles the difference; the guide to filing a first Canadian tax return explains how new earners get refunds and credits back.

Low full-time earnings can also qualify for federal and provincial credits paid on top of wages. The Canada Workers Benefit is a refundable tax credit for people with low employment income, and the Ontario Trillium Benefit is a provincial credit for lower-income Ontario residents, based on the tax return they file.

Who gets the student minimum wage?

The student rate applies only to students under 18 who either work 28 hours a week or less while school is in session, or work during a school break or summer holidays (Christmas break and March break count). From October 1, 2026 it is $16.90 an hour, compared with $16.60 until September 30, 2026.

The conditions are checked week by week. A 16-year-old who works 30 hours in a school week is above the 28-hour limit, so the general rate applies to that week. Once a student turns 18, the general rate applies regardless of hours. A student employed to do paid work in their own home, such as answering calls for a call centre, is a homeworker, and Ontario says students of any age in that job must get the higher homeworker rate.

For a hypothetical student working 28 hours in a school week from October 1, 2026, the minimum for that week is $473.20 before deductions.

Is there still a liquor server minimum wage in Ontario?

No separate liquor server rate appears in Ontario’s official chart; the chart lists only the general, student, homeworker and guide rates. The ontario.ca guide’s own example describes “an employee who is a liquor server” being paid “$17.60, the general minimum wage”. From October 1, 2026, a liquor server’s minimum is therefore the general $17.95 an hour.

Tips sit on top of that. Ontario is explicit that tips or other gratuities “are not considered wages” under the ESA and are not included when calculating minimum wage. An employer cannot count tips toward the hourly minimum, and a server cannot agree to waive the minimum wage in exchange for keeping more tips.

How do the homeworker and guide rates work?

Homeworkers are employees who do paid work in their own homes, such as sewing for a clothing manufacturer, answering calls for a call centre or writing software. Their minimum is higher than the general rate: $19.70 an hour from October 1, 2026, up from $19.35. A full 40-hour week at that rate is $788.00 before deductions. Employees who work from home for an Ontario employer at or near minimum wage can compare their job with Ontario’s homeworker description, or ask the Employment Standards Information Centre.

Hunting and fishing guides and wilderness guides are paid by blocks of time instead of by the hour. From October 1, 2026 the minimum is $89.75 for working less than five consecutive hours in a day, and $179.50 for working five or more hours in a day, whether or not the hours are consecutive. Wilderness guides include people who guide, teach or assist others canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, dogsledding, back-country skiing and similar activities.

Who is not covered by Ontario’s minimum wage?

Most employees in Ontario are covered, but some jobs are exempt or have special rules under the ESA. The main groups:

Some students. Ontario lists students training for professions such as architecture, law, professional engineering, medicine and optometry; high school students in a work experience program authorized by their school board; college and university students in approved co-op or work experience programs; students in approved career college programs; and students instructing or supervising children or working at a children’s camp, unless they work as wilderness guides.
Federally regulated workplaces. Banks, telecommunications companies and trucking or bus services that cross provincial or international borders are federally regulated. Their employees fall under federal labour standards (Part III of the Canada Labour Code), and Ontario’s ESA claim form is not for them.
Other industries with special rules. Ontario keeps a separate list of industries and jobs with ESA exemptions or special rules. Checking that list, or asking the Employment Standards Information Centre, is the reliable way to confirm a specific job.

How is minimum wage checked on each paycheque?

Minimum wage is checked for each pay period, not each hour. Total wages for the pay period, divided by the hours worked in it, must reach the minimum. Eating periods are not counted as hours worked.

This matters most for pay that is not strictly hourly. A hypothetical commission employee works 30 hours in a weekly pay period and earns $400 in commission. At the October 2026 general rate, the minimum for that week is $538.50, so the employer owes a top-up of $138.50 for that week, before deductions. Salaried employees are checked the same way: a salary that looks fine can fall below the minimum in a week with very long hours.

Employers can count room and board toward minimum wage only if the employee actually received the meals and occupied the room, and only up to the amounts Ontario sets. The chart below lists those amounts as shown on ontario.ca. The ontario.ca guide does not say which rate period they belong to, so check the current guide if a payroll depends on them.

Room and board amounts that can count as wages in Ontario

How to read this table: these are the maximum amounts an employer may treat as paid wages for room, meals or both, and only when the employee received them.

Room or board	Amount counted as wages
Room, private (weekly)	$31.70
Room, non-private (weekly)	$15.85
Room, non-private, domestic workers only (weekly)	$0.00
Meals, each meal	$2.55
Meals, weekly maximum	$53.55
Room and meals, private room (weekly)	$85.25
Room and meals, non-private room (weekly)	$69.40
Room and meals, non-private, domestic workers only (weekly)	$53.55
Harvest workers only, serviced housing (weekly)	$99.35
Harvest workers only, unserviced housing (weekly)	$73.30

Uniforms and other items are different. An employer can deduct their cost from wages only with the employee’s written agreement, and never for cash shortages when more than one person has access to the register.

What other pay rules sit on top of minimum wage?

Minimum wage is the floor for regular hours. Several other ESA rules add to it:

Overtime. Hours beyond 44 in a week are paid at least one and a half times the regular rate. At $17.95, that is about $26.93 an hour. A hypothetical 48-hour week at minimum wage pays at least $897.50 before deductions.
The three-hour rule. An employee who regularly works more than three hours a day, reports to work and works less than three hours must be paid for at least three hours. It does not apply to employees whose regular shift is three hours or less, and there are exceptions when the cause is beyond the employer’s control. For an employee on the general minimum from October 1, 2026, a two-hour shift cut short still pays at least $53.85.
Vacation pay. At least 4% of total wages for employees with under five years at an employer, and 6% after five years. On a full-time year at $17.95, 4% is $1,493.44. The Ontario vacation pay calculator works out the amount from wages and years with the employer.
Public holidays. Ontario has nine paid public holidays, with premium pay for hours worked on them. The Ontario statutory holidays guide lists the dates and the public holiday pay formula.
Eating periods. No more than five hours in a row without a 30-minute eating period, which is usually unpaid.

What can you do if you are paid less than minimum wage?

The official route is an employment standards claim with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Step by step:

Check the numbers. Add up the hours worked in the pay period and compare them with the gross pay on the wage statement. Split any pay period that crosses October 1, 2026.
Raise it with the employer. Show the hours and the shortfall and ask for a correction. An employer cannot penalize an employee for asking the employer to follow the ESA or asking questions about ESA rights.
Call the Employment Standards Information Centre for help identifying the issue: 416-326-7160, toll-free in Ontario 1-800-531-5551, TTY 1-866-567-8893.
File a claim online through the ontario.ca claimant portal, or with the PDF claim form by fax (1-888-252-4684) or mail to the Provincial Claims Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
Watch the deadline. A claim generally has to be filed within two years of the violation, and only wages owed in the two years before the claim can be recovered under the ESA.

Ontario says investigations “can take several months”. Unionized employees covered by a collective agreement go through their union instead, and federally regulated workers use the federal process.

When will Ontario’s minimum wage go up again?

Ontario indexes minimum wage to inflation every year. Under the ESA rule, a new rate is published on or before April 1 and takes effect on October 1. The rate for October 1, 2027 should therefore be published by April 1, 2027; until then, $17.95 an hour is the general rate through September 30, 2027. This page will add the 2027 rates when ontario.ca publishes them.

How has Ontario’s minimum wage changed since 2023?

Ontario’s official chart lists four rate periods. Between the October 2023 rate and the October 2026 rate, the general minimum wage rose by $1.40 an hour, about 8.46%.

Ontario minimum wage history, 2023 to 2027

How to read this table: each row is one October-to-September period from the official ontario.ca chart. The top row starts on October 1, 2026.

Period	General (per hour)	Student (per hour)	Homeworker (per hour)	Guides, under 5 hours (per day)	Guides, 5+ hours (per day)
October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027	$17.95	$16.90	$19.70	$89.75	$179.50
October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026	$17.60	$16.60	$19.35	$88.05	$176.15
October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025	$17.20	$16.20	$18.90	$86.00	$172.05
October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024	$16.55	$15.60	$18.20	$82.85	$165.75

What are the common mistakes with Ontario minimum wage?

Using the pay date instead of the work date. Hours worked from October 1, 2026 need the new rate even if the cheque was calculated earlier.
Counting tips toward the minimum. Tips are not wages under the ESA; servers get the general rate plus their tips.
Assuming every student gets the student rate. It is only for students under 18 working 28 hours a week or less in the school term, or working during school breaks.
Overlooking the homeworker rate. Employees who do paid work in their own homes have their own, higher minimum.
Ignoring salary and commission. Pay per pay period divided by hours worked must still reach the minimum.
Waiting too long to claim. The ESA claim window is generally two years.

What tools help plan a minimum wage budget?

A single full-time minimum wage income leaves little room for surprises, so the gap between gross and take-home pay is worth knowing before signing a lease. The newcomer budget calculator builds a monthly budget around a net paycheque, the emergency fund calculator sets a savings target for the months when hours get cut, and the Ontario money guide covers provincial benefits, costs and credits in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Ontario right now?

Until September 30, 2026, the general minimum wage in Ontario is $17.60 an hour. From October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 it is $17.95 an hour. The general rate covers most employees, whether full-time, part-time or casual. Students under 18, homeworkers and hunting, fishing and wilderness guides have their own rates, listed in the table on this page.

When does Ontario's minimum wage go up in 2026?

The increase takes effect on October 1, 2026. On that date the general rate moves from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour, the student rate from $16.60 to $16.90, and the homeworker rate from $19.35 to $19.70. If October 1 falls partway through a pay period, the period is split in two and the new rate applies to hours worked from October 1 on.

What is the student minimum wage in Ontario?

The student minimum wage is $16.90 an hour from October 1, 2026 (it was $16.60 before that). It applies to students under 18 who work 28 hours a week or less while school is in session, or who work during a school break or summer holidays. A student under 18 working more than 28 hours in a school week gets the general rate for that week.

Is there still a liquor server minimum wage in Ontario?

No separate liquor server rate appears in Ontario's official minimum wage chart. The ontario.ca guide uses a liquor server in one of its examples and pays that server the general minimum wage, so from October 1, 2026 a liquor server must earn at least $17.95 an hour. Tips are extra: they are not wages under the Employment Standards Act and cannot be used to reach the minimum.

How much does a full-time minimum wage job pay per year in Ontario?

A 40-hour week for 52 weeks is 2,080 paid hours. Multiply 2,080 by $17.95 for the yearly amount before deductions from October 1, 2026, or by $17.60 for the rate before that. The table on this page does the maths for 20 to 44 hours a week. Income tax, CPP contributions and EI premiums come off that gross figure, so take-home pay is lower.

Do tips count toward minimum wage in Ontario?

No. Ontario's Employment Standards Act says tips or other gratuities are not wages and are not included when calculating minimum wage, vacation pay or public holiday pay. An employer must pay at least the minimum wage on top of any tips, and an employee cannot agree to give up the minimum wage in exchange for keeping more of the tips.

Does minimum wage apply to salaried and commission workers in Ontario?

Yes. Most employees are eligible for minimum wage whether they are paid hourly, by salary, commission, piece rate or a flat rate. Compliance is checked for each pay period: total pay divided by hours worked must reach the minimum. If commission falls short, the employer owes the difference for that pay period, before deductions.

What is the homeworker minimum wage in Ontario?

Homeworkers, meaning employees who do paid work in their own homes, have a minimum wage of $19.70 an hour from October 1, 2026 (it was $19.35 before that). Ontario's examples include sewing clothes for a manufacturer, answering calls for a call centre and writing software. Students of any age, including those under 18, who are employed as homeworkers must be paid the homeworker rate.

Who is not entitled to minimum wage in Ontario?

Some jobs are exempt or have special rules under the Employment Standards Act. Students not entitled to minimum wage include those training for professions such as law, medicine or engineering, high school students in school-approved work experience, college or university co-op students, and students supervising children or working at a children's camp (unless they are wilderness guides). Federally regulated jobs, such as banks, telecommunications or trucking across provincial borders, follow federal labour standards instead.

What can a worker do if they are paid less than minimum wage in Ontario?

Start by comparing the pay stub with the hours worked for that pay period. If the employer does not fix it, file an employment standards claim with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development online, or send the PDF claim form by fax or mail. Claims generally must be filed within two years. The Employment Standards Information Centre (1-800-531-5551) helps identify the issue first.

When will the 2027 minimum wage in Ontario be announced?

Ontario indexes minimum wage to inflation each year. The new rate is published on or before April 1 and takes effect on October 1, so the rate for October 1, 2027 should be published by April 1, 2027. Until then, $17.95 an hour is the general rate from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027.

What was the minimum wage in Ontario in 2024?

From October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024, Ontario's general minimum wage was $16.55 an hour. It rose to $17.20 on October 1, 2024, then to $17.60 on October 1, 2025, and it reaches $17.95 on October 1, 2026. The history table on this page lists the student, homeworker and guide rates for each of those periods.

Rules, rates and sources

Last verified: September 29, 2026
Next scheduled check: September 29, 2027

Rule or table	In effect from	Verified
Ontario minimum wage rates (general, student, homeworker, hunting/fishing/wilderness guide) and related ESA pay rules	October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027	September 29, 2026

Official sources

Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Minimum wage — ontario.ca (rate periods) — Government of Ontario (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Filing a claim — ontario.ca (two-year time limit) — Government of Ontario (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Young workers' rights — ontario.ca (students not entitled to minimum wage) — Government of Ontario (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Tips or other gratuities — ontario.ca (tips are not wages) — Government of Ontario (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)
Federal labour standards — canada.ca (Part III of the Canada Labour Code covers federally regulated businesses) — Government of Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, Labour Program)
List of federally regulated industries and workplaces — canada.ca (banks) — Government of Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada)

How we check figures: our methodology and editorial policy.

General information for education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules change — confirm anything you act on with the official source or a licensed professional (for immigration, a lawyer or a licensed consultant registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants).