Ontario’s stat holidays (the Employment Standards Act calls them public holidays) are the nine days when most workers in the province are entitled to a day off with public holiday pay. The dates below come from official government sources: the Ontario Employment Standards Act guide for which days count, and the Canada Revenue Agency and Ontario Ministry of Education calendars for the exact dates. This page explains the rules; it is not legal advice, and a contract or collective agreement can give more than the minimum.
What are the Ontario public holidays in 2026?
Ontario has nine public holidays in 2026. Four fall on a Monday (Family Day, Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving), and Boxing Day falls on a Saturday this year.
How to read this table: these are the nine public holidays in Ontario's Employment Standards Act. Family Day is the third Monday in February, the rule listed on ontario.ca; the other dates match the Canada Revenue Agency's 2026 list.
| Public holiday | Date in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday, January 1, 2026 |
| Family Day | Monday, February 16, 2026 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 3, 2026 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 18, 2026 |
| Canada Day | Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 7, 2026 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Monday, October 12, 2026 |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25, 2026 |
| Boxing Day | Saturday, December 26, 2026 |
Source: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (the nine public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (public holiday pay formula); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (what regular wages exclude); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (vacation pay with every cheque); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (days that are not public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (working on the holiday); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium pay); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (last and first rule); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (who qualifies); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (holiday on a non-working day); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (substitute holiday deadline); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (industries that can require work); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium hours and overtime); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (if employment ends); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Retail workers — ontario.ca (right to refuse); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, dates for 2026); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, due dates on holidays); Ontario's celebrations and commemorations — ontario.ca (Family Day rule); School year calendars — ontario.ca (holiday dates for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years); School year calendars — ontario.ca (2026-27 template, Canada Day and Civic Holiday); School year calendars — ontario.ca (Civic Holiday dates); Annual vacations and general holidays for federally regulated employers — Canada.ca (the 10 federal general holidays). In effect from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027; checked September 29, 2026.
The list is the same every year. Only the dates of the moving holidays change: Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving. New Year’s Day, Canada Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are fixed dates, so the day of the week shifts from one year to the next.
Which stat holidays are left in 2026?
After Labour Day, three Ontario stat holidays remain in 2026:
- Thanksgiving Day, Monday, October 12, 2026. A standard long weekend.
- Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2026. A three-day weekend for anyone who normally works Monday to Friday.
- Boxing Day, Saturday, December 26, 2026. For a Monday-to-Friday worker this is a non-working day, which triggers the substitute holiday rule explained below.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) is not one of Ontario’s nine, so provincially regulated workplaces are open unless the employer chooses otherwise.
What are the Ontario public holidays in 2027?
The 2027 dates already appear in the Ontario Ministry of Education’s school year calendars, which list each holiday by date for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. Christmas Day and Boxing Day both land on a weekend in 2027.
How to read this table: New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are fixed dates. The moving holidays come from the Ontario Ministry of Education school year calendars. The dates will be checked again against the CRA 2027 list once it is published.
| Public holiday | Date in 2027 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Friday, January 1, 2027 |
| Family Day | Monday, February 15, 2027 |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 24, 2027 |
| Canada Day | Thursday, July 1, 2027 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 6, 2027 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Monday, October 11, 2027 |
| Christmas Day | Saturday, December 25, 2027 |
| Boxing Day | Sunday, December 26, 2027 |
Source: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (the nine public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (public holiday pay formula); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (what regular wages exclude); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (vacation pay with every cheque); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (days that are not public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (working on the holiday); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium pay); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (last and first rule); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (who qualifies); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (holiday on a non-working day); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (substitute holiday deadline); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (industries that can require work); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium hours and overtime); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (if employment ends); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Retail workers — ontario.ca (right to refuse); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, dates for 2026); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, due dates on holidays); Ontario's celebrations and commemorations — ontario.ca (Family Day rule); School year calendars — ontario.ca (holiday dates for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years); School year calendars — ontario.ca (2026-27 template, Canada Day and Civic Holiday); School year calendars — ontario.ca (Civic Holiday dates); Annual vacations and general holidays for federally regulated employers — Canada.ca (the 10 federal general holidays). In effect from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027; checked September 29, 2026.
Easter comes early in 2027, so Good Friday moves to Friday, March 26, 2027, more than a week earlier than in 2026.
Which days are not stat holidays in Ontario?
Several days that many people get off are not public holidays under Ontario law. Ontario’s ESA guide names four of them directly: “some employers give their employees a holiday on Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, the first Monday in August, or Remembrance Day,” but the employer is not required to. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not on Ontario’s list either.
How to read this table: a day in this table is a paid holiday only if a contract, collective agreement or workplace policy says so, or if the employer is federally regulated (Remembrance Day and September 30).
| Day | 2026 | 2027 | Status in Ontario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easter Monday | Monday, April 6, 2026 | Monday, March 29, 2027 | Not an Ontario public holiday; some employers give it anyway. On the CRA public holiday list for tax due dates. |
| Civic Holiday (first Monday in August) | Monday, August 3, 2026 | Monday, August 2, 2027 | Not an Ontario public holiday; some employers give it anyway. On the CRA public holiday list for tax due dates (outside Quebec). |
| National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | Thursday, September 30, 2027 | Not on Ontario's list of nine; a paid general holiday for federally regulated workplaces. |
| Remembrance Day | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | Thursday, November 11, 2027 | Not an Ontario public holiday; a general holiday for federally regulated workplaces. |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, April 5, 2026 | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | Not an Ontario public holiday; some employers give it anyway. |
Source: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (the nine public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (public holiday pay formula); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (what regular wages exclude); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (vacation pay with every cheque); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (days that are not public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (working on the holiday); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium pay); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (last and first rule); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (who qualifies); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (holiday on a non-working day); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (substitute holiday deadline); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (industries that can require work); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium hours and overtime); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (if employment ends); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Retail workers — ontario.ca (right to refuse); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, dates for 2026); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, due dates on holidays); Ontario's celebrations and commemorations — ontario.ca (Family Day rule); School year calendars — ontario.ca (holiday dates for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years); School year calendars — ontario.ca (2026-27 template, Canada Day and Civic Holiday); School year calendars — ontario.ca (Civic Holiday dates); Annual vacations and general holidays for federally regulated employers — Canada.ca (the 10 federal general holidays). In effect from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027; checked September 29, 2026.
The Civic Holiday is the one that surprises people most. Some employers close on the first Monday in August, but under the ESA it is an ordinary working day. Whether it is paid depends entirely on the job.
Federally regulated workplaces are the big exception. Employees of federally regulated employers follow the Canada Labour Code, which gives 10 paid general holidays. That list includes Remembrance Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation but not Family Day. Details are on the federal general holidays page on Canada.ca.
Who gets public holiday pay in Ontario?
Most employees covered by the ESA qualify, whether full time, part time, permanent or on a term contract. There is no waiting period: Ontario says it doesn’t matter how recently the employee was hired or how many days they worked before the holiday.
Two things can remove the entitlement:
- The last and first rule. An employee who, without reasonable cause, fails to work all of the last regularly scheduled shift before the holiday or all of the first regularly scheduled shift after it does not qualify. The shifts don’t have to be the days right before and after the holiday; they are the employee’s own last and first scheduled days.
- Skipping a holiday shift. An employee who agreed to work the holiday, or was required to, and doesn’t work the whole shift without reasonable cause loses public holiday pay and any substitute day; only hours actually worked are paid, at premium pay.
“Reasonable cause” means something beyond the employee’s control, such as illness, and the employee has to be able to show it. Most employees who don’t qualify still get premium pay for any hours they actually work on the holiday. Some jobs are exempt from the public holiday rules altogether; Ontario’s guide to special rules and exemptions lists them.
How is stat holiday pay calculated in Ontario?
Ontario uses one formula for everyone covered by the ESA: add the regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the work week with the holiday, add the vacation pay payable for those four weeks, and divide by 20.
“Regular wages” leaves out overtime pay, vacation pay, public holiday pay, premium pay, domestic or sexual violence leave pay, termination pay, severance pay and termination of assignment pay. Vacation pay only counts if it was payable in that four-week window. For employees who receive vacation pay on every paycheque, the amount counted is at least 4% of the wages earned in the four weeks (more if the employee earns a higher vacation rate).
A worked example with hypothetical numbers: an employee earns $22 an hour, works 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and gets vacation pay on every cheque. Regular wages for the four work weeks are $3,520. Vacation pay payable is $140.80. Public holiday pay is $183.04 for the day, a little more than a regular day’s wages because vacation pay is included.
For someone with variable hours, the same formula smooths out the schedule. An employee who earned $1,800 in regular wages across the four weeks, plus 4% vacation pay on each cheque, would get $93.60 of holiday pay, whatever shift they would have worked on the day. The hourly rates here are hypothetical; the Ontario minimum wage guide lists the current legal minimum rates.
The four work weeks follow the employer’s work week, not the calendar week. If the employer’s week runs Thursday to Wednesday, count back four Thursday-to-Wednesday weeks from the week that contains the holiday. Leaves and layoffs matter too: EI benefits are not wages, so an employee on a long leave may be entitled to holiday pay that works out to zero.
What do you get if you work on a stat holiday?
The ESA lays out the options by situation. An employee who works a holiday never gets “double” automatically; the combination depends on what was agreed electronically or in writing and the type of workplace.
How to read this table: minimum standards under Ontario's Employment Standards Act. A contract or collective agreement can give more.
| Situation | What the ESA requires |
|---|---|
| Holiday falls on a regular working day, employee takes it off | The day off with public holiday pay |
| Holiday falls on a day off or during vacation | A substitute holiday with public holiday pay, or public holiday pay for the day if the employee agrees electronically or in writing |
| Employee agrees electronically or in writing to work the holiday | Regular wages for hours worked plus a substitute holiday with public holiday pay, or (if agreed electronically or in writing) public holiday pay plus premium pay for every hour worked |
| Hotel, motel, tourist resort, restaurant, tavern, hospital, nursing home or continuous operation requires work on the employee's normal working day | The employer chooses: regular wages plus a substitute holiday with public holiday pay, or public holiday pay plus premium pay for each hour worked |
| Employee misses the last or first scheduled shift without reasonable cause | No public holiday pay; premium pay still applies to hours actually worked on the holiday for most employees |
Source: Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (the nine public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (public holiday pay formula); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (what regular wages exclude); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (vacation pay with every cheque); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (days that are not public holidays); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (working on the holiday); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium pay); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (last and first rule); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (who qualifies); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (holiday on a non-working day); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (substitute holiday deadline); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (industries that can require work); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (premium hours and overtime); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Public holidays — ontario.ca (if employment ends); Your guide to the Employment Standards Act, Retail workers — ontario.ca (right to refuse); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, dates for 2026); Public holidays — Canada.ca (Canada Revenue Agency, due dates on holidays); Ontario's celebrations and commemorations — ontario.ca (Family Day rule); School year calendars — ontario.ca (holiday dates for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years); School year calendars — ontario.ca (2026-27 template, Canada Day and Civic Holiday); School year calendars — ontario.ca (Civic Holiday dates); Annual vacations and general holidays for federally regulated employers — Canada.ca (the 10 federal general holidays). In effect from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027; checked September 29, 2026.
Premium pay is 1½ times the regular rate for every hour worked on the holiday. Continuing the example, the employee earning $22 an hour who works an 8-hour shift on Thanksgiving and chooses holiday pay plus premium pay gets $447.04 for the day, with no substitute day off. Under the other option, the same shift pays $176 in regular wages, and the employee later takes a substitute day off paid at $183.04.
Hours paid at premium pay on a holiday are not counted toward overtime. A substitute holiday has to be scheduled within three months of the holiday, or within 12 months if the employee agrees in writing, and the employer has to give a written statement of the substitute date before the holiday.
Retail employees have one more protection. Ontario’s ESA guide says most employees of a retail business can refuse to work a public holiday, even if they don’t qualify for the holiday.
What happens when a stat holiday falls on a weekend or day off?
The ESA does not automatically move a holiday to the next weekday. Instead, when a holiday falls on a day the employee doesn’t normally work, or during vacation, the employee gets either a substitute holiday with public holiday pay, or, if the employee agrees electronically or in writing, public holiday pay for the holiday with no extra day off.
That rule matters for Boxing Day on Saturday, December 26, 2026, and in 2027 for both Christmas Day (Saturday) and Boxing Day (Sunday). The employer can name a substitute day such as the following Monday, as long as it falls within three months of the holiday (or 12 months with the employee’s written agreement).
How do holidays affect paydays, benefit deposits and CRA deadlines?
A stat holiday doesn’t change what an employer owes, but it can shift when money moves. The Canada Revenue Agency says that when a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or CRA-recognized public holiday, a payment is on time if the CRA receives it by the next business day. The CRA’s list includes Easter Monday and the Civic Holiday, which are not Ontario public holidays, so a CRA deadline can move on a day when most Ontario businesses are open.
Several government deposits come earlier in December than in other months. Here are the December 2026 dates from the official schedules:
| Payment (December 2026) | Date issued | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario Trillium Benefit | December 10, 2026 | Canada Revenue Agency |
| Canada child benefit | December 11, 2026 | Canada Revenue Agency |
| CPP and OAS | December 22, 2026 | Service Canada |
The full calendars are on the CPP and OAS payment dates page, the Canada child benefit payment dates page and the CRA payment dates guide. Anyone on provincial support can check the ODSP and Ontario Works payment dates, where Ontario says December payments may come earlier in the month.
For paycheques, public holiday pay and premium pay are part of employment income. The federal and provincial tax brackets guide shows the rates that apply to that income.
What should you do if holiday pay is missing or wrong?
- Check the pay statement for the pay period that contains the holiday, looking for public holiday pay and any premium pay.
- Recalculate with the official formula. Use the four work weeks before the holiday’s work week, add vacation pay payable, and divide by 20.
- Ask the employer in writing. Mistakes often come from counting the wrong four weeks or leaving out vacation pay paid on each cheque.
- Use Ontario’s Employment Standards Self-Service Tool, linked from the public holidays chapter of Ontario’s ESA guide, to check the entitlement.
- File an employment standards claim with Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development if the employer doesn’t fix it. The ESA guide’s “Filing a claim” chapter explains the process.
If a job ends before a substitute holiday is taken, the employer has to pay the public holiday pay with the final wages, whatever the reason the job ended.
What are the common mistakes with Ontario stat holidays?
- Assuming the Civic Holiday is a stat. It isn’t under the ESA; it is paid only if the job says so.
- Treating Easter Monday and Remembrance Day as provincial holidays. They appear on federal or CRA holiday lists, not on Ontario’s list of public holidays.
- Expecting double pay plus a day off. The ESA gives either a substitute day or premium pay on top of holiday pay, not both.
- Using the calendar week instead of the employer’s work week when counting the four weeks for the formula.
- Forgetting vacation pay. For employees paid vacation pay on every cheque, at least 4% of the four weeks’ wages goes into the calculation.
- Missing the shift before or after. An unexcused absence on the last or first scheduled day can cost the whole holiday’s pay.
How can you plan money around the holidays?
December is the month where holidays, early benefit deposits and gift spending all collide. With CPP, OAS and the Canada child benefit arriving earlier than usual, the stretch until the next deposits in January can feel longer than usual. The emergency fund calculator shows how much of a buffer would cover that gap, and the Ontario Trillium Benefit guide explains the monthly provincial credit many households receive. For everything else provincial, the Ontario money guide brings the benefits and costs together in one place.