Ontario Minimum Wage 2026: Current Rate, October Increase, and Special Rates

Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.60 per hour through September 30, 2026, and a confirmed $17.95 per hour takes effect October 1, 2026, with separate rates for students, homeworkers, and wilderness guides, no liquor server subminimum since 2022, and automatic yearly increases tied to Ontario's Consumer Price Index under section 23.1 of the Employment Standards Act, 2000.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers the minimum wage rules that apply to employees in Ontario under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, SO 2000, c 41, Ontario Regulation 285/01 made under that Act, and the Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022, SO 2022, c 7, Schedule 1. Employees whose jobs fall under federal jurisdiction, such as banking, telecommunications, or interprovincial trucking, follow the federal minimum wage instead; see Federally Regulated Employees in Canada. For the rates in other provinces and territories, see Minimum Wage in Canada, and for the broader employment standards framework Ontario workers fall under, see Employment Standards in Canada: An Overview.

Ontario's Minimum Wage Right Now, and What Changes October 1

Ontario's minimum wage does not sit at one number all year. The Employment Standards Act, 2000 sets rate periods that run each October 1 to the following September 30, and two of those periods matter for anyone reading this before or after the changeover.

The $17.95 figure is not a proposal. Section 23.1(7) requires the Minister to publish the coming year's rates no later than April 1, and the government's own minimum wage guide already lists $17.95 as the rate taking effect October 1, 2026, tied to the 2026 Ontario Consumer Price Index.

How the Rate Goes Up Every Year

Ontario does not set a new minimum wage by fresh legislation each year. Section 23.1(4) of the Act sets an automatic formula:

"On October 1 of each year starting in 2022, the minimum wage that applied to a class of employees immediately before October 1 shall be adjusted as follows: Previous wage x (Index A/Index B) = Adjusted wage." (Employment Standards Act, 2000, s.23.1(4))

Index A is the Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year, and Index B is the CPI for the year before that. The result is rounded to the nearest 5 cents under section 23.1(5). Section 23.1(6) builds in a one-way ratchet:

"If the adjustment otherwise required by subsection (4) would result in a decrease in the minimum wage, no adjustment shall be made." (Employment Standards Act, 2000, s.23.1(6))

In practical terms, Ontario's minimum wage can rise or stay flat from one October to the next, but it cannot fall.

Student, Homeworker, and Wilderness Guide Rates

Not every worker in Ontario is paid the general rate. The Act and its regulations set several other categories, and confusing them is a common mistake.

The student minimum wage applies to employees under 18 who work 28 hours a week or less while school is in session, or who work during a school break or the summer. It is lower than the general rate: $16.60 per hour now, rising to $16.90 on October 1, 2026.

The homeworker minimum wage applies to employees who do paid work in their own homes for an employer, and it is higher than the general rate: $19.35 now, rising to $19.70 on October 1, 2026. If a homeworker also happens to be a student, the homeworker rate wins. Section 23.1(1.1) of the Act states the rule directly:

"If an employee falls within both subparagraphs 1 i and iii of subsection (1), the employer shall pay the employee not less than the minimum wage for a homeworker." (Employment Standards Act, 2000, s.23.1(1.1))

Hunting, fishing, and wilderness guides are paid a daily rate rather than an hourly one, under Ontario Regulation 285/01, section 6. For under 5 consecutive hours of work in a day, the rate is $88.05, rising to $89.75 on October 1, 2026. For 5 or more hours, whether consecutive or not, the rate is $176.15, rising to $179.50.

Section 5 of the same regulation sets the amounts an employer may count as wages paid for room and board actually provided, and only if the employee received the meals and occupied the room: currently $31.70 a week for a private room, $15.85 a week for a non-private room (no amount deemed for domestic workers), and $2.55 per meal up to $53.55 a week. Harvest workers in fruit, vegetable, and tobacco operations have their own offset figures for serviced and unserviced housing. The government's rate table did not show an October 1, 2026 figure for these room and board and harvest offsets at the time this article was verified, so confirm the current amount on the official guide before relying on it.

No Liquor Server Minimum Wage in Ontario

Ontario used to pay liquor servers a lower minimum wage than other employees. That ended January 1, 2022. Since then, servers are paid the same general minimum wage as everyone else, with tips on top. The government's own guide prices a liquor server at the full general rate in its worked example: "if an employee who is a liquor server is paid $17.60 an hour." A lower server minimum wage figure that still circulates on some payroll and HR sites is out of date and should not be relied on.

Minimum Wage for App-Based Gig Workers

Ontario's Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022 covers workers who take on assignments, such as rides or deliveries, through a digital platform. Section 9(1) requires operators to pay at least the general minimum wage:

"An operator shall pay workers at least the minimum wage payable under section 23.1 of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 for the class of employees set out in subparagraph 1 iv of subsection 23.1 (1) of that Act." (Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022, s.9(1))

The calculation is not the same as an ordinary hourly job. Section 9(2) sets two rules: the minimum wage applies per work assignment rather than per hour logged into the app or waiting for a request, and tips are excluded from the compliance calculation:

"Minimum wage shall be paid for each work assignment performed by a worker... Tips and other gratuities paid in respect of a work assignment shall not be included in determining compliance with subsection (1)." (Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022, s.9(2))

This is an assignment level guarantee, not a promise that every minute logged into an app pays minimum wage. The regulation setting out the precise formula for calculating time on an assignment was not reviewed for this article; check the current text of Ontario Regulation 344/24 for the exact mechanics before relying on a specific dollar calculation.

Commission and Piece-Rate Workers

An employee paid partly or entirely by commission, or by piece rate, still has to come out to at least minimum wage for the hours actually worked. The government's guide states the rule plainly: "If an employee's pay is based completely or partly on commission, it must amount to at least the minimum wage for each hour the employee has worked." The same principle applies to automobile sales employees paid on commission under Ontario Regulation 285/01, section 28. If a pay period's commission or piece-rate earnings fall short once divided across hours worked, the employer owes the difference.

How to File a Wage Claim in Ontario

Employees who believe they were not paid at least minimum wage can file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development's Employment Standards Branch. An employment standards officer can issue an order requiring the employer to pay, but only for a limited period of back wages. Section 111(1) of the Act sets a 2 year recovery limit measured back from the complaint:

"If an employee files a complaint alleging a contravention of this Act or the regulations, the employment standards officer investigating the complaint may not issue an order for wages... if the wages became due more than two years before the complaint was filed." (Employment Standards Act, 2000, s.111(1))

Because that 2 year window is measured back from the date the complaint is filed, every month of delay can put older unpaid wages out of reach. Separately, section 114(1) limits how long the officer has to act: no order to pay wages can be issued more than two years after the complaint was filed. For what an employer owes on a final cheque more broadly, see Final Paycheck Deadlines in Canada, and for the separate rules on paid overtime, see Overtime and Hours of Work in Canada. Ontario employees also have statutory holiday and vacation pay entitlements separate from the minimum wage itself; see Statutory Holidays in Ontario and Vacation Pay in Ontario.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Ontario's minimum wage rules under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, SO 2000, c 41, Ontario Regulation 285/01, and the Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022, SO 2022, c 7, Schedule 1, current as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Confirm the current rate and any special rate before relying on it, and consult a lawyer licensed in Ontario or the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for advice on your specific situation.