Quebec Minimum Wage: General and Tipped-Worker Rates, Explained

Quebec's general minimum wage is $16.60 an hour as of May 1, 2026, but employees who receive tips are covered by a separate, lower statutory rate of $13.30 an hour, a two-tier system that Ontario and British Columbia have both eliminated.

Information last verified on 2026-10-26. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers the general and special minimum wage rates that apply to employees in Quebec under the Regulation respecting labour standards, CQLR c N-1.1, r 3, made under the Act respecting labour standards. It does not cover the minimum wage rules of any other Canadian province or the federal minimum wage for federally regulated employees; for a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction comparison, see Minimum Wage in Canada. It also does not cover overtime pay, hours of work, or statutory holiday pay; see Overtime and Hours of Work in Canada, Statutory Holidays in Quebec, and Employment Standards Overview for those topics.

The General Minimum Wage in Quebec

Under the Act respecting labour standards, "The minimum wage payable to an employee shall be determined by regulation of the Government" (s.40). The Act sets no automatic indexation formula: each increase is made by a government Order in Council amending the regulation, usually taking effect on May 1 rather than on the October 1 date several other provinces use.

"Subject to section 4 and except to the extent provided for in section 4.1, the minimum wage payable to an employee is $16.60 per hour." (Regulation respecting labour standards, CQLR c N-1.1, r 3, s.3)

That $16.60 rate took effect May 1, 2026. The 2026 increase was made by Order in Council 576-2026, which amended sections 3, 4 and 4.1 of the regulation. The amendment history of section 3 shows an order of this kind nearly every year since 1986.

Quebec does not have an October 1 adjustment date. Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island all had rate changes on October 1, 2026, but Quebec's cycle had already renewed on May 1, 2026. Quebec usually adjusts its minimum wage on May 1. No 2027 increase had been published in the Gazette officielle du Québec as of this article's verification date.

Tipped Workers Get a Separate, Lower Rate

Quebec is the only large province covered in this series that still keeps a genuinely lower statutory minimum wage for tipped employees. British Columbia eliminated its liquor-server rate on June 1, 2021, and Ontario has also eliminated its liquor-server rate; both now pay servers the general minimum wage. Quebec has not made that change.

"The minimum wage payable to an employee who receives gratuities or tips is $13.30 per hour." (Regulation respecting labour standards, CQLR c N-1.1, r 3, s.4)

That $13.30 rate also took effect May 1, 2026. Under the regulation's definitions, a tipped worker is someone who ordinarily receives tips and works in a restaurant that is not a fast-food or counter-order-and-pay-before-eating establishment, a business that sells or delivers off-premises meals, an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, or a tourist-accommodation establishment, including a campground.

Tips are paid on top of the $13.30 rate, not credited against it. Section 50 of the Act respecting labour standards provides that a tip "belongs to the employee of right" and that the employer must pay at least the prescribed minimum wage "without taking into account any gratuities or tips the employee receives." An employer therefore cannot count an employee's tips toward reaching the $13.30 figure, and it cannot count them toward the $16.60 general rate that applies to non-tipped employees.

The same section governs how tips are handled:

• An employer that collects tips must remit them in full to the employee who rendered the service.
• Service charges added to the customer's bill count as tips; administrative costs added to the bill do not.
• The employer may not impose a tip-sharing arrangement or intervene in setting one up; any such arrangement must result solely from the free and voluntary consent of the employees entitled to the tips.

An employer also may not require an employee to pay credit card costs (s.50.1).

Readers who want to see what either the general rate or the tipped rate comes to for their own hours can run those figures through the Canada minimum wage calculator.

Piece-Rate, Commission, and Farm Workers

Employees paid by commission or by the piece are still entitled to the minimum wage for their time worked. CNESST's guidance states this directly: people who are paid by the piece or on commission must be paid at least the equivalent of the minimum hourly wage rate for the time worked.

An employee assigned exclusively, during a pay period, to non-mechanized operations relating to the picking of raspberries or strawberries is paid on the basis of yield rather than an hourly wage under section 4.1 of the same regulation: $4.93 per kilogram of raspberries and $1.32 per kilogram of strawberries. That piece rate carries a built-in floor. The regulation provides that "an employee may not, on an hourly basis and for reasons beyond the employee's control and linked to the state of the fields or fruit, earn less than the minimum wage rate prescribed in section 3," which is $16.60. The floor therefore covers shortfalls caused by the state of the fields or fruit.

No benefit having pecuniary value, such as housing or a car provided by the employer, may be counted toward the minimum wage (s.41 of the Act). Where the employer must provide meals or accommodation because of the employee's working conditions, which is common for farm workers, section 6 of the regulation caps what the employee can be charged: $2.73 per meal, up to $35.69 per week; $34.32 per week for a room; and $61.75 per week for lodging where the room houses 4 employees or fewer, or $41.19 where it houses 5 or more. Each time the general minimum wage rises, those amounts rise by the same percentage, but not by more than the Consumer Price Index.

Uniforms and Equal Pay for the Same Tasks

An employer that requires the wearing of special clothing must supply it free of charge to an employee paid the minimum wage (s.85 of the Act). It cannot charge for the purchase, use or upkeep of special clothing if that would leave the employee with less than the minimum wage, and it cannot make an employee pay for clothing that identifies them as an employee of its establishment.

An employer may not pay an employee a lower rate than its other employees performing the same tasks in the same establishment solely because of the employee's employment status, in particular because the employee usually works fewer hours each week (s.41.1).

Who Is Exempt From the Minimum Wage

Section 2 of the regulation excludes several categories of workers from the minimum wage entirely, including:

• A student employed by a non-profit organization that has a social or community purpose, such as a vacation camp.
• A trainee in a vocational training program recognized by law.
• A trainee in the workplace-integration program for people with disabilities under the Act to secure handicapped persons in the exercise of their rights.
• An employee paid entirely on commission who works outside the employer's establishment in a commercial undertaking and whose working hours cannot be controlled by the employer.

The Act respecting labour standards itself does not apply to an athlete whose membership on a sports team is conditional on continued participation in an academic program (s.3, para. 5.1).

Filing a Wage Complaint With CNESST

Quebec's labour standards, including the minimum wage, are enforced by the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, known as CNESST. A worker who believes they were not paid the general minimum wage, or the correct tipped-worker rate, can file a wage complaint with CNESST.

CNESST's published complaint guidance states that the worker has 1 year from the time the amounts are due to file a complaint with CNESST. The Act provides that a civil action brought under the Act or a regulation "is prescribed by one year from each due date" (s.115). Each unpaid pay therefore has its own deadline, running from when it became due, not from the end of employment, so a worker does not need to wait until a job ends to complain about an underpayment.

A CNESST notice of inquiry sent to the employer by registered mail suspends prescription in respect of all of that employer's employees for six months from the date of mailing (s.116).

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Quebec's minimum wage under the Regulation respecting labour standards, CQLR c N-1.1, r 3, made under the Act respecting labour standards, current as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. It does not cover overtime, hours of work, or statutory holiday pay. Consult Quebec's CNESST or a lawyer licensed in Quebec for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum wage in Quebec right now?

As of May 1, 2026, Quebec's general minimum wage is $16.60 an hour under section 3 of the Regulation respecting labour standards, CQLR c N-1.1, r 3. Quebec usually adjusts it on May 1; no 2027 increase had been published in the Gazette officielle du Québec as of the verification date.

What is the tipped-worker minimum wage in Quebec?

Employees who receive tips are paid $13.30 an hour, effective May 1, 2026, under section 4 of the same regulation. This rate applies instead of the general $16.60 rate, and tips are additional, not a credit against it.

Did Quebec's minimum wage increase on October 1, 2026?

No. Quebec usually adjusts its minimum wage on May 1, not October 1. Its rate last changed on May 1, 2026. No 2027 increase had been published in the Gazette officielle du Québec as of the verification date.

How long do I have to file a minimum wage complaint in Quebec?

According to CNESST's published complaint guidance, a worker has 1 year from the date the wages became due to file a wage complaint with CNESST. Section 115 of the Act respecting labour standards sets a one-year prescription from each due date, and a CNESST notice of inquiry sent by registered mail suspends it for six months (s.116).

Who is exempt from Quebec's minimum wage?

Section 2 of the regulation exempts several categories, including students employed by non-profit organizations with a social or community purpose, trainees in recognized vocational or disability workplace-integration programs, and employees paid entirely on commission who work outside the employer's establishment with hours the employer cannot control. The Act respecting labour standards also does not apply to an athlete whose membership on a sports team is conditional on continued participation in an academic program.

Do commission and piece-rate workers in Quebec get the minimum wage?

Yes. CNESST guidance states that people paid by the piece or on commission must be paid at least the equivalent of the minimum hourly wage for the time worked. Employees assigned exclusively, during a pay period, to non-mechanized raspberry or strawberry picking are paid by the kilogram but also cannot fall below the general minimum wage on an hourly basis for reasons beyond their control linked to the state of the fields or fruit.

Can my employer keep part of my tips in Quebec?

No. Under section 50 of the Act respecting labour standards, a tip belongs to the employee who rendered the service. An employer that collects tips must remit them in full, and service charges added to the bill count as tips. The employer may not impose a tip-sharing arrangement or intervene in one set up among employees.