Statutory Holidays and Vacation Pay in Alberta: A Complete Guide

Alberta has 9 general holidays, sometimes called statutory holidays, and an employee qualifies for general holiday pay only after working at least 30 workdays for the same employer in the 12 months before the holiday.

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

This article covers general holidays and vacation entitlement under Alberta's Employment Standards Code and Employment Standards Regulation, for employees covered by that Code. It does not cover federally regulated workplaces such as banks, airlines, and telecommunications carriers, which follow the Canada Labour Code instead; see Federally Regulated Employees in Canada for that separate regime. For the general rules that apply across employment standards beyond holidays and vacation, see Employment Standards Overview. For how the rules compare across all of Canada, see Statutory Holidays in Canada.

The 9 General Holidays in Alberta

Alberta calls its statutory holidays general holidays. The government states it directly: "There are 9 general holidays, also referred to as statutory holidays, in Alberta but employers can choose to recognize additional days as holidays."

The 9 are New Year's Day, Alberta Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, and Christmas Day. Alberta's Canada Day rule includes a specific shift: Canada Day falls on July 1, or on July 2 if July 1 lands on a Sunday. That explicit shifting rule is stated for Alberta specifically; it was not confirmed for other provinces in researching this article, so it should not be assumed to apply elsewhere.

Optional Holidays: The Biggest Trap in Alberta

This is the detail most likely to catch a reader off guard. Several days that feel like they should be statutory in Alberta are not. The government's own language is direct: "Optional holidays can be any day an employer chooses to recognize. Some commonly recognized optional holidays in Alberta include" Easter Monday, Heritage Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Boxing Day.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is worth flagging specifically because it is easy to assume it works the same way in every province. It is a statutory federal general holiday for federally regulated employers, and it is a statutory provincial holiday in British Columbia. In Alberta, for provincially regulated employers, it is optional. An Alberta employer may choose to observe it, and if they do, ordinary holiday pay rules apply to that day, but there is no requirement that they do so.

If an employer does choose to recognize an optional holiday, the same holiday pay rules that apply to the 9 general holidays apply to that day too.

Who Qualifies for General Holiday Pay

Alberta's qualifying rule combines a tenure test with a scheduled-shift test. The government states the tenure requirement as: "Employees must have worked for the same employer for at least 30 workdays in the 12 months prior to the holiday."

An employee is not entitled to general holiday pay if they have worked fewer than those 30 workdays, if they are absent from work on the holiday itself while scheduled or required to work, or if they are absent from their last scheduled shift before the holiday or their first scheduled shift after it without their employer's consent.

For employees with irregular schedules, Alberta also uses what it calls the 5 of 9 rule to decide whether a given date counts as a regular workday for that employee at all: a day is treated as regular if the employee worked it at least 5 times in the previous 9 weeks. That threshold question is separate from, and comes before, the pay-qualifying test above.

Several occupations are excluded from general holiday entitlement entirely, including commissioned automobile, investment, and real estate salespeople, commission-paid licensed insurance salespeople, film and video extras, camp counsellors and instructors, and teachers. Construction and farm or ranch workers follow separate modified rules under the Employment Standards Regulation (Part 4 for construction and brush clearing; Part 3, Division 11 for farming and ranching).

How Holiday Pay Is Calculated: Average Daily Wage

Alberta calculates holiday pay using an average daily wage, and it gives the employer a choice of which window to measure it over: "Average daily wage is calculated as the employee's wages divided by the number of days the employee worked. Employers can choose between two options for the time period used in the calculation: the 4 weeks immediately preceding the general holiday, or the 4 weeks ending on the last day of the pay period that immediately preceded the general holiday." Overtime pay is excluded from the calculation.

The government's worked example shows the math: 4,000 dollars in wages divided by 20 days worked equals a 200 dollar average daily wage.

This is a different formula shape from both British Columbia, which divides total wages by days worked over a fixed 30-calendar-day window, and Ontario, which divides wages plus vacation pay by 20 over a fixed 4-work-week window. Alberta's version gives the employer, not a fixed rule, the choice of which 4-week window to use.

Working on the Holiday: Two Employer-Chosen Options

When a qualifying employee works a general holiday, the employer picks one of two payment structures. Option 1: "The employer can choose to pay an employee 1.5 times what they would normally earn for the hours worked, and also pay their average daily wage." Hours worked on the holiday do not count toward that week's overtime calculation. In the government's example, an employee earning 25 dollars an hour who works 8 hours gets time and a half for those hours plus the 200 dollar average daily wage, for 500 dollars total.

Option 2: "The employer can choose to provide a future day off and pay of the employee's average daily wage for that day." Under this option the holiday itself is treated as an ordinary workday and normal overtime rules apply to it. In the example, the employee is paid 200 dollars for the day worked and later receives another paid day off worth 200 dollars.

A separate rule applies if the holiday falls on a day that is not a regular day of work for that employee: if the employee works it, they get time and a half for the hours worked; if they do not work it, they get neither holiday pay nor a day off in lieu.

Holiday Falling During Vacation

Alberta gives a substitute arrangement when a general holiday occurs during an employee's vacation: the employee can take a day off with pay on the first scheduled working day after the vacation ends, or, if the employer agrees, take another day off before the next annual vacation instead. Either way, the employee is entitled to their average daily wage for that day off. This differs from British Columbia, where the provincial government's guidance says a holiday landing on a scheduled vacation day does not create an additional day off.

Vacation Time in Alberta

Vacation time in Alberta builds in two tiers based on years of service: "Employees must work for one year before they're entitled to vacation time. Employees are entitled to these minimum paid vacations: 2 weeks with pay after each of the first 4 years of employment, 3 weeks with pay after 5 consecutive years of employment."

Vacation Pay: The 4% and 6% Rules, Plus a Monthly-Salary Shortcut

For hourly, weekly, and commission employees, vacation pay tracks the same tiers as vacation time: 4% of yearly wages during the first 4 years, rising to 6% of yearly wages once an employee reaches 5 consecutive years and the 3-week tier.

Alberta has a separate shortcut for employees paid a monthly salary rather than by the hour or week: "For employees paid by monthly salary, the employer must pay the employee's regular rate of pay for the time of their vacation. Each week of vacation pay is calculated by dividing their monthly wage by 4.3333, which is the average number of weeks in a month."

Not everything counts toward the vacation-pay wage base. Alberta specifically excludes overtime pay, general holiday pay, termination pay, unearned bonuses, tips and gratuities, and expenses and allowances from that calculation. Under Code s.43, vacation pay paid to an employee in one year of employment is deemed to be wages when calculating the vacation pay owed in the following year.

Under Code s.41, an employer may pay vacation pay at any time, but must pay it no later than the next regularly scheduled pay day after the employee starts annual vacation. If vacation pay has not been fully paid before the vacation starts, the employee may ask for it to be paid at least one day before the vacation starts, and the employer must comply.

Vacation Pay When Employment Ends

If employment ends before an employee completes 12 months, the employer must pay 4% of the wages earned during that employment. After 12 months, the same 4%/6% split applies depending on which vacation tier the employee had reached, calculated on wages earned since the employee's last vacation entitlement date through to the termination date.

Alberta gives employers a longer payout window than some provinces: final vacation pay is due "within 10 consecutive days after the end of the pay period in which termination occurred, or 31 consecutive days after the last day of employment," whichever the employer prefers. That is materially longer than a province with a flat, shorter deadline, so do not assume the same timing rule applies everywhere. For the broader rules on what an employer owes on a final paycheque beyond vacation pay, see Final Paycheque Deadlines in Canada. For how holiday pay interacts with weekly overtime rules generally, see Overtime and Hours of Work in Canada.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about general holidays and vacation entitlement under Alberta's Employment Standards Code and Employment Standards Regulation, current as of September 2026. It is not legal advice and does not cover every industry exception in the Regulation. In the event of any discrepancy between this article and Alberta's Employment Standards legislation, the legislation is correct. Consult the Government of Alberta or a lawyer licensed in Alberta for advice on your specific situation.