Statutory Holidays and Vacation Pay in Saskatchewan: A Complete Guide

Saskatchewan has 10 public holidays a year, pays holiday pay as 5% of the four weeks of wages before the holiday with no minimum-service test, gives every employee three weeks of vacation starting from their very first year, and runs both its complaint filing deadline and its wage recovery cap on a single 12-month clock.

Information last verified on 2026-09-25. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers public holidays and vacation entitlement under the Saskatchewan Employment Act, SS 2013, c S-15.1, Part II, and its current Employment Standards Regulations, S-15.1 Reg 15, for employees covered by the Act. It does not cover federally regulated workplaces, which follow the Canada Labour Code instead; see Federally Regulated Employees in Canada for that separate regime. For how Saskatchewan compares to other provinces, see Statutory Holidays in Canada.

The 10 Public Holidays in Saskatchewan

Section 2-30(2) of the Act lists 10 public holidays: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Saskatchewan Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, and Christmas Day. Family Day is statutorily defined as the third Monday in February, and Saskatchewan Day as the first Monday in August (s. 2-30(1)).

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Is Not a Provincial Holiday

The government's own guidance is direct on this point: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 is a statutory holiday for federally regulated employees, but it is not a public holiday under the Saskatchewan Employment Act, so it is not a minimum requirement for provincially regulated employers. An employer may still choose to observe it through its own policy or a collective agreement, but nothing in the Act requires it. This is a genuine difference from provinces such as Manitoba, where it is a statutory holiday.

When a Holiday Falls on a Weekend

Under Reg 15, s. 5-6, if New Year's Day, Christmas Day, or Remembrance Day falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is observed as the public holiday instead, unless the establishment is normally open on Sundays. Canada Day follows a separate federal rule under the Holidays Act: when July 1 falls on a Sunday, it is observed on Monday, July 2. There is no equivalent shift for a Saturday holiday. A public holiday that falls on a Saturday is simply not observed on a different day at all in Saskatchewan, unlike some other provinces that do shift a Saturday holiday.

Who Qualifies for Holiday Pay

Saskatchewan sets no length-of-service or scheduled-shift qualifying test. Section 2-32(1) requires an employer to pay every employee holiday pay equal to 5% of wages, excluding overtime, earned in the four weeks preceding the holiday. The wage base for that calculation is defined precisely at s. 2-32(2): it includes vacation pay for vacation actually taken in that four-week window, and holiday pay for any other public holiday that falls within it. A second holiday or a vacation taken during the four-week look-back period does not shrink the calculation; both are counted in, not excluded from, the wage base.

Working the Holiday: The Default Rule and Four Regulated Exceptions

Section 2-32(3) sets the default: an employee who works a public holiday is paid the 5% holiday pay amount plus 1.5 times their hourly wage for every hour or part of an hour worked. That default is not universal. The current Employment Standards Regulations, S-15.1 Reg 15, in force since January 1, 2026, prescribe four classes of employee with their own rules:

Separately, s. 2-31 of the Act allows an employer to substitute another day for a public holiday: in a unionized workplace, if the union agrees in writing; in a non-union workplace, if the substituted day meets the conditions prescribed by regulation or is approved by the director of employment standards. Under the prescribed conditions (Reg 15, s. 5-7), the employer and the employee, or a majority of employees, must agree to the substitution, the substituted day must fall within four weeks of the holiday, and the employer must give the employee a copy of the agreement and keep a copy for 2 years after it ceases to be in effect. The s. 5-7 route does not apply to Remembrance Day.

Holiday Falling During Vacation

When one or more public holidays occur during a vacation an employer has permitted an employee to take, the vacation period is increased by one working day for each such holiday, and the employer must pay the holiday wages in addition to vacation pay (s. 2-28). A holiday during vacation extends the time off; it is never simply absorbed into it.

Vacation Entitlement: Three Weeks From Year One

Every employee is entitled to three weeks of vacation after completing each year of employment, rising to four weeks after completing 10 years and each year after that (s. 2-24(1)). A "year of employment" has its own tolerance for gaps: an employee still completes a year if any resignation, termination, layoff, or absence within it totals 26 consecutive weeks or less, or if a longer absence was employer-consented or taken as a statutory leave (s. 2-23). A layoff or unpaid absence of up to 26 consecutive weeks does not reset the vacation clock.

Vacation Pay: A Fractional Formula

Vacation pay is calculated as a fraction of the prior year's wages rather than a round percentage. Section 2-27(1) sets it at three fifty-seconds of wages for the three-week vacation tier, and four fifty-seconds for the four-week tier reached after 10 years. Those fractions work out to roughly 5.77% and 7.69% respectively.

When Vacation and Vacation Pay Are Due

An employer must let an employee take their entire vacation within 12 months of becoming entitled to it, either in one continuous block or in blocks of at least a week if the employee gives written notice of the proposed schedule by the entitlement date (s. 2-25(1)). Vacation pay follows a separate, earlier deadline if the vacation itself is not taken: it must still be paid within 11 months of entitlement even though the time off has a longer 12-month window to be used (s. 2-27(2)). When the vacation is taken, pay is due either before the vacation starts, at the employee's request, or on the employee's normal payday (s. 2-27(3)). If the employer and the employee, or the employee's union, cannot agree on when the vacation will be taken, the employer must give at least four weeks' written notice of when the vacation period will begin (s. 2-26). If an employer does not allow an already-agreed vacation to proceed as scheduled, it must reimburse the employee for any resulting monetary loss, which is treated as wages owing under the Act's ordinary recovery machinery (s. 2-27(4)-(5)).

Vacation Pay When Employment Ends

When employment ends, all vacation pay owed must be paid within 14 days after the last day of employment (s. 2-29(1)), calculated on whatever wages have not yet been vacation-paid, whether or not the employee completed a full year of employment (s. 2-29(2)-(3)). That same 14-day figure is Saskatchewan's general deadline for all final wages on termination (s. 2-33(3)), so vacation pay and ordinary final wages share one deadline rather than running on separate clocks.

Filing a Complaint: One 12-Month Clock

Saskatchewan's complaint structure is simpler than some other provinces. Section 2-89 sets a single 12-month period that governs both the filing deadline and the recovery cap: a wage claim must be made within 12 months of the missed payment date, or within 12 months of the final payment date if employment has ended, and recovery is limited to wages that became payable in the 12 months before the claim, or within the last 12 months of employment. Because holiday pay and vacation pay are both wages under the Act, this single 12-month clock covers them the same way it covers ordinary wages. The director of employment standards investigates a complaint and, if wages are owed, issues a wage assessment; either party may appeal it to an adjudicator, and an unappealed or upheld assessment is enforceable.

Retail Closing: No Holiday-Closing Rule in the Act

The Saskatchewan Employment Act and its regulations contain no rule requiring stores to close on any of the 10 public holidays, and the government's public-holiday guidance lists none. This differs from provinces such as Manitoba, which requires retail closure during set hours on Remembrance Day.

Saskatchewan's 2026 Holiday Dates

The government's table currently lists 2026 only; 2027 dates were not yet published as of 2026-09-25.

For how holiday and vacation pay interact with weekly hours, see Overtime and Hours of Work in Canada. For what an employer owes beyond vacation pay on a final paycheque, see Final Paycheque Deadlines in Canada and Severance Pay in Saskatchewan.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about public holidays and vacation entitlement under the Saskatchewan Employment Act, SS 2013, c S-15.1, and its current Employment Standards Regulations, S-15.1 Reg 15, current as of September 2026. It is not legal advice and does not cover every regulated industry exception. Consult the Government of Saskatchewan or a lawyer licensed in Saskatchewan for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many statutory holidays does Saskatchewan have?

Saskatchewan has 10 public holidays under s. 2-30 of the Saskatchewan Employment Act: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Saskatchewan Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, and Christmas Day. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not a provincial public holiday.

How is holiday pay calculated in Saskatchewan?

Holiday pay is 5% of an employee's wages, excluding overtime, earned in the four weeks before the holiday, with no minimum-service test (s. 2-32(1)). A second holiday or vacation taken inside that four-week window is included in the wage base, not excluded, so it does not reduce the amount.

How much extra do I get for working a public holiday in Saskatchewan?

Most employees get the holiday pay amount plus 1.5 times their hourly wage for every hour worked (s. 2-32(3)). Four regulated classes have different rules under Employment Standards Regulations Reg 15: construction workers get an annual 4% lump sum instead, well drilling rig operators get straight time with no premium, full-time hospital, education, nursing home, hotel and restaurant employees who work a holiday on their regular workday are entitled to 1.5 times their regular rate on top of regular wages or 1.5 times plus a paid day off within four weeks, and commercial hog operation employees can trade the premium for a paid day off.

How much vacation am I entitled to in Saskatchewan?

Three weeks after each year of employment, rising to four weeks after 10 years (s. 2-24). Vacation pay is calculated as three fifty-seconds of the prior year's wages for the three-week tier and four fifty-seconds for the four-week tier (s. 2-27), roughly 5.77% and 7.69%.

When must vacation pay be paid in Saskatchewan?

If the vacation is taken, pay is due before the vacation starts at the employee's request, or on the employee's normal payday. If the vacation is not taken, the pay must still be paid within 11 months of becoming entitled to it, even though the vacation time itself has up to 12 months to be used (s. 2-27(2)). On termination, all vacation pay is due within 14 days.

How long do I have to file a complaint for unpaid holiday or vacation pay in Saskatchewan?

Saskatchewan uses a single 12-month clock for both the filing deadline and the recovery cap (s. 2-89): a claim must be made within 12 months of the missed payment, and recovery is limited to wages payable in the 12 months before the claim was made.

Are stores required to close on public holidays in Saskatchewan?

The Saskatchewan Employment Act and its regulations contain no rule requiring stores to close on any of the 10 public holidays, and the government's public-holiday guidance lists none, unlike provinces such as Manitoba that require retail closure on Remembrance Day.