Does my employer have to pay me for vacation?

Ontario's Employment Standards Act (ESA) gives most people the right to 2 or 3 weeks of paid vacation in a year.

How much vacation you must get depends on how long you have worked for your employer.

The ESA says that each year an employee must get at least:

• 2 weeks of paid vacation, if they have worked for the employer for less than 5 years
• 3 weeks of paid vacation, if they have worked for the employer for 5 years or more

If you leave your job

When you leave a job, your employer must give you any vacation pay that they owe you. This applies whether they fire you or you quit.

Independent contractors

Employers sometimes want you to agree that you're in business for yourself and not an employee. This can be a way to avoid the rules that apply to employees, such as getting paid vacation.

Even if you signed something that says you’re an independent contractor or in business for yourself, you might:

• still be an employee, and
• have rights that an employee has.

And the ESA rules about vacation might apply to you.