Find out how much vacation pay you can get

How much vacation pay you get depends on how long you've worked for your employer.

The 12 months in which you earn your vacation is called your “entitlement year”.

Your employer decides when this year begins. It could be:

• when you start working for your employer, or
• on a different date.

For example, your employer might say that you earn your vacation in a calendar year. This means that you start earning vacation on January 1. If this happens, you also get vacation pay from your first day of work up to December 31.

Less than 5 years: Your vacation pay must be at least 4% of the wages you earn during your entitlement year.

5 years or more: Your vacation pay must be at least 6% of the wages that you earn during your entitlement year.

When you get your vacation pay

The general rule is that your employer has to pay you your vacation pay before your vacation starts.

But there are some other options.

Get vacation pay while on vacation

Your employer can pay you your vacation pay while you're on vacation if:

• they pay you by direct deposit into your bank account, or
• you take less than one week of vacation.

The last day the employer can pay you is the regular payday that happens during your vacation.

Agree on a time to get your vacation pay

Another option is to get your vacation pay at a time that you and your employer both agree on. You must have a written agreement about this.

Add vacation pay to your wages

Or, you can agree to have your employer add your vacation pay to your wages each pay period. Your employer might ask you to agree to this, especially if you do not earn the same amount of money every week.

If your employer pays your vacation pay each pay period, they must:

• have a written agreement with you that says they can do this, and
• show the vacation pay as a separate amount from your wages on your pay stub or another document.