Canada · 2026 rates · Province & territory selector

Canada Vacation Accrual Calculator

Estimate vacation pay earned so far using the statutory minimum rate for your province, territory or federally regulated workplace — then subtract vacation pay already paid to see the estimated accrued balance remaining.

Quick answer: vacation pay usually accrues as a percentage of vacationable wages. The minimum is commonly 4% or 6%, but service thresholds differ across Canada: Quebec moves to 6% at 3 years, Ontario and several western jurisdictions at 5 years, Nova Scotia after 7 years, New Brunswick at 8 years, Saskatchewan uses 5.77% or 7.69%, and federally regulated employees can reach 8% at 10 years.

Reviewed for 2026 by Ruby Miller · HR & Employment Law Content Lead

Calculate vacation pay accrued to date

✓ Rates checked September 2026

Province, territory or jurisdiction Select the employment-standards regime that covers the job.

Continuous service with this employer Enter completed/continuous years of service. Decimals are allowed for thresholds stated as “more than” a number of years.

Vacationable earnings in the current vacation/reference year Use the wage base that counts as vacationable earnings under the selected jurisdiction.

Vacation pay already paid against these earnings Enter vacation pay already paid on paycheques or otherwise paid for this same earning period.

Rate to use Use custom only if your contract or collective agreement gives a higher rate.

Estimated accrued balance remaining $0.00

Accrued vacation pay less vacation pay already paid.

Vacation pay earned $0.00

Based on the effective percentage and vacationable earnings entered.

Rate used —

Statutory rate for the selected jurisdiction and service length.

This is an informational statutory-minimum estimate. The definition of vacationable wages, timing of rate changes, exemptions, union agreements and employer policies can affect the actual payroll balance.

How vacation pay accrual works in Canada

Vacation pay is generally earned as vacationable wages are earned. Instead of waiting until a vacation is taken, you can estimate the amount earned so far by multiplying the applicable percentage by the wage base that counts under the employment standards law covering the job.

This page separates vacation pay earned from vacation pay already paid. That makes the result more useful for payroll checks: the outstanding accrued balance is the estimated entitlement earned for the period minus payments already applied to that entitlement.

Do not use gross income blindly. What counts as vacationable wages is jurisdiction-specific. Overtime, commissions, bonuses, previously paid vacation pay and termination amounts are treated differently across Canada, so use the wage definition from the official source for your jurisdiction.

2026 minimum vacation pay rates across Canada

Jurisdiction	Base rate	Higher rate / threshold	Calculator treatment
Ontario	4%	6% at 5 years	Rate increases to 6% when the 5-year threshold is reached.
British Columbia	4%	6% after 5 consecutive years	5-year milestone can require a top-up on wages from the fifth year.
Alberta	4%	6% at 5 years	4% before 5 years; 6% at 5 years or more.
Saskatchewan	3/52 = 5.77%	4/52 = 7.69% after 10 years	Uses the exact 3/52 or 4/52 fraction internally.
Manitoba	4%	6% after completing 5 years	The fifth-year rules can create a 2% top-up.
Quebec	4%	6% at 3 years	If 3 years is reached in the reference year, 6% can apply to the full reference-year wage base.
New Brunswick	4%	6% at 8 years	Based on the Employment Standards Act threshold of 8 or more years.
Nova Scotia	4%	6% at start of 8th year	6% after completing 7 years of service.
Newfoundland & Labrador	4%	6% at 15 years	6% at 15 years of continuous employment or more.
Prince Edward Island	4%	6% after more than 5 years	Enter service with a decimal if just beyond the 5-year mark.
Yukon	4%	No general higher statutory rate on the cited standard	Uses 4% minimum.
Northwest Territories	4%	6% after 5 completed years	4% for first five years; 6% after the fifth year is completed.
Nunavut	4%	6% for sixth and subsequent years	4% through first five years; 6% thereafter.
Federal	4%	6% at 5 years; 8% at 10 years	Three statutory tiers under the Canada Labour Code.

Why service milestones matter

A vacation accrual estimate can be wrong even when the multiplication is perfect if the wrong percentage is used. Several jurisdictions raise the vacation-pay percentage after a service milestone, but the milestone itself is not the same everywhere.

Ontario, BC, Alberta and Manitoba

These jurisdictions commonly move from a 4% minimum to 6% around the five-year service point, but the mechanics of the fifth-year top-up are not identical. Ontario, BC and Manitoba all have guidance showing that reaching the higher tier can affect wages earned earlier in the relevant entitlement year.

Ontario vacation guidance ↗

Quebec

Quebec reaches the 6% minimum earlier: at 3 years of uninterrupted service. CNESST guidance explains that when the 3-year point is reached during the reference year, the 6% indemnity is calculated on the gross wages for that full reference year.

CNESST annual vacation guidance ↗

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is different from the common 4%/6% pattern. The minimum is 3/52 of wages (about 5.77%) during the first nine years, increasing to 4/52 (about 7.69%) after 10 years with the same employer.

Saskatchewan vacation pay guidance ↗

Federal workplaces

Federally regulated employees have three minimum tiers: 4% for two weeks, 6% for three weeks and 8% for four weeks, corresponding to the 1-, 5- and 10-year vacation entitlements under federal labour standards.

Canada Labour Code vacation guidance ↗

Worked vacation accrual examples

Ontario, under 5 years: $26,000 of vacationable wages × 4% = $1,040 vacation pay earned. If $600 has already been paid, the estimated accrued balance remaining is $440 .

Quebec, 3 years: $40,000 of gross wages in the reference year × 6% = $2,400 vacation indemnity before subtracting any amount already paid.

Saskatchewan, under 10 years: $18,500 × 3/52 = $1,067.31 using the exact statutory fraction. The displayed percentage rounds to about 5.77%.

Common vacation accrual mistakes

× Using one percentage for all of Canada. The common 4% minimum is not universal: Saskatchewan starts at 3/52, and federal employees can reach 8% at 10 years.
× Ignoring a service milestone reached during the vacation year. Some jurisdictions require a higher percentage or top-up once the threshold is reached.
× Subtracting vacation taken instead of vacation pay actually paid. This calculator subtracts money already paid against the same entitlement, not the number of vacation days used.
× Assuming every dollar of gross pay is vacationable. The wage definition differs by jurisdiction. Check how overtime, bonuses, commissions and prior vacation pay are treated.

Frequently asked questions

What is vacation pay accrual?

It is the vacation pay earned as vacationable wages are earned. For a simple percentage-based jurisdiction, multiplying the applicable statutory percentage by vacationable wages gives the amount earned for that period.

Is vacation pay accrual the same as vacation days accrued?

No. Vacation pay is a dollar entitlement, while vacation time is a time-off entitlement. They are related but employment standards can define and administer them differently.

Why does this calculator ask for vacation pay already paid?

Many employers pay vacation pay on each paycheque or make payments during the year. Subtracting those payments from the amount earned gives a better estimate of the unpaid accrued balance.

Can I use a higher employer vacation rate?

Yes. Select the custom-rate option if a contract, collective agreement or workplace policy provides a higher percentage. The custom field changes the calculation but does not change the statutory rule shown for the jurisdiction.

Why is Saskatchewan shown as 5.77% and 7.69%?

Saskatchewan calculates vacation pay using fractions of annual wages: 3/52 during the first nine years and 4/52 after 10 years. The percentage labels are rounded versions of those fractions; the calculator uses the exact fraction internally.

Does unpaid leave always stop vacation accrual?

For a wage-percentage calculation, a period with no vacationable wages does not add vacation pay to the monetary accrual. Vacation-time entitlement and protected-leave rules can be different, so do not use this pay calculator to decide whether vacation time itself continues to accrue.

Sources and methodology

The calculator uses primary government employment-standards sources for statutory minimum percentages and service thresholds. It calculates a monetary vacation-pay accrual only; it does not determine whether every item in a pay statement is legally included in the wage base.

Reviewed by Ruby Miller

Ruby Miller reviews LeaveCalculators.com employment-law and leave-calculation content for clarity, source quality and practical accuracy.

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