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Canada and the United States treat holidays completely differently. In Canada, statutory holiday pay is the law and each province writes its own formula. In the US, there is no federal right to holiday pay at all — it exists only where an employer's policy or a union contract promises it. Both halves are below, dates first.
Last reviewed · maintained by Ihor Bezrukavnyk · how we calculate
Statutory holidays in the provinces covered here, alongside the US federal calendar. Tap a province to see its pay formula, eligibility rules and a worked example.
Work or not, an eligible employee is owed statutory holiday pay — and each province computes it with its own divisor. The three most-searched provinces have full guides:
One rule holds everywhere: overtime pay stays out of the wage base the holiday average is taken from. A heavy week before the holiday does not raise the day's pay — averaging a gross figure that still has premium hours in it inflates the holiday every time.
Guides for the other provinces are on the way — the three above answer most searches today.
Federal law does not require premium pay for working a holiday, and it does not require paid holidays at all. The FLSA treats a holiday like any other workday: the hours you work count toward the 40-hour workweek the same as Tuesday's do, and overtime is owed only past that threshold.
Where holiday pay exists, it comes from an employer's own policy or a collective agreement — and once promised, it is generally enforceable as wages. Check the handbook, not the statute.
The one broad exception is Rhode Island, which requires time and a half for work performed on Sundays and legal holidays for most non-exempt employees.
For what the law does owe you on any workday: the overtime calculator · your state's overtime rules
Every figure on this page traces to the statute or agency page above. If one is out of date, tell us — corrections ship the same week.
Overtally computes what you should be paid before taxes. It does not calculate take-home pay, withholding or deductions, and it is not legal advice — it is your own record and your own estimate.