QC
Encoded rule v1.0.0 · rule data last verified 2026-07-06 · official source pages checked 2026-07-30
Answer first
For most Quebec employees covered by the Act respecting labour standards, the standard workweek is 40 hours and overtime is generally paid at 1.5 times the regular hourly wage. After five consecutive hours, an employee must receive a 30-minute meal break. The break is paid when the employee must remain at the workstation.
Full-time, part-time, temporary, casual, and on-call workers can qualify for paid statutory holidays even after only a few days of employment. An unauthorized absence without a valid reason on the working day before or after the holiday can remove the entitlement. The usual indemnity is 1/20 of wages earned in the four complete pay weeks before the holiday week, excluding overtime.
Not legal or payroll advice.
These calculations follow our best reading of each province’s Employment Standards Act, but rules vary by employee classification, collective agreement, industry-specific exemptions, and edge cases we cannot detect. Treat the values as estimates only and confirm with a payroll professional or accountant before processing pay.
See the provincial labour-law reference for the formula we apply per province.
Assume an hourly restaurant employee is covered by the general 40-hour standard workweek and works 45 hours.
| 1 | Regular wages: 40 × $20 = $800 |
|---|---|
| 2 | Overtime wages: 5 × ($20 × 1.5) = $150 |
Illustrative wages for worked hours: $950.
Some worker categories, decrees, collective agreements, and staggered-hours arrangements can change the general result. Holiday hours can also affect hours counted in the week.
Assume the employee earned $720 in each of the four complete pay weeks before the holiday week.
| 1 | Lookback wages: $720 × 4 = $2,880 |
|---|---|
| 2 | Statutory holiday indemnity: $2,880 ÷ 20 = $144 |
Illustrative indemnity: $144.
Exclude overtime from the calculation. Reported or attributed tips must be considered for workers who earn tips, while commission-paid workers use a different 12-week formula. If the employee works the holiday, the employer adds regular wages and chooses the indemnity or a paid compensatory day.
A counter employee is scheduled from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Grant a 30-minute meal break after no more than five consecutive hours and provide an appropriate, hygienic place to take it.
The break is unpaid when the employee is relieved from work. It must be paid if the employee has to remain at the workstation, such as staying available for customers while alone.
A Montreal restaurant has a server work 38 hours, then adds a seven-hour event shift. The manager should review five overtime hours, confirm whether a statutory holiday changes the counted hours, include declared or attributed tips in the holiday indemnity when required, and make sure the employee was actually relieved for the meal break. Maxuod Shift can preserve the schedule and review trail; CNESST rules and payroll records determine the final treatment.
We opened the three government pages below on 2026-07-30. That is the content check for this guide; it does not change the encoded payroll rule version or its verification date.
When the estimate engine is enabled in a free account and a Quebec payroll week contains a paid statutory holiday, Maxuod Shift separates worked-holiday days, non-worked eligible holidays, and regular days. It shows an estimated adjustment against the regular payroll amount already entered. Nothing is added to gross pay until the manager confirms the review.
The product provides estimates, source links, and review prompts. It does not decide employee coverage, approve an overtime agreement, confirm an absence, or replace payroll, accounting, or legal advice.
Open another jurisdiction reference to compare overtime thresholds, statutory-holiday eligibility, meal-break guidance, and official sources.
