Federally regulated jobs in Canada: 4%, 6% or 8% vacation pay and 2 to 4 weeks off
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026.Employees of federally regulated employers in Canada get vacation pay of 4% of their wages, 6% after five consecutive years with the employer and 8% after ten, under the Canada Labour Code. On $60,000 of wages after six years that is $3,600 of vacation pay and three weeks of vacation.
2026 · Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 16 Oct 2026); they may have changed since.
Type the gross wages for the year of employment, or for the part of it worked if the job is ending.
Type the consecutive years you have completed with this employer.
Read the vacation pay, the rate of 4%, 6% or 8%, and the weeks of vacation you are owed.
Check the Rates tab for how the pay changes after 5 and 10 years.
The Canada Labour Code sets vacation rules for federally regulated workplaces in every province and territory. Section 2 of the Code lists them: shipping, interprovincial railways, air transport, radio broadcasting, banks and other works within the authority of Parliament. This calculator follows Division IV of the Code on the Justice Laws Website, current to 21 September 2026.
Vacation time. Section 184 gives at least two weeks of vacation after one year of employment, three weeks after five consecutive years with the same employer and four weeks after ten.
Vacation pay. Section 184.01 sets vacation pay at 4% of the wages earned during the year of employment the vacation is for, rising to 6% after five consecutive years and 8% after ten. On $60,000, that is $2,400, $3,600 or $4,800.
The first year. Vacation time starts once a year of employment is completed, but the 4% builds up from the start. Someone who leaves after eight months is still owed 4% of the wages earned.
Leaving the job. Section 188 requires the employer, within 30 days after employment ends, to pay any vacation pay still owed for completed years, plus the applicable percentage of the wages for the part of the current year on which no vacation pay has been paid. Type those wages to see the amount.
Which rate applies. The rate depends on consecutive years completed with the same employer, so type completed years only. The Rates tab shows all three tiers on your wages.
Not included. Provincially regulated jobs, which follow their own provincial law; general holidays that fall during a vacation; collective agreements that give more; and tax. An estimate, not legal advice.
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Under section 184.01 of the Canada Labour Code, vacation pay is 4% of the wages earned in the year of employment, 6% after five consecutive years with the same employer and 8% after ten. On $60,000 of wages that is $2,400, $3,600 or $4,800.
Section 184 gives at least two weeks of vacation after one completed year of employment, three weeks after five consecutive years with the same employer and four weeks after ten. Collective agreements and contracts can give more, but not less, than these minimums.
Employees of federal works, undertakings and businesses, which section 2 of the Code lists as including shipping, interprovincial railways, air transport, radio broadcasting and banks. Most other employees follow the employment standards law of their own province or territory instead.
Section 188 requires the employer to pay, within 30 days after the employment ends, any vacation pay owed for completed years plus the applicable percentage of the wages earned in the current year on which vacation pay has not yet been paid. Even a first-year employee is owed 4%.
Federal vacation pay rises to 6% once an employee has completed at least five consecutive years of employment with the same employer, and to 8% after at least ten consecutive years. The higher rate applies to the wages of the year of employment in respect of which the vacation is earned.
Vacation time under the Canada Labour Code starts after one completed year, but vacation pay of 4% applies to the wages of every year of employment. An employee who leaves after eight months is still paid 4% of the wages earned in those months within 30 days.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
Still stuck? Ask about Canada Federal Vacation Pay Calculator and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
Same job, other tools: Canada Labour Code Pay in Lieu of Notice Calculator – Federal pay in lieu of notice: 2 weeks after 3 months, rising to 8 weeks after 8 years · Calcul assurance-emploi 2026 (Canada) – Estimez vos prestations régulières d’assurance-emploi : 55 % du salaire, 729 $ au plus · Alberta Income Tax Calculator – Alberta take-home pay for 2026 with the 8% bracket and the $22,769 personal amount · BC Income Tax Calculator – British Columbia take-home pay for 2026 at the new 5.6% lowest rate, with CPP and EI.
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