How to Calculate Public Holiday Pay in Ontario 2018

Calculating public holiday pay in Ontario for 2018 requires understanding the specific legislation and how it applies to your employment. This guide provides a step-by-step explanation of the calculation process, including the formula, assumptions, and a practical example.

How to Calculate Public Holiday Pay

In Ontario, public holiday pay is calculated based on the employee's regular wages and the applicable legislation. The key steps to calculate public holiday pay in 2018 are:

Determine your regular hourly or daily wage
Identify the public holidays for the year 2018
Calculate the pay for each public holiday day
Sum the total public holiday pay for the year

Note: The calculation method may vary depending on whether you are an hourly or salaried employee. This guide focuses on the standard calculation method for 2018.

Step 1: Determine Your Regular Wage

Your regular wage is typically calculated based on your hourly rate or daily salary. For hourly employees, multiply your hourly rate by the standard number of hours worked in a day. For salaried employees, divide your annual salary by the number of working days in a year.

Step 2: Identify Public Holidays

In 2018, the public holidays in Ontario were:

New Year's Day - January 1
Family Day - February 19
Good Friday - March 30
Victoria Day - May 21
Canada Day - July 1
Civic Holiday - August 6
Labour Day - September 3
Thanksgiving - October 8
Remembrance Day - November 11
Christmas Day - December 25
Boxing Day - December 26

Step 3: Calculate Holiday Pay

For each public holiday, you are entitled to receive your regular wage for that day. If the holiday falls on a weekend, you are entitled to receive your regular wage for the day that the holiday would have fallen on if it were a weekday.

Step 4: Sum the Total

Add up the pay for all public holidays to get your total public holiday pay for the year.

Formula Used

The formula for calculating public holiday pay is:

Public Holiday Pay = (Number of Public Holidays × Regular Daily Wage) + (Number of Weekend Holidays × Regular Daily Wage)

Where:

Number of Public Holidays = Total number of public holidays in the year
Regular Daily Wage = Your regular wage for one day of work
Number of Weekend Holidays = Number of public holidays that fall on weekends

This formula accounts for both weekdays and weekend holidays, ensuring you receive payment for all applicable days.

Worked Example

Let's calculate the public holiday pay for an employee with a regular hourly wage of $20/hour, working 8 hours per day.

Calculate regular daily wage: $20/hour × 8 hours = $160/day
Identify public holidays: 11 in 2018 (as listed above)
Determine weekend holidays: 2 (Canada Day on July 1 fell on a Sunday, and Remembrance Day on November 11 fell on a Saturday)
Calculate public holiday pay: (11 × $160) + (2 × $160) = $1,760 + $320 = $2,080

Therefore, the employee would receive $2,080 in public holiday pay for 2018.

Note: This example assumes the employee worked all public holidays. If an employee did not work on a public holiday, they would not be entitled to pay for that day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is public holiday pay calculated in Ontario?: Public holiday pay is calculated by multiplying your regular daily wage by the number of public holidays in the year, plus any weekend holidays that fall on weekends.
Do I get paid for public holidays I don't work?: No, you only receive public holiday pay for days you actually work. If you are scheduled to work on a public holiday, you are entitled to receive your regular wage for that day.
Are there any exceptions to public holiday pay?: Yes, some employees may be exempt from public holiday pay under certain circumstances, such as seasonal workers or employees who are not regularly scheduled to work on public holidays.
How do I claim public holiday pay?: You should discuss your public holiday pay with your employer. If you are entitled to public holiday pay, it should be included in your regular payroll.
What if a public holiday falls on a weekend?: If a public holiday falls on a weekend, you are entitled to receive your regular wage for the day that the holiday would have fallen on if it were a weekday.