Hire compliantly in Canada. Compare EOR providers, navigate provincial employment standards and understand a payroll system where almost every rule changes at the provincial border.
Capital
Ottawa
Language
English, French
Average Salary
CAD 5,250
Payroll Cycle
Bi-weekly
Employer Cost
12-18%
Paid Leave
10-15 days
Public Holidays
8-11 days
Tax Rates
15-33%
Detailed guides on the employment topics that matter most when hiring in Canada. Independently researched, updated for 2026.
Canada's maternity leave system combines federal Employment Insurance benefits with provincial job-protected leave, creating a dual framework that employers and employees must navigate together. The birthing parent receives up to 15 weeks of EI maternity benefits at 55% of earnings, followed by either 35 or 61 weeks of shareable parental benefits. This guide covers the full system: EI eligibility, benefit rates and maximums for 2026, provincial job protection by province, Quebec's separate QPIP system, employer obligations, and what it all means for EOR arrangements.
Read ArticleMinimum wage Canada is not a single national number. It is a patchwork of federal, provincial, and territorial rates shaped by regional economies, inflation formulas, and separate labour legislation in each jurisdiction. This guide covers every minimum wage rate across Canada for 2026, employer payroll obligations including CPP and EI contributions, compliance requirements, penalties, cost of living by city, and how an Employer of Record can help international companies hire in Canada compliantly.
Read ArticleForeign nationals working in Canada need a work permit issued under either the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP, which requires an LMIA) or the LMIA-exempt International Mobility Program (IMP). The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets the IMP target at 170,000 and the TFWP at 60,000, signalling a clear federal preference for the LMIA-exempt pathway. This guide covers all 11 IMP categories (CUSMA, CETA, CPTPP, ICT, IEC, PGWP, C10, C20, Mobilité Francophone, and more), the LMIA process, the February 2026 C10 and C20 reforms, the Global Skills Strategy 2-week processing route, and what foreign employers hiring in Canada need to know.
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We independently rank EOR providers based on their actual performance in Canada. The Best EOR in Canada guide evaluates providers across pricing transparency, local entity ownership, onboarding speed, in-country support and contract compliance.
Canada’s province-by-province employment rules make compliance harder than it looks from the outside. An EOR that treats Canada as a single jurisdiction will get minimum wage, vacation entitlements, statutory holidays and termination rules wrong.
When you hire in Canada, the combination of provincial variation in minimum wage, vacation and statutory holidays means there is no single "Canadian" employment standard. Every figure in this table represents the most common range, but the actual entitlement depends on the province where your employee works.
| Key Employment Facts | |
| Minimum Wage | CAD 17.20-19.40/hour (varies by province) |
| Probation Period | 3 months typical |
| Standard Working Hours | 40 hours/week (44 in some provinces) |
| Paid Annual Leave | 10-15 days (increases with tenure) |
| Notice Period | 1 week to 8 weeks statutory + common law |
| 13th Salary | Not applicable |
| Sick Leave | 3-10 paid days (varies by province) |
| Maternity Leave | 15-18 weeks (EI benefits at 55%) |
Good to Know: Canada’s termination rules are the single biggest cost surprise for international employers. Provincial employment standards set statutory minimums (typically 1-8 weeks by tenure), but courts award “reasonable notice” under common law that regularly reaches 1 month per year of service. A 10-year employee earning CAD 100,000 can receive 10-12 months of severance, and awards of 24 months exist for long-tenured senior staff. Unlike most countries, there is no statutory cap. The only way to limit exposure is a well-drafted termination clause in the employment contract, reviewed by Canadian counsel, that sets notice at the statutory minimum. Without that clause, common law applies by default. Vacation entitlement also varies significantly: Ontario starts at 10 days (rising to 15 after 5 years), Saskatchewan starts at 15 days, and Quebec mandates additional personal days. Sick leave ranges from 3 unpaid days in Alberta to 10 paid days in British Columbia. If your team spans multiple provinces, your payroll must track each employee’s entitlements individually.
When you hire in Canada, total employer contributions of 12-18% make it one of the most cost-efficient markets in the developed world. But provincial variation in health taxes, workers' compensation rates and the new CPP2 tier mean the actual percentage depends on where your employee sits and how much they earn.
| Employer Contributions | |
| Contribution | Employer Rate |
| CPP (Canada Pension Plan) | 5.95% (on earnings CAD 3,500-74,600) |
| CPP2 (Second ceiling) | 4.0% (on earnings CAD 74,600-85,000) |
| EI (Employment Insurance) | 1.4x employee rate (2.28%) |
| Workers’ Compensation | 0.18-3.50% (varies by industry/province) |
| Employer Health Tax (Ontario) | 0.98-1.95% (payroll over CAD 1M) |
| Total Employer Cost | ~12 to 18% of gross |
| Employee Taxes | |
| Tax / Contribution | Employee Rate |
| Federal Income Tax | 15-33% (5 brackets) |
| Provincial Income Tax | 4-25.75% (varies by province) |
| CPP (employee share) | 5.95% |
| CPP2 (employee share) | 4.0% |
| EI (employee share) | 1.63% |
Total employer cost in Canada typically runs 1.12x to 1.18x of gross salary, making it one of the most cost-efficient hiring markets among developed economies. For an employee earning CAD 80,000, budget approximately CAD 90,000 to CAD 94,000 in total employer cost.
Canada has 5 federal statutory holidays observed nationwide. Each province adds 3-6 additional provincial holidays, making the total vary from 8 to 11 depending on location.
|
Date |
Holiday |
|
January 1 |
New Year’s Day |
|
April 3 |
Good Friday |
|
July 1 |
Canada Day |
|
September 7 |
Labour Day |
|
December 25 |
Christmas Day |
Provincial holidays include Family Day (February, most provinces), Victoria Day (May), Thanksgiving (October), Remembrance Day (November 11, some provinces) and Boxing Day (December 26, Ontario). Quebec observes distinct holidays including Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24) and National Patriots’ Day (May). The applicable holidays depend entirely on the province of employment.
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