Pay

Your employer must pay you your wages either:

• in cash using Canadian currency
• by cheque
• by deposit into your bank account

If your employer pays you by the hour, they must give you a paycheque at least semi-monthly or every 14 days. If you are paid a salary, you must be paid at least monthly.

Employers must pay at least minimum wage for most jobs. The minimum wage as of October 1, 2023 is $14.00 per hour. The minimum wage changes yearly based on the Consumer Price Index which looks at increases to the cost of living.

There are a few jobs where minimum wage pay is not required. These include:

• farm and ranch workers
• jobs where only immediate family members of the employer are employees
• some care workers who provide services in private homes
• casual babysitters
• athletes while doing activities related to their sport
• employees with physical or mental disabilities working for a non-profit in an educational, therapeutic or rehabilitative program

In most jobs, you must be paid for at least 3 hours at your hourly wage anytime your employer requires you to be at work. This is called reporting for duty pay. For example, if you come to work but are sent home after 1 hour you will still be paid for 3 hours. This also applies if come into work and your employer changed your shift without telling you.

Some types of employees only get 1 hour of reporting for duty pay, including:

• school bus drivers
• noon hour supervisors hired by schools
• high school students during the school term

If an employer makes a mistake and overpays an employee, the employer can usually recover the overpayment from the employee. This is especially true if the employer catches the mistake quickly. If you believe it would be unfair for your employer to recover the overpayment, you can make a complaint to Employment Standards. This might be the case if, for example, you innocently made major changes to your life based on having more money.

Employers cannot pay employees doing similar work different amounts based on their sex or any other ground prohibited by human rights laws. Similar work means:

• working in the same workplace
• working under similar work conditions
• doing work that requires similar skill, effort, and responsibility to perform

Employers can, however, pay employees differently based on things like seniority and skill level.

If an employer is found to have discriminated against an employee by paying less for similar work, they must raise that employee's wage to the level of other employees doing similar work. Employers cannot reduce the wages of others to match those of the employee discriminated against.

Employers are required by law to take certain amounts off your pay cheque. This is for things like income tax, employment insurance and Canada Pension Plan contributions. Employers can also deduct money for things that you agreed to. For example, some employers allow employees to contribute to RRSPs through money deducted off their pay cheques.

There can be other contributions that you are required to make as a condition of your employment. For example, you may be required to contribute to a benefit plan. If you are a live-in care provider, your employer can take up to $250 per month off your pay for room and board.

Other than amounts allowed by law, employers cannot take any money off your pay. For example, your employer cannot take money off your pay because:

• you broke something at work
• a customer left without paying
• someone stole something from the store during your shift

If an employer requires you to wear a uniform they must provide it to you at no cost. An employer cannot charge a deposit. However, an employer who requires a certain type of clothing, such as black pants and a white shirt, does not need to pay for it.

If you work in a restaurant, hotel, nursing home, hospital or educational institution that requires a uniform, your employer must also launder and repair the uniform at no cost to you. This does not apply to registered nurses.

Employers do not have to provide benefits, such as dental plans or prescription drug plans, for their employees. However, if they choose to do so there are rules about including part-time employees.

Part-time employees must receive benefits:

• after their first 26 weeks of employment if they worked at least 390 hours
• after 1 year of employment if they work at least 780 hours a year

It is important to note that part-time employees do not need to receive the same level of benefits as full-time employees in all cases. For example, part-time employees that work fewer than 30 hours per week need to receive at least 50% of the benefits.