Nova Scotia Statutory Holidays (2026): The 6 Paid Holidays, Who Qualifies and How Holiday Pay Works

Nova Scotia has the shortest list of paid holidays of any province: six. But it also has a separate list of retail closing days, a separate law for Remembrance Day, and an eligibility test that trips up a lot of employers — the "15 of 30 days" rule. This guide is for Nova Scotia employers, payroll staff and employees in 2026. It sets out the paid holidays with dates for 2026 and 2027, explains Heritage Day, shows exactly who qualifies, walks through how to calculate a regular or average day's pay, and covers working a holiday, continuous operations and Remembrance Day, with examples in Canadian dollars.

Quick answer

Nova Scotia has 6 paid holidays, including Heritage Day in February. To qualify, an employee must have been entitled to pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday and must have worked their last scheduled shift before and first scheduled shift after it. A qualifying employee who has the day off gets a regular day's pay; one who works it gets that plus 1.5 times their rate for each hour.

• Paid holidays: New Year's, Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, Christmas

• Not paid holidays: Victoria Day, Natal Day, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day, Easter Monday

• Variable hours: average the last 30 days to find the day's pay

• Holiday on a day off: another paid day off

• Remembrance Day has its own Act — most businesses close

Nova Scotia paid holidays: dates for 2026 and 2027

The 2026 dates come from Nova Scotia Labour Standards' holiday chart. The 2027 dates follow the same fixed dates and Monday rules; the chart hadn't been updated for 2027 when this page was checked, so confirm there before finalizing next year's schedule.

Heritage Day

Nova Scotia Heritage Day is the province's February holiday, held on the third Monday of the month — the day other provinces call Family Day, Louis Riel Day or Islander Day. It gives Nova Scotia a winter long weekend, and it is also a designated retail closing day, so most shops close. For payroll it's simply a paid holiday with the same eligibility tests and pay rules as Canada Day or Labour Day: a qualifying employee who has the day off gets a regular day's pay, and one who works it gets that plus time and a half.

Days that are not paid holidays

Several days that many Nova Scotians get off are not paid holidays under the Labour Standards Code. Labour Standards specifically names Easter Monday, Victoria Day and Natal Day (the August civic holiday) as days that are neither paid general holidays nor retail closing days. Thanksgiving, Easter Sunday and Boxing Day are retail closing days but not paid holidays. Remembrance Day is handled by its own Act.

An employer can choose to give any of these days off with pay. If the employer agrees to it — in a contract, a policy or an offer letter — Labour Standards says it may be able to enforce that agreement. So a business that promises staff "all the usual holidays including Victoria Day and Boxing Day" should expect to honour that promise.

Paid holidays versus retail closing days

Nova Scotia keeps two separate lists, and they're often confused. The six paid holidays decide who gets paid. The designated retail closing days decide which shops must close. In 2026, the retail closing days are New Year's Day, Heritage Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday (5 April), Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving (12 October), Christmas Day and Boxing Day (26 December).

Paid holiday or retail closing day? (2026)

Day	Paid holiday	Retail closing day
New Year's Day, Heritage Day, Good Friday	Yes	Yes
Canada Day, Labour Day, Christmas Day	Yes	Yes
Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day	No	Yes
Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Natal Day	No	No
Remembrance Day	Own Act	Most businesses close

New Year's Day, Heritage Day, Good Friday

Paid holiday

Yes

Retail closing day

Yes

Canada Day, Labour Day, Christmas Day

Paid holiday

Yes

Retail closing day

Yes

Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day

Paid holiday

No

Retail closing day

Yes

Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Natal Day

Paid holiday

No

Retail closing day

No

Remembrance Day

Paid holiday

Own Act

Retail closing day

Most businesses close

So a retail clerk in Halifax won't work on Boxing Day because the store must close — but unless her employer chooses to pay for the day, she won't be paid for it either. And a café or a manufacturer that isn't covered by the retail closing rules can open on Thanksgiving at regular rates.

Federally regulated employers in Nova Scotia

Banks, airlines, ports, interprovincial trucking, telecoms and other federally regulated employers follow the Canada Labour Code, which has 10 general holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Heritage Day isn't on the federal list. Federal holiday pay is one-twentieth of wages earned in the four weeks before the week of the holiday, excluding overtime.

Who qualifies for holiday pay: the 15 of 30 rule

To be paid for a holiday, a Nova Scotia employee must meet both of these conditions:

1. They were entitled to receive pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday.
2. They worked their last scheduled shift before the holiday and their first scheduled shift after it.

The wording of the first test matters. Labour Standards stresses that it's about being entitled to receive pay, not about working. Days of paid vacation, paid sick leave or paid course attendance all count. Someone who took a paid week of vacation just before Canada Day can still meet the 15-day test.

The second test only looks at shifts the employee was scheduled to work. If the employer told them not to report on the day before or after — for example, because the business was closed — they still qualify, as long as they meet the first condition.

Holiday pay can't be held back for a probation period. Eligibility depends on these two tests, not on length of service.

Example — the new hire. A warehouse worker starts on Monday, 2 February 2026, two weeks before Heritage Day. Counting back 30 calendar days from 16 February, he was entitled to pay on only 10 of those days. He doesn't meet the 15-of-30 rule, so he isn't owed holiday pay for Heritage Day. By Good Friday on 3 April he has worked for two months, easily clears the 15 days, and qualifies — provided he works his scheduled shifts on either side.

Example — the casual worker. A casual banquet server works only on weekends: 8 shifts in the 30 days before Labour Day. She was entitled to pay on 8 days, not 15, so she doesn't qualify for Labour Day pay, however reliably she has worked. This is where Nova Scotia differs most from Saskatchewan or Manitoba, which have no minimum and pay part-timers a share.

Before paying a Nova Scotia holiday, confirm

0/5

• Entitled to pay on at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before (paid leave counts)
• Worked the last scheduled shift before the holiday
• Worked the first scheduled shift after the holiday
• Not in an exempt group (collective agreement, most farm work, commission sales, fishing boats, petrochemical, some domestic work, athletes)
• Whether they're federally regulated instead

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Employees the holiday pay rules don't cover

The Code's holiday pay rules don't apply to several groups:

• employees covered by a collective agreement (their agreement governs);
• most farm employees;
• real estate and car salespeople;
• commissioned salespeople who sell away from the employer's premises, unless they're on an established route;
• employees on fishing boats;
• employees in petrochemical manufacturing or refining;
• domestic workers who care for immediate family in a private home, or who work 24 hours a week or less for a householder;
• athletes, for their athletic activities.

How to calculate holiday pay in Nova Scotia

A qualifying employee who gets the holiday off receives a regular day's pay — the pay for the hours they would normally work that day.

Steady schedule. An office administrator on C$21 an hour, 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday, gets 8 × C$21 = C$168 for Christmas Day.

Variable hours: average over 30 days. If hours change from shift to shift, average them over the 30 days before the holiday. Labour Standards' example is an employee who worked 170 hours over 20 shifts: 170 ÷ 20 = 8.5 hours, so the holiday is paid as 8.5 hours at their regular rate. At C$17.00 an hour, that's 8.5 × C$17 = C$144.50.

Commission. Commissions count as wages. The province's example: an employee who earned C$2,040, including commission, over 17 days in the 30 days before the holiday has an average day of C$2,040 ÷ 17 = C$120. That's the holiday pay.

Vacation pay is then earned on holiday pay, so make sure your payroll system treats it as vacation-eligible earnings. See our vacation pay guide for Nova Scotia's rates, including the increase from the start of the eighth year (after 7 years).

When the holiday falls on a day off

If a paid holiday falls on a day the qualifying employee doesn't normally work — a weekend for a Monday-to-Friday worker, or a weekday for a part-timer — they get another day off with pay. The employer can choose:

• the next scheduled working day,
• an extra day added to the employee's annual vacation, or
• another day agreed with the employee.

Christmas Day 2027 falls on a Saturday, so a qualifying office employee would normally get Monday, 27 December 2027 off with pay. A part-timer who works only Tuesdays and Thursdays gets a paid day off for Labour Day (2026: Monday, 7 September) even though she never works Mondays — if she qualifies under the 15-of-30 rule.

Working on a paid holiday

The Code doesn't stop employers from scheduling work on a paid holiday, although some retail businesses must close, and an employee scheduled to work a holiday at a business that's required to close may have the right to refuse.

A qualifying employee who works the holiday receives:

• a regular (or average) day's pay, and
• 1.5 times their regular rate for each hour worked that day.

Example. A line cook earns C$20 an hour and normally works 8-hour shifts. He qualifies for Canada Day and works an 8-hour shift on it. He gets his regular day's pay of C$160, plus 8 × C$30 = C$240 for the hours worked, for a total of C$400 — two and a half times a normal day.

Example — minimum wage, short shift. A part-time clerk on C$17.00 an hour averages 5 hours a shift over the last 30 days and qualifies for Good Friday. She works a 4-hour shift. Her average day's pay is 5 × C$17 = C$85; her hours worked are 4 × C$25.50 = C$102; total C$187.

Continuous operations

Some businesses never stop: industrial plants that run around the clock, certain transport and communications services, and operations that normally work on Sundays and holidays. Labour Standards calls these continuous operations. Employers in this group can pay straight time for hours worked on a holiday and give the employee a different day off with pay instead of the time-and-a-half premium. An employee in a continuous operation who's called in to work a holiday and doesn't report loses their holiday pay.

Running Nova Scotia holiday pay each time

1. 1

   Apply the 15-of-30 test

   Count days in the 30 calendar days before the holiday when the employee was entitled to pay — worked or paid leave.

2. 2

   Check the shifts before and after

   Did they work their last scheduled shift before and first scheduled shift after? Shifts the employer cancelled don't count against them.

3. 3

   Work out a regular or average day

   Steady schedule: normal day's pay. Variable: average hours (or earnings, for commission) over the last 30 days.

4. 4

   Add 1.5× for hours worked

   Or, in a continuous operation, straight time plus another paid day off.

5. 5

   Give a replacement day if it fell on a day off

   Next scheduled workday, added to vacation, or an agreed day.

Remembrance Day in Nova Scotia

Remembrance Day isn't a paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code or a designated retail closing day. It's governed by the Remembrance Day Act, which works differently.

Who must close. The Act broadly prohibits working, selling or buying goods on 11 November, so most grocery stores, big-box stores and malls close. Some retail businesses can open — stand-alone drug stores, service stations, hospitality businesses including veterans' and fraternal organizations, stores with no more than three people working at a time, and bakeries baking for the next day — along with hospitals, care facilities, licensed daycares, emergency services, public transit and other essential operations. Alcohol sales and performances, games and sports are prohibited before noon, and businesses that are open must pause for three minutes of silence starting at 10:59 a.m.

Exempt sectors. Farming, fishing and aquaculture, Christmas tree operations, tree harvesting and forestry, and industrial undertakings such as mines, factories, construction and call centres don't have to close. For them, 11 November is a regular workday.

Pay. An employee earns another day off with pay if they work for a business that's permitted to open (not an exempt sector), work on 11 November, and received wages for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before. That day off is taken on the next working day after the employee's annual vacation or on another agreed day. There is no premium pay for working Remembrance Day under the Act, although a collective agreement or contract can provide it. Employees who don't work that day aren't paid for it unless the employer chooses to.

Example. A pharmacist's assistant at a stand-alone drug store in Dartmouth works 11 November and has been on payroll all autumn. She's paid her normal wages for the shift and earns a paid day off, which her employer adds to the end of her next vacation. A shipyard welder in an industrial undertaking works the same day for regular pay and earns no extra day.

Employers who knowingly let staff work in breach of the Act face a fine of up to C$15,000.

Official links

• Nova Scotia — holiday payEligibility, calculation, exemptions
• Nova Scotia — holiday and retail closing day chartsDates
• Nova Scotia — Remembrance Day ActClosures and pay
• Remembrance Day Act assessment toolCan my business open?
• Federal — vacations and general holidaysFor federally regulated employers

Common mistakes Nova Scotia employers make

Counting worked days for the 15-of-30 rule. It's days the employee was entitled to pay, so paid vacation and sick days count. Leaving them out wrongly disqualifies people.

Paying Victoria Day, Thanksgiving or Boxing Day by habit — then stopping. None is a paid holiday, but once you've promised it in writing, Labour Standards may enforce it. Decide deliberately.

Forgetting the replacement day. A qualifying employee whose holiday falls on a day off is owed another paid day, which is easy to miss for part-timers.

Using a flat 8 hours for everyone. For variable schedules, average the last 30 days.

Treating Remembrance Day like a general holiday. Staff who work it get a later paid day off, not time and a half — and only if their business is allowed to open and isn't exempt.

Overtime in a holiday week

Nova Scotia's overtime threshold is 48 hours a week, at 1.5 times the regular rate. That's a high threshold, so a week with a paid holiday rarely produces overtime for full-time staff. Where it does — for example, a shift worker who works the holiday and then picks up extra shifts — check how your payroll system treats the holiday hours that already carry the time-and-a-half premium, and confirm the treatment with Labour Standards if it isn't clear. Our overtime pay guide covers the rules in every province.

What to do next

Put the 2026 and 2027 paid holidays and retail closing days into your payroll calendar, set up a 15-of-30 check that counts paid leave, and write down which extra days — if any — you give with pay. If you employ people in other provinces, compare our guides to statutory holidays in New Brunswick and statutory holidays in Ontario, and check the minimum wage. Our salary slip generator can show holiday pay and premium pay as separate lines.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

How many statutory holidays are there in Nova Scotia?

The Labour Standards Code gives qualifying employees 6 paid holidays: New Year's Day, Nova Scotia Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day and Christmas Day. Remembrance Day is governed by a separate law, the Remembrance Day Act. Victoria Day, Natal Day, Thanksgiving, Boxing Day and Easter Monday are not paid holidays for provincially regulated employers.

Who qualifies for holiday pay in Nova Scotia?

An employee qualifies if they were entitled to receive pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday, and they worked their last scheduled shift before the holiday and their first scheduled shift after it. The 15 days don't have to be days worked: paid vacation, paid sick days or paid training count. There is no probation period for holiday pay.

What is Heritage Day in Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia Heritage Day is the province's February paid holiday, held on the third Monday in February — the day most other provinces call Family Day. In 2026 it fell on Monday, 16 February, and in 2027 it falls on Monday, 15 February. It is one of the six paid holidays and also a designated retail closing day.

What do you get paid for working a stat holiday in Nova Scotia?

A qualifying employee who works a paid holiday gets a regular (or average) day's pay plus 1.5 times their regular rate for every hour worked. In continuous operations — such as factories that never stop or some transport and communications services — the employer can instead pay straight time and give another paid day off.

Is Boxing Day a stat holiday in Nova Scotia?

Boxing Day is not a paid holiday under the Labour Standards Code, so there's no legal requirement to pay staff who have it off. It is, however, a designated retail closing day, so most retail stores must close. Federally regulated employers in Nova Scotia must treat Boxing Day as a general holiday.

Do you get paid for Remembrance Day in Nova Scotia?

Not automatically. Most businesses must close on 11 November under the Remembrance Day Act. An employee who works that day in a business allowed to open, and received wages for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before, earns another day off with pay. There is no premium pay, and employees who simply have the day off are not owed pay.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 13 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Holiday pay — Labour Standards — Government of Nova Scotia · accessed 13 October 2026
2. 2.Holiday and retail closing day charts — Government of Nova Scotia · accessed 13 October 2026
3. 3.Remembrance Day Act — Labour Standards — Government of Nova Scotia · accessed 13 October 2026
4. 4.Minimum wage — Labour Standards — Government of Nova Scotia · accessed 13 October 2026
5. 5.Remembrance Day Act — additional information — Government of Nova Scotia · accessed 13 October 2026
6. 6.Annual vacations and general holidays (federally regulated employers) — Employment and Social Development Canada · accessed 13 October 2026