New Brunswick has eight paid public holidays when qualifying employees are entitled to a paid day off.

The holidays are New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, New Brunswick Day, Labour Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day.

If you qualify and work on a public holiday, you generally receive your regular day’s pay plus 1.5 times your regular wage for every hour worked.

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New Brunswick Stat Holidays 2026

There are eight paid public holidays in New Brunswick in 2026.

Public Holiday 2026 Date
New Year’s Day Thursday, January 1
Family Day Monday, February 16
Good Friday Friday, April 3
Canada Day Wednesday, July 1
New Brunswick Day Monday, August 3
Labour Day Monday, September 7
Remembrance Day Wednesday, November 11
Christmas Day Friday, December 25
💡 New Brunswick has eight paid public holidays under its Employment Standards Act. Thanksgiving, Victoria Day and Boxing Day are not included in that list.

Who Qualifies for Stat Holiday Pay in New Brunswick?

To qualify for a paid public holiday in New Brunswick, you generally need at least 90 calendar days of employment during the previous 12 months.

You must also meet the province’s attendance requirements.

Generally, you must:

  • Have been employed by your current employer for at least 90 calendar days during the 12 months before the holiday.
  • Work your regular scheduled day before the holiday.
  • Work your regular scheduled day after the holiday.
  • Report for work if you agreed to work on the public holiday.

You do not automatically lose the entitlement if you miss a scheduled shift for a reasonable cause. Illness can be an acceptable reason.

Do part-time employees get stat holiday pay?

Yes. Part-time employees can qualify if they meet the same service and attendance requirements.

Do casual employees qualify?

Not always. Employees who are free to decide whether to accept individual offers of work are excluded from the normal public holiday entitlement.

Are any occupations excluded?

Yes. New Brunswick excludes certain occupations from paid public holiday rules, including some professionals and commission-based sales employees.

How Is Stat Holiday Pay Calculated in New Brunswick?

A qualifying employee who does not work on the public holiday receives their regular wages for that day.

If your wages and working hours are consistent, that normally means the wages you would have earned on a regular working day.

What if your wages vary?

If your wages vary from day to day, your public holiday pay is based on your average daily earnings during the 30 calendar days before the holiday.

Overtime earnings are excluded from that calculation.

Can holiday pay be paid as 4% of wages?

Yes. New Brunswick allows an employer to use an alternative system by paying an additional 4% of the employee’s gross wages beginning on the first day of employment.

If that system is used and the employee works on a public holiday, the employee must still receive 1.5 times their regular rate for the hours worked.

💡 New Brunswick’s 4% option is an alternative way of providing public holiday benefits. It does not remove the premium pay owed when an employee works on the holiday.

What Do You Get If You Work on a Stat Holiday in New Brunswick?

If you qualify and work on a paid public holiday, you generally receive your regular day’s pay plus 1.5 times your regular wage for every hour worked.

For example, if you normally earn $20 per hour and work eight hours on the holiday:

  • You receive your normal public holiday pay.
  • You also receive $30 per hour for the eight hours worked.

What if you do not qualify for holiday pay?

An employee who works on the public holiday is still entitled to at least 1.5 times their regular wage for each hour worked, even if they do not qualify for the additional regular day’s holiday pay.

Are there special rules for hotels and restaurants?

Yes. Hotels, motels, tourist resorts, restaurants, taverns and certain continuous operations can use a substitute paid holiday instead of the standard premium arrangement in specific circumstances.

Under that option, the employee receives regular wages for the hours worked and another paid holiday at the time permitted by the Act.

⚠️ If you work in a hotel, restaurant or other continuous operation, special substitute-holiday rules can apply. Check which payment option your employer is actually using.

Do holiday hours count toward overtime?

No. Hours worked on a public holiday are not counted when calculating weekly overtime for that workweek.

What If a Stat Holiday Falls on a Day You Don’t Normally Work?

If a paid public holiday falls on a non-working day, a qualifying employee must receive another paid day off or, with their agreement, regular wages for the holiday.

Can another working day be substituted?

Yes. An employee and employer can agree to observe another working day instead of the actual public holiday.

The substitute day must be taken no later than the employee’s next vacation.

What if the holiday falls during vacation?

The employer must provide another paid working day or, with the employee’s agreement, pay regular wages for the holiday.

Which Holidays Are Not Stat Holidays in New Brunswick?

Several commonly observed days are not paid public holidays under New Brunswick’s Employment Standards Act.

These include:

  • Easter Monday
  • Victoria Day
  • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Boxing Day

An employer can still provide these days off under an employment contract, workplace policy or other agreement.

Is Thanksgiving a stat holiday in New Brunswick?

No. Thanksgiving is not one of New Brunswick’s eight paid public holidays under the Employment Standards Act.

Is Truth and Reconciliation Day a stat holiday in New Brunswick?

No. September 30 is not currently a paid public holiday for most provincially regulated employees in New Brunswick.

Is Boxing Day a stat holiday in New Brunswick?

No. Boxing Day is not one of the eight paid public holidays under provincial employment standards law.

What about federally regulated employees?

Federally regulated employees follow federal general-holiday rules instead of New Brunswick’s provincial rules.

This includes many employees working for banks, airlines, telecommunications companies and interprovincial transportation businesses. See our guide to federal statutory holidays in Canada.

New Brunswick Stat Holiday FAQs

How many stat holidays does New Brunswick have?

New Brunswick has eight paid public holidays.

Is Family Day a stat holiday in New Brunswick?

Yes. Family Day is a paid public holiday on the third Monday in February.

Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in New Brunswick?

Yes. November 11 is one of New Brunswick’s eight paid public holidays.

Is New Brunswick Day a stat holiday?

Yes. New Brunswick Day is a paid public holiday on the first Monday in August.

Do I need to work for 90 days first?

To qualify for the normal paid-holiday entitlement, you generally need at least 90 calendar days of employment during the previous 12 months.

Can my employer make me work on a stat holiday?

Yes. If you work, your employer must provide the compensation required by New Brunswick law.

Note: Samfiru Tumarkin LLP does not currently handle employment-law matters in New Brunswick. Employees with concerns about unpaid public holiday pay can contact New Brunswick Employment Standards for information about enforcing their provincial rights. We do handle long-term disability claims in New Brunswick, specifically when those LTD claims are denied.

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