PEI Stat Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules

Prince Edward Island has eight statutory holidays when qualifying employees are entitled to a paid holiday.

The paid holidays are New Year’s Day, Islander Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day.

If you qualify and work on a statutory holiday, your employer must provide additional compensation. If the holiday falls on a day you normally don’t work, you are generally entitled to another paid day off.

On This Page:

• 1. PEI Stat Holidays 2026
• 2. Who Qualifies for Holiday Pay
• 3. How Stat Holiday Pay Is Calculated
• 4. Working on a Stat Holiday
• 5. Holidays on Your Day Off
• 6. Holidays That Are Not Stat Holidays
• 7. FAQs

PEI Stat Holidays 2026

There are eight statutory holidays in Prince Edward Island in 2026.

Who Qualifies for Stat Holiday Pay in PEI?

To qualify for statutory holiday pay in PEI, employees must meet the province’s eligibility rules.

Generally, you must:

• Have worked for your employer for at least 30 calendar days before the holiday
• Have received pay on at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday
• Work your last scheduled shift before the holiday and your first scheduled shift after it.

You do not lose holiday pay simply because your employer gave you permission not to work one of those scheduled shifts or you had a valid reason for being absent.

You can lose the entitlement if you agree to work the statutory holiday and then fail to report for work without a valid reason.

Do part-time employees get stat holiday pay in PEI?

Yes, part-time employees can qualify if they meet the same eligibility requirements.

Do casual employees qualify?

Not always. An employee who is free to accept or reject individual offers of work can fall outside the paid-holiday entitlement.

How Is Stat Holiday Pay Calculated in PEI?

PEI holiday pay is 5% of your regular wages earned in the four weeks before the statutory holiday.

Overtime pay is not included in that calculation. Vacation pay and other holiday pay received during the four-week period are included.

For example, if your qualifying regular wages during the four weeks before the holiday were $4,000:

$4,000 × 5% = $200 in holiday pay.

This calculation is important because PEI introduced a new Employment Standards Act on June 30, 2026. Older information describing a different statutory holiday-pay formula may no longer reflect the current law.

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

If you qualify and work on a paid holiday, your employer must give you premium compensation or another paid holiday.

Your employer must provide one of these two options:

• Holiday pay plus time-and-a-half: You receive your normal holiday pay plus 1.5 times your regular wage rate for every hour you work on the holiday; or
• Regular wages plus another paid day off: You receive your regular wages for the hours worked and take another day off with holiday pay.

If you receive another paid day off, you and your employer must agree on the date, and it must be taken before your next vacation.

Is working on a PEI stat holiday automatically overtime?

No. Statutory holiday premium pay and overtime are separate rules. Working on a holiday does not automatically mean every hour is an overtime hour.

What If a Stat Holiday Falls on Your Day Off?

If a statutory holiday falls on a day you normally do not work, your employer must give you another paid day off.

The replacement holiday can generally be:

• Your next working day after the statutory holiday
• The day immediately after your vacation
• Another day you and your employer agree to before your next vacation.

What if the holiday happens during my vacation?

A paid holiday during your vacation does not simply use up one of your vacation days. Your vacation must be extended by one day and you must receive holiday pay for the statutory holiday.

Which Holidays Are Not Stat Holidays in PEI?

Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory paid holidays under PEI’s Employment Standards Act.

An employer can still choose to give employees these or other days off with pay. A workplace policy, employment contract or collective agreement can also provide benefits beyond the minimum requirements in the legislation.

Don’t assume a holiday is provincially protected simply because federal government offices, banks or other workplaces are closed.

What about federally regulated employees in PEI?

Federally regulated employees follow federal general-holiday rules instead of PEI’s provincial statutory holiday rules.

This can apply to employees working in industries such as banks, airlines, telecommunications and interprovincial transportation. See our guide to federal statutory holidays in Canada.

PEI Stat Holiday FAQs

How many stat holidays does PEI have?

PEI has eight statutory paid holidays.

Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in PEI?

Yes. November 11 is a statutory paid holiday for qualifying PEI employees.

Is Truth and Reconciliation Day a stat holiday in PEI?

Yes. September 30 is one of PEI’s eight paid holidays.

Is Thanksgiving a stat holiday in PEI?

No. Thanksgiving is not a statutory paid holiday under PEI employment standards law.

Is Boxing Day a stat holiday in PEI?

No. Employers can choose to recognize Boxing Day, but PEI law does not require it as a paid holiday.

Can my employer make me work on a stat holiday?

Yes, employees can be required to work a paid holiday in appropriate workplaces, but qualifying employees must receive the compensation required by PEI law.

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