🇨🇦 BC Vacation Pay Calculator 2025

Vacation pay is at least 4% of total wages for employees with less than 5 years of employment, and at least 6% for employees with 5 or more consecutive years. Multiply the total wages earned during the entitlement year by the applicable percentage.

4% for less than 5 years, 6% for 5+ consecutive years. Employers can provide MORE via a written agreement (e.g., 8%), and those agreements are enforceable.

Regular wages, salary, commissions, overtime, statutory holiday pay, paid sick days, and previously paid vacation pay all count. Commissions must be paid on all commissions earned — they cannot be "built into" the commission rate.

Tips and gratuities, automobile allowances, living allowances, travel allowances, and expense reimbursements are excluded from total wages for vacation pay purposes.

Vacation pay must be paid at least 7 days before vacation begins, OR on each scheduled payday if agreed in writing, OR as provided by a collective agreement.

All remaining vacation pay must be paid on your last pay cheque. All amounts due must be paid within 48 hours of termination. If you worked less than 5 calendar days, you are not entitled to vacation pay.

No. Under the BC ESA, employees must take time off for annual vacation and receive vacation pay. Employees cannot skip vacation time and just receive vacation pay.

Any agreement providing MORE than the ESA minimum (e.g., 8% vacation pay or 4 weeks of vacation time) is enforceable. Employers must uphold agreements that exceed the minimum requirements.

Under BC ESA, employees employed for 5 calendar days or less are not entitled to vacation pay. This is a hard cutoff.

Vacation must be taken within 12 months of being earned. Employers can schedule vacation according to business needs, but they must ensure employees can take their days within that 12-month window.