Alberta Stat Holidays 2026: An Employer's Guide

Picture a bakery in Inglewood heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend. Two staff work the Monday, one usually works Mondays but has it off, and a part-timer who only works weekends is wondering whether she gets anything. Each of those four people is owed something different, and payroll is due Friday. If you need the Alberta statutory holidays for 2026 from the employer side, this guide covers the dates, who qualifies, and how the pay works in each situation, in plain language.

One quick note on wording: Alberta's rules call these general holidays. Most people say "stat holidays." Same thing.

Alberta stat holidays 2026 and 2027

Alberta has nine general holidays. Here are the dates for this year and next, so you can plan schedules ahead.

Optional holidays

Some days are not general holidays in Alberta, but you can choose to recognize them. If you do, the general holiday rules apply to them for your business, so decide deliberately and put it in writing.

• Easter Monday: April 6, 2026
• Heritage Day: August 3, 2026 and August 2, 2027
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: September 30
• Boxing Day: December 26

Many small businesses close on Boxing Day or Heritage Day out of habit without ever deciding whether they "recognize" it. Make the call once, write it in your employee handbook, and treat it the same way every year.

Who qualifies for general holiday pay

An employee is eligible if they have worked for you on at least 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday. Note it is workdays, not calendar days, so a part-timer who has worked 30 shifts over the year can qualify.

An otherwise eligible employee loses general holiday pay for that holiday if they:

• are absent on the holiday itself when they were scheduled or required to work, or
• are absent without your consent on their last scheduled workday before the holiday, or their first scheduled workday after it.

The key words are "without consent." If you approved the day off, or it was booked vacation, the employee has not lost anything. This is a good reason to have time off approved in writing, in one place. More on that in our guide to a vacation request system for small business.

How Alberta stat holiday pay works

The pay depends on two questions: was the holiday a day the employee would normally work, and did they actually work it?

"Regular workday" means a day the employee would normally have worked if it were not a holiday. For someone on a steady Monday-to-Friday schedule, that is easy. For staff with shifting schedules, look at their recent pattern and be consistent in how you decide.

Calculating average daily wage

Average daily wage is the employee's wages, not counting overtime, divided by the number of days they worked over a four-week period. You choose which four weeks to use:

• the four weeks immediately before the holiday, or
• the four weeks ending on the last day of the pay period before the holiday.

The second option is often easier for payroll, because the numbers are already on a completed pay period. Pick one method and use it consistently.

A worked example

These are made-up round numbers to show the arithmetic, not real rates. Say an employee earns $25 an hour and works 8-hour days. Over the four weeks before the holiday, they worked 16 days and earned $3,200, not counting overtime.

• Average daily wage: $3,200 divided by 16 days = $200.

Now the four scenarios:

1. Regular workday, did not work: they get $200.
2. Regular workday, worked 8 hours: option A is $200 plus 1.5 times $25 times 8 hours ($300), for $500. Option B is their regular $200 for the day, plus a future day off paid at $200.
3. Not a regular workday, did not work: nothing owed for the holiday.
4. Not a regular workday, came in for 8 hours: at least 1.5 times $25 times 8 hours, which is $300.

Back at the Inglewood bakery: the two staff working the Monday fall under scenario 2, the one who normally works Mondays but was off falls under scenario 1 (if eligible), and the weekend-only part-timer falls under scenario 3.

Construction has its own rules

If your employees work in construction, general holiday pay works differently. Do not use the table above for them. Check the construction rules on alberta.ca or with Employment Standards before you run payroll.

Stat holiday mistakes rarely come from not knowing the rule. They come from finding out on Thursday that the holiday was Monday.

Planning tips for small employers

Schedule early

• Put all nine general holidays, plus any optional ones you recognize, on your team calendar at the start of the year.
• Decide early whether you are open. A restaurant open on Canada Day needs that schedule out weeks ahead, not the Friday before.
• Watch the long weekends next to busy seasons. Victoria Day often kicks off the spring rush for landscapers; Thanksgiving often lands mid-fall cleanup.
• Remember long weekends attract vacation requests on the days around them. Check those against your coverage rules.

Flag payroll ahead of the holiday

• A week before each holiday, list who is scheduled, who is off, and who is eligible (30 workdays in the last 12 months).
• Note anyone who was absent without consent on the day before or after. Have the approval records handy before you remove holiday pay.
• For staff who work the holiday, decide in advance whether it is the premium option or the future-day-off option, and record it.
• Track any future days off owed so they actually get taken and paid.
• Keep the records. Alberta requires employment records to be kept for at least 3 years.

If you run payroll through QuickBooks Online or a payroll add-on, much of this can be flagged automatically. And if a holiday overlaps with someone's vacation, see Alberta vacation pay explained for how vacation pay timing works.

Alberta has consulted on giving employers more flexibility with general holidays, but nothing changes unless and until the rules themselves change, so plan using the current rules.

Where Sidekick fits

We build vacation and holiday automation for Calgary small businesses: stat holidays flagged ahead of time, eligibility checked against hours worked, and time-off requests and approvals kept in one place so payroll has what it needs. It works alongside the scheduling and payroll tools you already use. Book a free call if you want to see how it would fit your team.

Frequently asked questions

How many stat holidays does Alberta have?

Alberta has nine general holidays: New Year's Day, Alberta Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day. Easter Monday, Heritage Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Boxing Day are optional for employers.

Who is eligible for general holiday pay in Alberta?

Employees who have worked for the same employer on at least 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday. They can lose eligibility by missing the holiday when scheduled, or by being absent without consent on the last scheduled day before or first scheduled day after.

What do I pay an employee who works on a stat holiday in Alberta?

If it is a regular workday, pay average daily wage plus 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked, or regular wages plus a future paid day off. If it is not a regular workday, pay at least 1.5 times their wage rate for hours worked.

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

They can. Eligibility is based on 30 workdays in the past 12 months, not on full-time status, and pay depends on whether the holiday falls on a day they would normally work.