Stat Holidays Alberta 2026 and 2027: The 9 General Holidays

Alberta calls its stat holidays “general holidays”. The nine are set by section 25 of the Employment Standards Code and cover most provincially regulated workplaces. Banks, airlines, telecoms and other federally regulated employers follow the Canada Labour Code instead, which adds September 30 and Boxing Day and drops Family Day (see statutory holidays across Canada). To count working days between two dates in Alberta, use the business days calculator.

Alberta stat holidays 2026

Alberta stat holidays 2027

When a general holiday falls on a weekend: the Code does not move it to a weekday. For example, Christmas Day 2027 falls on a Saturday and stays on Saturday, December 25. The weekday after a weekend holiday (Monday, December 27, 2027 in that case) is listed separately in the optional tables because many weekday workplaces close then, but that is common practice, not a legal rule, and the business-day counts below treat it as a working day. An employee whose regular day off falls on a general holiday gets no holiday pay unless they work that day. The one exception is Canada Day: when July 1 is a Sunday, Monday, July 2 is the holiday.

Counting the nine general holidays on their actual dates (optional days stay working days), Alberta has 252 business days (Monday to Friday) in 2026 and 253 in 2027.

General holidays vs optional holidays in Alberta

The nine general holidays are New Year’s Day, Alberta Family Day (third Monday in February), Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day (second Monday in October), Remembrance Day (November 11) and Christmas Day. Every eligible employee gets general holiday pay for these.

• Easter Monday: optional. Good Friday is a general holiday; Easter Monday is not.
• Heritage Day (first Monday in August): optional. Many employers give it off, but they don’t have to.
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30): optional in Alberta. It is a general holiday for federally regulated workers and a stat holiday in B.C.
• Boxing Day (December 26): optional in Alberta, unlike Ontario and the federal list.

An optional day becomes a general holiday if the employer designates it as one, on its own or in an agreement with employees (section 25(k) of the Code). From then on the general holiday pay rules below apply to it.

Who gets general holiday pay in Alberta

An employee is eligible if they have worked for the same employer on 30 work days or more in the 12 months before the holiday. The days don’t have to be in a row, so part-time workers can qualify. An eligible employee still loses the holiday pay if they:

• don’t work on the general holiday when required or scheduled to, or
• are absent without the employer’s consent on their last regular work day before the holiday or their first regular work day after it.

For people with irregular schedules, a holiday counts as a normal work day if they worked that same day of the week in at least 5 of the 9 weeks before the week of the holiday. Some industries, such as construction, have their own rules; see the province’s exceptions pages.

How Alberta general holiday pay is calculated

General holiday pay is based on the average daily wage: the employee’s total wages in the 4 weeks before the holiday (or the 4 weeks ending on the last day of the previous pay period, as the employer chooses), divided by the number of days worked in that period. Overtime pay is left out.

Situation (eligible employee)	What the employer must pay
Holiday on a normal work day, employee has the day off	At least the average daily wage
Holiday on a normal work day, employee works	Either the average daily wage plus 1.5 times the wage rate for each hour worked, or regular wages for the hours worked plus another day off with the average daily wage, taken no later than the next annual vacation
Holiday on a day that is not a normal work day, employee works	At least 1.5 times the wage rate for each hour worked
Holiday on a day that is not a normal work day, employee doesn’t work	No general holiday pay
Holiday during annual vacation	An extra day off with the average daily wage, on the first day back or another agreed work day before the next vacation

Employees paid entirely by commission are treated as earning minimum wage when working out pay for hours worked on a general holiday.

What’s open and closed on Alberta stat holidays

• Banks: banks are federally regulated, and branches generally close on the holidays Alberta shares with the federal list (New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day and Christmas). On Family Day, Heritage Day, Easter Monday, September 30 and Boxing Day, hours vary by bank. Check your own branch.
• Canada Post: follows its own holiday schedule; check canadapost-postescanada.ca for the day.
• Government offices: generally closed on the general holidays; check the office before you go.
• Liquor stores, grocery stores and malls: varies by store and location. Many open with holiday hours; check the store.
• Is a stat holiday a business day? No. Deadlines counted in business days usually skip Alberta general holidays and weekends; check the contract or rule that sets the deadline.

Frequently asked questions

How many stat holidays are there in Alberta?

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. Employers can recognize more.

Is Boxing Day a stat holiday in Alberta?

No. Boxing Day is an optional holiday in Alberta. Employers don’t have to give the day off or pay general holiday pay unless they have designated it as a general holiday.

Is Heritage Day a stat holiday in Alberta?

No. Heritage Day, the first Monday in August, is optional. Its dates are in the optional tables above. Employers who give it may designate it as a general holiday, and then holiday pay applies.

Is September 30 a stat holiday in Alberta?

No. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an optional holiday in Alberta. Federally regulated workers in Alberta, such as bank and airline staff, do get it as a general holiday under the Canada Labour Code.

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

Yes, if they have worked 30 days or more for the same employer in the 12 months before the holiday and the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. Pay is their average daily wage.

Sources: General holidays and general holiday pay (alberta.ca) and the Employment Standards Code, sections 24.1 to 32 (Alberta King’s Printer), last checked October 21, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice; for your own situation, contact Alberta Employment Standards.

More holiday calendars: all holidays and what’s open, Canada statutory holidays, BC stat holidays, Ontario statutory holidays, and the business days calculator.