New Brunswick Leave & Compensation

All you need to know about employee’s leave, compensation, statutory holidays, vacation and other entitlements under the New Brunswick Employment Standards Act  

Sick Days: 5 days’ unpaid Sick Leave for employees with at least 90 days of employment with same employer 

Leaves of Absence (all leaves are unpaid unless specified otherwise):    

  • 17 weeks’ Maternity Leave 
  • 62 consecutive weeks’ Child-Care Leave 
  • 3 days’ Family Responsibility Leave to help with the care, health or education of a family member 
  • 28 weeks’ Compassionate Care Leave to care for a person in a close family relationship who’s critically ill and at significant risk of dying  
  • 10 days’, the first 5 days of which are paid for employees with at least 90 days of employment plus 15 weeks’ Domestic, Intimate Partner or Sexual Violence Leave, if the employee or their child is a victim of domestic, intimate partner or sexual violence  
  • 37 weeks’ Critically Ill Child Leave to care for a critically ill child under age 18 
  • 16 weeks’ Critically Ill Adult Leave to care for a critically ill adult age 18 or older 
  • 24 months’ Reservist Leave in a 60-month period for a reservist in the Canadian Forces, except for a national emergency, in which case no limit applies 
  • 37 weeks’ Child Death or Disappearance Leave if employee’s child disappears or dies as a probable result of a crime  
  • 5 consecutive days’ Bereavement Leave for the death of a person in a close family relationship 
  • Court Leave for as long as necessary for employees who are summoned or selected to serve on a jury or act as a witness in a court proceeding 

Vacation: Employee must work 1 full year with same employer before being entitled to vacation time: 

  • An employee with less than 8 years of service is entitled to vacation pay equal to 4% of their gross wages (before deductions) and a vacation of whichever is less: 
  • at least one day for each month worked 

OR 

  • at least 2 weeks of vacation per year 
  • An employee with more than 8 years of service with an employer is entitled to receive vacation pay of 6% of their gross wages (before deductions) and whichever  is less:  
  • at least one and one-quarter day for each month worked 

OR 

  • at least 3 weeks of vacation per year 

Statutory Holidays: New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, New Brunswick Day, Labour Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day 

Stat Holiday Pay Eligibility: Employees qualify for paid stat holiday if they: 

  • Have been employed for at least 90 calendar days (not only workdays) during the 12 months before the public holiday  
  • Have worked their regular scheduled day before and after the holiday, unless there’s a good reason for not doing so (most reasons related to illness are considered acceptable) 
  • If they agreed to work on the public holiday, report for and work their scheduled shift, unless there’s a good reason for not doing so  

Stat Holiday Pay:  

(If worked): Time and a half for hours worked on the holiday for up to 12 hours plus double wages for time worked beyond 12 hours on the holiday plus an average day’s pay 

(If not worked): Average day’s pay 

COMPENSATION:  
Minimum Wage: $15.65 per hour  

Standard Work Hours: 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, Sunday to Saturday, unless an averaging agreement or variance applies  

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION 
Average Workers’ Comp Assessment Rate 2026: $1.10 per $100 assessable payroll
Workers’ Comp Maximum Assessable/Insurable Earnings 2026: $85,800