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Nova Scotia Leave & Compensation

Minimum Wage

$16.75, as of April 1, 2026

set to increase to $17.00, as of October 1, 2026 

Separate Minimum Wages

  • Alternate rates for logging, forestry, construction workers based on hourly/monthly:
  • Hourly: $16.75 per hour.
    • Monthly: $3,293.10 per month. 

Standard Work Hours

48 hours per week  

Sick Days

5 days' unpaid Sick Leave for illness or injury to the employee 

Average Workers’ Comp Assessment Rate 2026

$2.65 per $100 assessable payroll

Workers’ Comp Maximum Assessable/Insurable Earnings 2026

$79,900

All leaves are unpaid unless specified otherwise:    

3 days' Family Responsibility Leave to care for an ill parent, child, or family member or for medical, dental, or other similar appointments for the employee or a family member 

16 weeks' Pregnancy Leave 

61 weeks' Parental Leave 

5 consecutive days' Bereavement Leave for death of a family member 

28 weeks' Compassionate Care Leave to care for designated family members or persons who are like family to the employee 

37 weeks' Critically Ill Child Leave to care for a critically ill child family member under age 18 

16 weeks' Critically Ill Adult Leave to care for a critically ill adult family member age 18 or older 

10 days' or 16 consecutive weeks' Domestic Violence Leave, the first 5 days of which must be paid, for employees with at least 3 months' employment 

24 months' Reservist Leave in a 60-month period for a reservist in the Canadian Forces, except in a national emergency in which case leave can last longer 

52 consecutive weeks' Crime-Related Child Disappearance Leave if employee's child disappears as a probable result of a crime  

104 consecutive weeks' Crime-Related Child Death Leave if employee's child dies as a probable result of a crime  

Emergency Leave for as long as necessary as employees can't work due to a declared emergency, including needing to care for a family member affected by such an emergency 

27 weeks' Serious Illness or Injury Leave if employee is diagnosed with a serious injury or illness 

Court Leave for as long as necessary if employee must serve on a jury or the court says that they must appear as a witness 

1 day Citizenship Ceremony Leave to attend their own citizenship ceremony 

Vacation Employee must work 1 full year to be entitled to vacation time 

  • 2 weeks of vacation after each of the first 7 years of employment paid at least 4% of vacationable earnings 
  • 3 weeks of vacation after 8 consecutive years of employment and paid at least 6% of vacationable earnings 

Statutory Holidays Statutory Holidays

New Year's Day Good Friday Labour Day
Nova Scotia Heritage Day Canada Day Christmas Day

Stat Holiday Pay Entitlement

To be eligible for stat holiday pay, employee must: i. Be entitled to receive pay for at least 15 of the 30 calendar days before the holiday; and ii. Have worked on their last scheduled shift or day before the holiday and on the first scheduled shift or day after the holiday.

Stat Holiday Pay Amount

If worked: Time and a half for the hours worked on the holiday plus a regular day's pay 

If not worked: Regular day's pay