What is the minimum wage in Quebec in 2026?

$16.60 an hour since May 1, 2026, up $0.50. It applies to full-time and part-time work.

What is the rate for employees who receive tips?

$13.30 an hour since May 1, 2026, not counting tips. It is reserved for employees who usually receive tips in a restaurant (except fast food), a bar, a meal service for off-site consumption or a tourist accommodation establishment.

When does the minimum wage change?

In Quebec, on May 1 in recent years (the 2026 rate was announced on January 22). In 2026, elsewhere: April 1 federally and in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon, June 1 in British Columbia, September 1 in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, October 1 in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Nova Scotia changed on April 1 and October 1, 2026; Prince Edward Island changes on April 1, 2027. Alberta has not changed since 2018.

What is the minimum wage in Alberta and Manitoba?

$15.00 an hour in Alberta since October 1, 2018 ($13.00 for students under 18, for the first 28 hours of the week while school is in session); $16.40 in Manitoba since October 1, 2026.

Which province has the highest minimum wage?

Nunavut, at $20.17 an hour since September 1, 2026. Among the provinces, British Columbia leads, at $18.25 since June 1, 2026.

Minimum wage in Canada 2026 by province, with Quebec’s tipped rate

This table gives the minimum wage of every Canadian province and territory, and the federal rate, with the date of the last change and of the next one. Every rate was checked on November 11, 2026 on the government’s own site; the official links are below the table. Rates are in dollars per hour.

The 2026 minimum wage by province and territory

Province or territory	General rate	Special rates	In effect since	Next change
British Columbia	$18.25	Liquor servers: $18.25, the general rate	June 1, 2026	June 1, 2027: indexed to the B.C. CPI, rate not yet published
Alberta	$15.00	Students under 18: $13.00 for the first 28 hours of the week while school is in session	October 1, 2018	No increase announced
Saskatchewan	$15.70	—	October 1, 2026	October 1, 2027: indexation formula, announced by June 30
Manitoba	$16.40	—	October 1, 2026	Not yet announced
Ontario	$17.95	Students under 18 (28 hours a week or less while school is in session, or during a school break): $16.90	October 1, 2026	October 1, 2027: indexed to the Ontario CPI
Quebec	$16.60	Employees who receive tips: $13.30	May 1, 2026	Usually May 1; the 2027 rate is not yet announced
New Brunswick	$15.90	—	April 1, 2026	Adjusted to the New Brunswick CPI; not yet announced
Nova Scotia	$17.00	—	October 1, 2026 ($16.75 since April 1, 2026)	Not yet announced
Prince Edward Island	$17.30	—	October 1, 2026	April 1, 2027: $17.60
Newfoundland and Labrador	$16.35	—	April 1, 2026	April 1, 2027: adjusted every April 1 to the CPI, not yet announced
Yukon	$18.51	—	April 1, 2026	Not yet announced
Northwest Territories	$17.20	—	September 1, 2026	September 1, 2027: annual formula (Yellowknife CPI and average hourly wage)
Nunavut	$20.17	—	September 1, 2026	September 1, 2027: annual formula (Iqaluit CPI and average hourly wage)
Federal (banks, interprovincial transportation, telecommunications…)	$18.15	—	April 1, 2026	Adjusted to the Canadian CPI; not yet announced

The highest is Nunavut’s ($20.17); the lowest is Alberta’s ($15.00), unchanged since 2018. The federal rate only applies to federally regulated businesses; if the rate of the province where the employee works is higher, the employer pays that one.

Tipped rate: Quebec is the only province that keeps a lower rate for employees who receive tips. In British Columbia, the liquor server rate is the general rate; in Ontario, a liquor server is also paid the general minimum wage.

In Quebec: $16.60, and $13.30 for tipped employees

Since May 1, 2026, the general rate is $16.60 an hour (up $0.50) and the tipped rate is $13.30 an hour (up $0.40, or 3.10%). Both apply to full-time and part-time work. The 2026 rate was announced on January 22; in recent years, Quebec has changed its minimum wage on May 1.

Who can be paid the tipped rate

Only an employee who usually receives tips and works:

in a restaurant, except fast-food outlets and places where customers choose and pay before eating;
for a business that sells, delivers or serves meals to be eaten elsewhere;
in premises where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed on site;
in a tourist accommodation establishment, campgrounds included.

The hourly wage must reach at least $13.30 not counting tips. A fast-food counter employee who receives tips stays at the general rate of $16.60.

The 8% rule and the rest of the pay

In a restaurant or a bar, when the tips an employee declares on their sales do not reach 8% of those sales, the employer allocates the difference. The tip declaration and allocation calculator works it out for a pay period.

Declared tips also count toward vacation pay: the vacation pay calculator gives the 4% or 6%. At minimum wage, 40 hours a week come to $664 gross; the Quebec net salary calculator gives what is left after income tax, QPP, employment insurance and QPIP.

Tracking the hours paid at minimum wage

Minimum wage is checked against the hours worked in each pay period. InnoBooks does not run payroll; it keeps each employee’s schedules and timesheets, in PDF, for the person who does. Try InnoBooks free.

Minimum wage in Canada 2026: every province, with Quebec’s tipped rate