Your rights at work in BC

Knowing your rights helps you spot problems early and speak up with confidence. In BC, most workers are covered by the Employment Standards Act. The rules below are the minimum. Your employer can always offer you more.

We checked these facts on October 11, 2026. Rules and rates change, so follow the links to the official pages for the latest details.

Minimum wage

BC's general minimum wage is $18.25 an hour. It took effect on June 1, 2026 (BC minimum wage). Before that, it was $17.85. BC now updates the rate each June 1, based on inflation.

The general rate applies whether you work full-time, part-time, or casual. BC has no lower rate for students or for servers. A few jobs, like live-in camp leaders and resident caretakers, have their own rates.

Getting paid

From Getting paid for work:

You must be paid at least twice a month. A pay period can't be longer than 16 days.
All the money you earned, including overtime and statutory holiday pay, must be paid within 8 days after the end of the pay period.
Your employer can't deduct business costs from your wages.
If your employer requires a uniform, they must provide it at no cost to you.

Pay statements. You must get a wage statement every payday (wage statements). It must show your employer's name and address, your hours worked, your wage rate, any overtime hours, your gross and net pay, and the amount and purpose of each deduction.

Tips. Your employer can't keep your tips or force you to give them up. They can share tips among staff through a tip pool (tips and gratuities).

Training and trial shifts. Training your employer requires to learn your job is work, and it must be paid. A trial shift is work, too (BC Employment Standards definitions).

Minimum daily pay. If you report for a scheduled shift, you must be paid for at least 2 hours, even if you work less. If you were scheduled for more than 8 hours, you must be paid for at least 4 hours. There are some exceptions, for example if you ask to leave early (minimum daily pay).

Breaks and rest

From Hours of work and overtime:

You can't work more than 5 hours in a row without a 30-minute meal break. The break is unpaid, unless your employer requires you to work or stay available during it.
Coffee breaks are not required by law.
You must get at least 8 hours off between shifts.
You must get at least 32 hours in a row off each week.

Overtime

From Overtime pay:

Time-and-a-half for hours over 8 in a day (up to 12), and for hours over 40 in a week
Double time for hours over 12 in a day
The week runs from Sunday to Saturday. Only the first 8 hours you work each day count toward weekly overtime.

Some employees have an averaging agreement, which changes how overtime is counted.

Sick days, holidays, and vacation

Sick days. After 90 days with your employer, you can take up to 5 paid sick days and 3 unpaid sick days each year. This includes part-time, temporary, and casual workers. Your employer may ask for reasonable proof that you were sick (paid sick leave).

Statutory holidays. BC has 11 statutory holidays in 2026 (statutory holidays). You qualify for statutory holiday pay if you have been employed for 30 calendar days and you worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before the holiday (who qualifies).

If you qualify and take the day off, you get an average day's pay.
If you qualify and work that day, you get time-and-a-half for your hours (double time over 12 hours), plus an average day's pay (how it is calculated).

Vacation. You earn vacation pay of at least 4% of your wages, rising to 6% after 5 years. After 12 months of work, you get 2 weeks of vacation, and after 5 years, 3 weeks. If you work for an employer for 5 calendar days or less, you don't get vacation pay (annual vacation).

How old do you have to be?

From Hiring young people:

16 and older: You can work under the regular employment standards.
14 or 15: You can do "light work" with written permission from a parent or guardian. Light work includes jobs like cashier, stocking shelves, food preparation, dishwashing, and serving food.
Under 14: An employer generally needs a permit from the Employment Standards Branch.
Hazardous work: Some jobs have higher minimum ages. For example, you must be 16 for construction work and 18 for logging.

Health and safety

WorkSafeBC says every worker has the right to know about hazards at work, the right to take part in health and safety activities, and the right to refuse unsafe work. Your employer must give you proper orientation, training, and supervision. Your employer can't punish you for raising a safety concern.

For safety questions, call WorkSafeBC's Prevention Information Line at 1-888-621-7233 (toll-free), or 604-276-3100 in the Lower Mainland. They can connect you with someone who speaks your language.

Where to get help

Keep records. Write down the hours you work and save every wage statement.
Talk to your employer, if you feel safe doing so. Many problems are honest mistakes.
Contact the Employment Standards Branch. Call 1-833-236-3700, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time. You can get help in the language of your choice (contact Employment Standards).
Make a complaint. You can submit a complaint online, and there is no fee. If you no longer work for the employer, you must file within 6 months of your last day of work. Your employer is not allowed to punish you for making a complaint (complaint process).

Next steps

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