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Payroll and Benefits Guide Canada – Quebec

Last updated: May 01, 2022

Currency
Canadian Dollar (CAD)
Employer Taxes
Up to 16.864%
Payroll Frequency
Bi-Monthly/Monthly/ Hourly
Employee Costs
8.524%
Capital
Quebec City (State Capital)
Date Format
yyyy/mm/dd
Fiscal Year
1 April - 31 March
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Contributions

Employer

Employer Payroll Contributions

1.25-4.26%

Health Services Fund (HSF)

1.78%

Employment Insurance (applied on salary up to 61,500 CAD )

0.692%

Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) (applied on salary up to 91,000 CAD )

6.40%

Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) (applied on salary between 3,500 CAD to 66,600 CAD)

0.33%

Labor Standards

1.00%

Workforce Skills and Development (WSDRF)

1.90%

If payroll is greater than 2 million CAD,Varies based on employee classification Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST)

Up to 16.864%

Total Employment Cost

Employee

Employee Payroll Contributions

1.27%

Employment Insurance (applied on salary up to 61,500 CAD )

0.494%

Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) (applied on salary up to 91,000 CAD )

6.40%

Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) (applied on salary between 3,500 CAD to 66,600 CAD)

8.524%

Total Employee Cost

Employee

Employee Income Tax

Federal: Annual taxable income (CAD)

Federal: Annual taxable income (CAD)

15.00%

Up to 53,359.00 CAD

20.50%

53,359.01 CAD to 106,717.00 CAD

26.00%

106,717.01 CAD to 165,430.00 CAD

29.00%

165,430.01 CAD to 235,675.00 CAD

33.00%

235,675.00 CAD and over

Quebec:

Annual taxable income (CAD):

15%

Up to 49,275 CAD

20%

49,275 CAD – 98,540 CAD

24%

98,540.01 CAD – 119,910 CAD

25.75%

119,910.01 CAD and over

Employer taxes

Highest
Lowest

Employee taxes

Highest
Lowest

Minimum Wage

General

As of May 1, 2023, Quebec’s current general minimum wage will increase from 14.25 CAD per hour to 15.25 CAD. For tipped workers, the minimum wage is 12.20 CAD per hour. The minimum wage rate set for employees of federally regulated organisations will be the current minimum wage rate specified in the jurisdiction in which the employee performs the work.

MINIMUM WAGE (PER MONTH)

Highest
Lowest

Payroll

Payroll Cycle

An employer has 1 month to remit an employee’s first pay. After this, wages must be paid at regular intervals of no more than 16 days, or 1 month in case of managerial personnel. If pay day falls on a statutory holiday, the wages must be paid on the preceding working day.

13th Salary

There is no legislation for 13th- month payments in Quebec, Canada.

Authority Payments

Authority Payment

Paid To

Due Date

Method

Federal Taxes, Employer contribution + withholding taxes

CRA

Either monthly or semi monthly

e-check

Health Contribution

EHT

Monthly

e-check

Working Hours

General

Per the Employment Standards Labour Code, § 16, the maximum number of working hours shall not exceed 8 hours a day, 44 hours a week, with a maximum (inclusive of overtime) of 12-hours in a day. However, in Quebec this can differ per industry, for example:

  • Clothing industry- 39 hours maximum per week
  • Forestry or sawmill- 47 hours maximum per week
  • Remote area or James Bay Territory- 55 hours maximum per week
  • Security + provides surveillance- 44 hours maximum per week
  • Security + doesn’t provide surveillance- 60 hours maximum per week

Overtime

An employer must pay an employee overtime pay at a rate that is at least 150.00% of the employee’s regular rate of pay or one hour of time off in lieu.

Working Week

Monday-Friday

Leave

Paid Time Off

In Quebec, employees are entitled to two consecutive weeks of vacation leave after the first year of employment and three consecutive weeks of leave after five years of employment.

Employees are entitled to vacation pay of 4.00% of the regular salary rate of pay for the first five years of employment and 6.00% of the regular salary rate of pay after five years of employment.

Vacation Days
Public Holidays
Highest
Lowest

Public Holidays

There are 8 national holidays in Quebec. If a holiday falls on a weekend, the holiday is observed on the Friday before the weekend or on the following Monday.

Sick Days

Eligible employees who have worked for the same employee for at least three consecutive months are entitled to up to 26 weeks of leave per year due to sickness, accident, organ or tissue donation, domestic violence, etc.

Maternity Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 17 weeks of leave if the employee has completed at least one year of employment before the due date. Maternity leave may not begin before the 17th week preceding the expected delivery date and shall end not later than 18 weeks after. If the delivery occurs after the expected date, the employee is entitled to at least two additional weeks of maternity leave.

Special maternity leave may begin four weeks before the expected delivery date when there is a risk of termination of her pregnancy or a danger for the health of the mother or unborn child caused by the pregnancy. Two weeks’ notice and a medical certificate is required.

Employment insurance provides maternity and parental benefits to:

  • People who are away from work because they’re pregnant or have recently given birth
  • Parents who are away from work to care for their newborn or newly adopted child
  • Workers are entitled to 55% of their earnings for 15 weeks up to a maximum of CAD650 a week

Maternity benefits are only available to the person who is away from work because they’re pregnant or have recently given birth. They can’t be shared between parents.

The person receiving maternity benefits may also be entitled to parental benefits.

Maternity benefits can be followed by parental benefits. You may apply for both at once.

For further information visit the Government of Canada website.

PAID MATERNITY LEAVE (DAYS)

Highest
Lowest

Paternity Leave

Paternal leave falls under parental leave.

Parental Leave

Parents are entitled to up to 63 weeks of leave to care for a newborn or adopted child. The parental leave cannot begin before the week of birth or when the child is legally adopted.
The leave should begin no later than 78 weeks after the birth or adoption.

Employment insurance provides maternity and parental benefits to:

  • People who are away from work because they’re pregnant or have recently given birth
  • Parents who are away from work to care for their newborn or newly adopted child

The assistance details are as follows:

Benefit name Maximum weeks Benefit rate Weekly max
Standard parental Up to 40 weeks can be shared between parents, but one parent cannot receive more than 35 weeks of standard benefits 55% up to $650
Extended parental Up to 69 weeks can be shared between parents, but one parent cannot receive more than 61 weeks of extended benefits 33% up to $390

For further information visit the Government of Canada website.

Other Leave

Employees are entitled to 5 days of mandatory leave for the bereavement of a family member, approximately 27 weeks of leave for Compassionate care leave, up to 10 days per year for personal emergency leave, and up to 8 weeks in 26 weeks for Family medical leave.

Employees are also entitled to up to 104 weeks in the event of the death of an employee’s child or in the case that the child has disappeared.

In Quebec, all employers must provide their full-time, regularly employed employees, job-protected, unpaid leave for their duty as jurors or as a witness in a case, responding to a subpoena: or acting as a plaintiff or defendant in the courts. Employees must provide a copy of the jury summons to the employer as evidence of the requirement.

Reservist Leave regulations require employers to provide up to 20 days of unpaid leave each calendar year for annual training for Reservists once they have completed at least 26 consecutive weeks of service with the same employer. An employee may take reservist leave for the following reasons:

  • deployment to a Canadian forces’ operation outside Canada
  • deployment to a Canadian forces operation inside Canada that is assisting with an emergency or the aftermath of an emergency
  • annual training, included related travel time, for up to 20 days in a calendar year
  • other operations set out as such in the Employment Standards Regulation by the Minister

Termination

Termination Process

The termination process is standard in Quebec, Canada. It is based on termination reasons within the General Labour Law, unless an employer can provide sufficient cause for dismissal without notice (due to misconduct, etc.)

Notice Period

In general, notice periods in Quebec are stipulated within the employment contract/collective agreement and is linked to the reason for termination and the employee’s length of service, as below:

  • Seven days’ notice is required if the employee is within 3 months to  1 year of employment
  • 14 days’ notice is required if the employee is within 1 year to 5 years of employment
  • Four weeks’ notice is required if the employee is within their fifth year of service, up to the tenth year of service
  • Eight weeks’ notice is required if the employee has completed more than ten years’ service.

Severance Pay

In Quebec, Canada, there is no statutory severance pay due.

Probation Period

Probation periods in Quebec for permanent employees are generally a minimum of 3 months.

Common Benefits

General

Cell Phone, internet allowance, and car allowance.

Supplementary health care/dental plan – typically covers costs of items or care that is not covered by Canada’s universal healthcare system such as prescription drugs or vision ware.

Private pension contribution of the employer (2-6 % of base salary).

VISA

VISA

The Government of Canada operates the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to enable foreign citizens to apply to work in Canada for a set period.  The program covers all job roles and knowledge levels, and it can be used when a qualified Canadian citizen or permanent resident is not available or suitable for the role.

Federal (Government of Canada) immigration programs and provincial programs (Government of Quebec) are available in Quebec.

VAT

General

The standard rate of VAT in Quebec, Canada, is 5.00%. However, Quebec also has a provincial sales tax (PST) which is a retail sales tax that applies when taxable goods or services are purchased, acquired, or brought into Quebec for use in Quebec, and this rate is 9.98%, resulting in a combined GST and QST rate of 14.98% 

Stay up to date on payroll & employment law changes

Version History

May 1, 2022
The standard minimum wage in Quebec is now 14.25 CAD per hour. 
October 7, 2021
Employment insurance changes from 1.65% to 1.68%
3 weeks of paid time off after 5 years of employment instead of 3
Maternity leave changed to 18 weeks instead of 20
January 1, 2021
Maternity leave has increased from 18 to 20 weeks.
Parental leave has increased from 52 weeks to 78 weeks.
Quebec Pension Plan contributions for the employee and employer contribution rates increased to 5.90%.
May 1, 2021
The minimum wage increased from 12.50 CAD per hour to 13.10 CAD per hour.
February 20, 2022
The standard minimum wage increased to 13.50 CAD per hour.
Payroll contributions and personal income tax rates have been updated.
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Questions & Answers

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Yuliya
Yuliya
1 year ago

If the payroll cycle is semi-monthly, how to calculate the day rate for the unused vacation compensation in case of termination? Should we use full salary and divide on number of business days in the full month, or half salary and divide on the number of business days in the half month?

Emily Kuhnert
Emily Kuhnert
1 year ago
Reply to  Yuliya

Hi Yuliya, can you please clarify your question? Are you asking how to calculate unused annual leave or how to calculate a partial months’ salary?

Yuliya
Yuliya
1 year ago
Reply to  Emily Kuhnert

Hi Emily. Thank you for clarification. How to calculate unused annual leave payment for terminated associate?

Medi
Medi
1 year ago

If the original company is based in US and I work from Canada(QC) with Papaya services, does it count as Canadian work experience for me? (for getting Canadian Permanent Resident (PR) there’s a need of a year of Canadian work experience)

Erez Greenberg
Erez Greenberg
1 year ago
Reply to  Medi

Yes, since you are an EoR worker and there is an entity in Canada.

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Payroll and Benefits Guide in Canada – Quebec

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Payroll and Benefits Guide
in Canada – Quebec

What’s covered in this guide:

  • Employer/employee contributions
  • Minimum wage
  • Working hours
  • Visa requirements

And more...

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All questions are answered by our in-house compliance department working in conjunction with our local in-country partner for this specific country

Public Holidays Calendar

Canada – Quebec 2023
Download:
CSV
PDF
ICS
Day Date Holiday Notes
Sunday Jan-1 New Year’s Day
Monday Jan-2 New Year’s Day holiday Holiday just for the clothing industry
Friday Apr-7 Good Friday Employers Choose to observe either Good Friday or Easter Monday
Monday Apr-10 Easter Monday Employers Choose to observe either Good Friday or Easter Monday
Monday May-22 Patriot’s Day
Saturday Jun-24 National Day
Saturday Jul-1 Canada Day
Monday Sep-4 Labour Day
Monday Oct-9 Thanksgiving
Monday Dec-25 Christmas Day