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Free tools › Annual leave by country

Annual leave: Canada vs United States

Statutory annual leave in Canada and the US, side by side, with the primary source for every figure.

How does annual leave compare between Canada and US?

Canada: Ontario: 2 weeks' vacation (4% vacation pay), stepping to 3 weeks (6%) at 5 years, plus 9 public holidays. Quebec reaches 3 weeks at 3 years. United States: No statutory paid vacation and no statutory paid public holidays. Typical practice is about 11 days after a year, by employer choice. At five years' service that means 3 weeks (Ontario) in Canada and None required (typical practice: 15 days) in the US.

Canada vs United States, side by side

CanadaUnited States
The ruleOntario: 2 weeks' vacation (4% vacation pay), stepping to 3 weeks (6%) at 5 years, plus 9 public holidays. Quebec reaches 3 weeks at 3 years.No statutory paid vacation and no statutory paid public holidays. Typical practice is about 11 days after a year, by employer choice.
At 1 year2 weeks (Ontario)None required (typical practice: 11 days)
At 5 years3 weeks (Ontario)None required (typical practice: 15 days)
At 10 years3 weeks (Ontario; 4 weeks federally regulated)None required (typical practice: 18 days)
Key numbersOntario: 2 weeks / 4%, then 3 weeks / 6% at 5 years; Quebec: 3 weeks / 6% from 3 years; Federal: 2 / 3 / 4 weeks at 1 / 5 / 10 yearsStatutory paid vacation: None; Statutory paid public holidays: None (11 federal holidays bind federal employers); Typical practice (BLS): 11 days after 1 year, 15 after 5, 18 after 10

Canada

Ontario pairs vacation time with vacation pay as a percentage of gross wages: 2 weeks and 4% until the fifth anniversary, then 3 weeks and 6%. Quebec gets to the 3-week tier two years sooner, at 3 years' service, and Saskatchewan starts everyone at 3 weeks. Federally regulated employees add a third step, 4 weeks and 8% at 10 years, and observe 10 general holidays to Ontario's 9.

  • Ontario2 weeks / 4%, then 3 weeks / 6% at 5 years
  • Quebec3 weeks / 6% from 3 years
  • Federal2 / 3 / 4 weeks at 1 / 5 / 10 years
  • Public holidaysOntario 9; federal 10
Length of serviceEntitlement
Ontario, under 5 years2 weeks (4% of gross wages)
Ontario, 5 years or more3 weeks (6% of gross wages)
  • Vacation pay doubles as a payroll on-cost (4% to 6%), which the employer-costs page accounts for.
  • Province variation is real: quote Ontario and say so, never 'Canada gets 2 weeks'.

Source: Ontario ESA guide (3-week tier since 2018; Quebec per CNESST). Checked July 2026.

United States

The US mandates zero paid vacation days and zero paid public holidays for private-sector employees; the 11 federal holidays bind federal employers only. What employees actually get is set by the market: BLS data has private-industry workers with paid vacation averaging 11 days after one year, 15 after five and 18 after ten.

  • Statutory paid vacationNone
  • Statutory paid public holidaysNone (11 federal holidays bind federal employers)
  • Typical practice (BLS)11 days after 1 year, 15 after 5, 18 after 10
Length of serviceEntitlement
After 1 year (typical, not law)11 days
After 5 years15 days
After 10 years18 days
After 20 years20 days
  • Several states treat accrued vacation as wages that must be paid out at termination, California most prominently.

Source: US Department of Labor / BLS (FLSA position; BLS March 2025 benefits data). Checked July 2026.

Hiring in both markets?

Put a full number on each side with the true-cost calculators: True cost of an employee (Canada) and True cost of an employee (US). The complete six-market picture is on the Annual leave by country page.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the government source for its market.

MarketSourceRule / effectiveVerified
CanadaOntario ESA guide3-week tier since 2018; Quebec per CNESSTChecked July 2026
United StatesUS Department of Labor / BLSFLSA position; BLS March 2025 benefits dataChecked July 2026
Where Compono fits

Comparing entitlements is the easy half of hiring across markets. The hard half is whether the person you hire in Sydney, Singapore or Seattle will actually work out, and that risk looks the same in every jurisdiction. Compono matches candidates on how they work, not just what the CV claims, so the hires behind these numbers hold up wherever you make them.

See how it works

Common questions

What is the rule on annual leave in Canada?

Ontario: 2 weeks' vacation (4% vacation pay), stepping to 3 weeks (6%) at 5 years, plus 9 public holidays. Quebec reaches 3 weeks at 3 years. Ontario pairs vacation time with vacation pay as a percentage of gross wages: 2 weeks and 4% until the fifth anniversary, then 3 weeks and 6%.

What is the rule on annual leave in the US?

No statutory paid vacation and no statutory paid public holidays. Typical practice is about 11 days after a year, by employer choice. The US mandates zero paid vacation days and zero paid public holidays for private-sector employees; the 11 federal holidays bind federal employers only.

Where can I check the source figures?

The sources section below links the Canada and the US government pages every figure on this page was verified against in July 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice. We check figures annually and update them on a best-efforts basis, but employment rules change and we cannot promise everything here is current or complete. Before you act on it, confirm the detail with your provincial employment standards office, the US Department of Labor or your own adviser. Last reviewed July 2026.