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How is overtime paid in Quebec?

✓ Verified answer Written from official pages, with checked citations and a verification date.

General information, not advice. According to the CNESST, the normal work week is 40 hours for most workers. Beyond 40 hours, you are working overtime, even if the normal week is shorter in your workplace. Overtime must be paid at time and a half, which means a 50% increase in the usual hourly rate (hourly rate × 1.5). At your request, or if a collective agreement or decree provides for it, the payment can be replaced by paid time off. Some people are excluded from these rules, and the normal week is not 40 hours for some categories.

Official page: Overtime (CNESST) ↗

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Key facts

Normal work week: 40 hours for most workers. Beyond 40 hours, the hours are overtime.
Premium: Time and a half: a 50% increase in the usual hourly rate (hourly rate × 1.5). This increase does not apply to agricultural workers, among others.
CNESST example: At $20 an hour and 45 hours worked: $800 of regular pay plus $150 of overtime, for a total of $950.
Replacement by time off: Only at the worker's request, or if a collective agreement or decree provides for it. Time and a half applies to the hours of leave (overtime hours × 1.5).
People excluded from overtime pay: Notably a company manager and an agricultural worker. The official page gives the full list.
Different normal week: For some categories (security guard work, logging or sawmills, isolated places or the James Bay territory), the normal work week is not 40 hours: see the official page.

Steps

Count the hours worked during the week. Beyond 40 hours, they are overtime for most workers, even if the normal week in your workplace is shorter.
Also count annual vacation hours and statutory holiday hours as hours worked when calculating the week's overtime.
Calculate time and a half: multiply your usual hourly rate by 1.5. Premiums added to the hourly rate, such as night or evening premiums, are not counted in this calculation.
If you prefer time off, you can ask your employer to replace the payment with time off. Time and a half then applies to the hours of leave: you multiply your overtime hours by 1.5. This replacement is possible only if you ask for it or if a collective agreement or decree provides for it.
You can also ask for your overtime to be accumulated in a time bank, if your employer agrees. The employer cannot force you to bank the hours you worked.
Check whether you are among the people excluded from overtime pay (for example a company manager) or in a category whose normal week is not 40 hours (see the official page).
Note that the normal work week is not a limit beyond which you can refuse to work. The CNESST describes other cases where you can refuse, for example more than 2 hours beyond your usual hours or more than 50 hours in a week: read its page on the right to refuse overtime.

General information drawn from official sources. It does not replace legal, medical or financial advice. For your situation, contact the organization concerned or a professional.

Sources

Heures supplémentaires (Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST))
Semaine normale de travail (Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST))
Droit de refuser de faire des heures supplémentaires (Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST))

Checked on October 5, 2026. Rules, deadlines and fees can change: always confirm on the official page above. Demande au Québec is an independent website, not a government site.