Minimum wage in Calgary

What is the minimum wage in Calgary right now?

Alberta’s Employment Standards Regulation sets these rates, as listed on alberta.ca when we checked on 13 October 2026:

• Most employees (general minimum wage): $15/hour
• Students under 18: $13/hour, with restrictions (see below)
• Salespersons (including land agents and certain professionals): $598/week
• Domestic employees who live in their employer’s home: $2,848/month. Those who do not live in are paid at least $15/hour.

How does the $13 student wage work?

Alberta calls it the job creation student wage. It came in on 26 June 2019. Employers can choose to pay students more.

• Who it covers: students under 18 enrolled at school up to grade 12, or at a post-secondary or vocational school. It does not apply to under-18s who are out of school.
• During the school year: $13/hour for the first 28 hours worked in a week. Any hours over 28 that week must be paid at least $15/hour.
• Example from alberta.ca: a student who works 30 hours in a school week can be paid $13/hour for 28 hours, but must get at least $15/hour for the other 2.
• During school breaks: $13/hour can apply to all regular hours worked, such as over spring break, Christmas or the summer holidays.
• Overtime rules still apply.

What are the rules for workers under 18?

Separate from pay, Alberta limits the jobs and hours of young workers:

• 12 and under: only artistic work (such as film, theatre or music), with a permit and parent or guardian consent.
• 13 and 14: parent or guardian consent for every job, and only listed jobs without a permit, such as office or store clerk, flyer delivery, light office cleaning and some restaurant jobs under continuous adult supervision. No work between 9 pm and 6 am or during school hours, a maximum of 2 hours on a school day and up to 8 hours on a non-school day.
• 15 to 17: any type of work without a permit. In retail or hospitality, work between 9 pm and midnight only with adult supervision, and none between 12:01 am and 6 am. Fifteen-year-olds cannot work during school hours unless they are in an off-campus education program.
• These rules cover employees. They do not cover self-employed work such as babysitting, snow shovelling or lawn cutting, or volunteering.

What else does a minimum wage job have to pay?

The hourly rate is only part of your pay. Alberta’s employment standards also require, for most employees:

• Overtime: hours over 8 a day or 44 a week, whichever is greater, are overtime and paid at least 1.5 times your regular rate, unless you have a written agreement to bank the time off instead.
• Vacation pay: at least 4% of wages, rising to 6% after 5 years with the same employer. After a year you are also entitled to at least 2 weeks of vacation.
• General holidays: Alberta has 9 general holidays. To qualify for holiday pay you must have worked for the same employer for at least 30 workdays in the 12 months before the holiday.
• Getting paid: at least once a month, within 10 days after the end of each pay period, with a statement of earnings each time.
• Deductions: with your written permission, an employer can take up to $3.35 for each meal you eat and $4.41 for each day of lodging they provide, even if it brings you below minimum wage. Nothing can be deducted for meals you do not eat.

Who is not covered by Alberta’s minimum wage?

Alberta lists some exempt workers, including real estate brokers, securities salespersons, insurance salespersons paid only by commission, extras in film or video productions, counsellors or instructors at some non-profit camps, municipal police officers, post-secondary academic staff, and students in approved work experience or off-campus education programs.

If you work in a federally regulated industry, the Canada Labour Code applies instead. Examples include banks, airlines and airports, postal and courier services, telecommunications, and trucking or bus companies that cross provincial or international borders. The federal minimum wage has been $18.15/hour since 1 April 2026. If a provincial minimum wage is ever higher, federally regulated employers must pay the higher rate.

What can you do if you are paid less than minimum wage?

Alberta suggests you start by talking to your employer. If that does not fix it, you can file a complaint with Employment Standards. It is free and can be done online. You can complain while you still work there or up to 6 months after your last day, and your employer cannot fire you for making a complaint.

A formal complaint shares your name with the employer. If you would rather not be named, you can send an anonymous tip instead, although you will not hear the outcome. Employment Standards only handles work done in Alberta for provincially regulated employers, and not if you are covered by a union collective agreement.