·· Employment · Wages
Ontario Minimum Wage 2026: $17.60 Now, $17.95 on October 1
Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.60/hour and rises to $17.95 on October 1, 2026 — a 1.9% inflation adjustment that lifts pay for more than 700,000 workers.
Updated July 2026 · 8 min read · Source: Government of Ontario, Employment Standards Act
A $0.35 (1.9%) increase, calculated through Ontario's inflation-linked formula under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. Ontario adjusts the minimum wage every October 1.
All Ontario Minimum Wage Rates (Oct 1, 2026)
Ontario sets different minimum wages for a few categories of work.
| Category | Current | From Oct 1, 2026 | Applies To |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | $17.60 | $17.95 | Most employees in Ontario |
| Student | $16.60 | $16.90 | Students under 18, ≤28 hrs/week in school |
| Homeworker | $19.30 | $19.70 | Employees doing paid work from home for an employer |
| Hunting/fishing guide (<5 hrs) | — | $89.75 | Per day, under 5 consecutive hours |
| Hunting/fishing guide (5+ hrs) | — | $179.50 | Per day, five or more hours |
The homeworker rate is set higher than the general rate (110%) to account for expenses. The separate lower liquor-server wage was eliminated on January 1, 2022.
What Minimum Wage Earns You Per Year
These are gross figures before CPP, EI, and income tax, based on a 40-hour work week for 52 weeks.
| Period | At $17.60 | At $17.95 |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | $17.60 | $17.95 |
| Per 8-hour day | $140.80 | $143.60 |
| Per 40-hour week | $704.00 | $718.00 |
| Per month (avg) | $3,050.67 | $3,111.33 |
| Per year | $36,608 | $37,336 |
Your actual take-home pay is lower after CPP (~5.95%), EI (~1.64%), and income tax. At this income most Ontario workers keep roughly 84–86% of gross — use the paycheque calculator below for your exact net.
How the Increase Is Calculated
Since 2022, Ontario ties the minimum wage to inflation. Each year the government multiplies the current rate by the change in the Ontario Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year, then rounds to the nearest five cents. The new rate takes effect every October 1.
Your Rights at Minimum Wage
If you're paid below minimum wage, you can file a claim with the Ontario Ministry of Labour. Claims can generally recover unpaid wages going back up to two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
$17.60/hour until September 30, 2026, then $17.95/hour from October 1, 2026 — a 1.9% inflation-linked increase.
October 1, 2026. Ontario raises the minimum wage every October 1 based on the previous year's Ontario CPI.
$16.90/hour from October 1, 2026 (up from $16.60), for students under 18 working 28 hours a week or less during the school year, or during school breaks.
About $36,608/year at $17.60, or $37,336/year at $17.95, based on 40 hours a week for 52 weeks before deductions.
No. The separate lower server wage ended January 1, 2022. Servers now earn at least the general minimum wage, plus tips.
Why the rate changes on October 1
Ontario indexes its general minimum wage to inflation and applies the increase on October 1 each year — not January 1. Your pay rate therefore changes partway through the calendar year, and any annual earnings figure has to be split across two rates rather than multiplied by one.
Roughly nine months of a full year are paid at the old rate and three at the new one. Any "annual minimum wage income" quoted from a single rate will be slightly wrong for every year in which the rate moved — which is every year.
The special rates, and who they actually apply to
Applies to students under 18 working 28 hours a week or less during the school term, or working during a school holiday. The moment a student turns 18 — or exceeds 28 hours in a term week — the general rate applies. Employers frequently keep paying the student rate past a birthday, and it is worth checking your own pay stub against your age.
People doing paid work in their own home for an employer are entitled to a rate higher than the general minimum — the reverse of what most people assume. Students of any age doing homework are included at that higher rate.
Ontario eliminated the separate, lower minimum wage for liquor servers on January 1, 2022. Serving staff now earn the same general minimum as everyone else, with tips on top rather than as a justification for paying less. Some other provinces still maintain a reduced alcohol-server rate — this one is genuinely Ontario-specific.
What an employer cannot do
- Count your tips toward minimum wage. Minimum wage is a floor on wages; tips sit above it.
- Deduct for cash shortages, breakages or dine-and-dash — not where other people had access to the till, and never below minimum wage.
- Charge you for a uniform if doing so brings your pay below minimum wage.
- Pay you less because you are on a probationary period. There is no lower "training wage" in Ontario.
- Have you agree to less. An employee cannot contract out of the Employment Standards Act. A signed agreement to accept below minimum wage is unenforceable.
Employers must also pay for three hours at your regular rate if you are scheduled for a longer shift, report to work, and are sent home early — the "three-hour rule", which applies to employees who regularly work more than three hours a day.
The entitlements that come with it
Minimum wage is one part of the Employment Standards Act. Whatever you earn, you are also entitled to overtime at 1.5× after 44 hours in a work week — a higher threshold than most provinces, and one commonly assumed to be 40. Plus vacation pay of at least 4%, nine public holidays with holiday pay, an unpaid 30-minute eating period after five consecutive hours, and notice or pay in lieu on termination.
Remember minimum wage is a gross figure — income tax, CPP and EI come off before you see it. Check the net with the paycheque calculator, and if you regularly pass 44 hours use the overtime calculator. Unpaid wages can be recovered by filing a claim with the Ministry of Labour, which costs nothing.