Effective October 1, 2026, Ontario’s minimum wage will increase from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour. This guide will discuss Ontario’s current and upcoming minimum wage rates. We’ll also look at who’s covered, special rate categories, and how minimum wages affect commissions and overtime. Most importantly, we’ll walk through what to do if you’re paid less than the legal minimum.
Overview: Ontario’s current minimum wage
The minimum wage in Ontario right now is $17.60 an hour. That number is set to increase on October 1, 2026, when a general minimum wage of $17.95 will take effect. While the general rate covers most people, some workers have their own specific rates. Special rates apply to students, homeworkers, and other job types.
Quick Answer (TL;DR): Current minimum wage in Ontario is $17.60 an hour. It will increase to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026. Depending on your job category, special rates apply to students and homeworkers.
Ontario minimum wage rates
The general minimum wage rate applies to most workers, but it can depend on the type of work you do. Here’s a full breakdown of current and upcoming minimum wages in Ontario:
| Rate Type | Current (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026) | Effective October 1, 2026 |
| General Minimum Wage | $17.60/hour | $17.95/hour |
| Student Minimum Wage | $16.60/hour | $16.90/hour |
| Homeworkers | $19.35/hour | $19.70/hour |
| Hunting, Fishing & Wilderness Guides (Less than 5 consecutive hours in a day) | $88.05/day | $89.75/day |
| Hunting, Fishing & Wilderness Guides (5 or more hours in a day) | $176.15/day | $179.50/day |
Although Ontario used to have a separate minimum wage rate for servers and bartenders, this was eliminated in 2022.
Minimum wage increase on October 1, 2026
Ontario’s annual minimum wage increase will take effect on October 1, 2026. For the average employee working 40 hours a week, this 35-cent raise adds up to around $728 more a year.
Wondering why Ontario’s minimum wage changes so often? It’s due to inflation. Each year, the province adjusts the rate based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI, which tracks the cost of living. The CPI indexation trigger automatically increases wages when prices rise, helping minimum wage keep up with living costs.
Employment standards: who’s covered?
Whether you work full-time, part-time, remote or on-site, you’re protected under the Employment Standards Act (ESA). The ESA sets minimum standards for wages, hours of work, and other basic employment conditions.
Not everyone is covered by the ESA. Common exemptions and special categories include:
- Independent contractors
- Volunteers
- Federally regulated workers
- Diplomats
- Inmates
- Police officers
- Judges
- Those who work in certain specialized industries, such as agriculture and wilderness guiding.
Trainees and interns are a grayer area. Under the ESA, employers must pay employees for training that mimics their job duties. This includes onboarding, shadowing, training shifts, and mandatory courses. However, student placements and internships through educational programs are generally exempt.
Some employers misclassify workers to avoid paying minimum wage or overtime. What matters is the reality of your working relationship, not the label your employer uses.
How federal minimum wage works?
If you work in a federally regulated industry, the Ontario minimum wage doesn’t apply. Instead, you’re covered by the federal minimum wage under the Canada Labour Code (CLC). Effective April 1, 2026, the federal minimum wage was increased from $17.75 to $18.15 an hour. If your province or territory has a minimum wage that’s higher than the federal rate, your employer must pay you the higher amount.
Federally regulated industries include:
- Banking
- Air transportation, including airlines and airports
- Interprovincial transportation, including rail, roads and marine
- Postal and courier services
- Telecommunications and broadcasting
General minimum wage versus special rates
Knowing the minimum wage in Ontario now is one thing, but how does it apply to you? To check if you’re earning the minimum salary in Ontario you’re entitled to, let’s look at how the province defines each job category.
General minimum wage
The general minimum wage is the lowest rate an employer can legally pay you. It’s the standard that applies to most employees in Ontario, regardless of whether you’re paid by the hour, commission, or salary.
Student minimum wage
The student rate is 16.60 per hour and applies to employees who are under 18 and work either 28 hours a week or less while school is in session, or during a school holiday such as summer, Christmas, and March break. If a student works more than 28 hours a week while school is in session, the general minimum wage applies to those extra hours.
Homeworker minimum wage
Homeworkers are employees who do paid work from their own homes for an employer. Because homeworkers absorb costs an employer would usually cover, such as working space and utilities, the law sets their minimum wage higher than the general rate.
Servers, bartenders, and tipped employees
Any employee serving food or alcohol is entitled to the same general minimum wage as everyone else. Tips are meant to be extra income on top of wages and protected under the ESA. Employers cannot count tips toward wages or otherwise reduce pay.
Minimum wage for salaried and commission employees
Being paid a salary or commission doesn’t remove your right to minimum wage. Here’s how the protection works for each pay type:
Salaried employees
If you receive a fixed salary, your employer must ensure that it comes out to at least minimum wage for every hour you work. A salary that meets minimum wage for a normal 40-hour work week might not be sufficient if you regularly work55 or 60 hour work weeks. Your employer must pay any amount to satisfy the minimum-wage requirements and, if you are entitled to overtime pay, must pay overtime for hours worked over 44 hours in a week.
Commission employees
The same rule applies to employees paid partly or fully by commission. Your total compensation for the pay period must meet at least minimum wage for every hour worked, so this is still a minimum wage calculation for commission pay. If your commission falls short, your employer needs to make up the difference.
Tracking your own time is one of the best ways to protect yourself. If there’s ever a dispute, those records can make a real difference. Hold onto your pay stubs and consider keeping a personal log of:
- The hours you worked each day, not just your scheduled shift
- Any commissions, bonuses, or irregular pay
Calculating Ontario minimum wage
If you’re paid an hourly wage, you can use these basic formulas to calculate your weekly and annual earnings:
Hourly Wage x Hours Worked Per Week = Weekly Pay
Weekly Pay x Number of Weeks Worked Per Year = Annual Pay
For example, here’s how that would look for someone earning Ontario’s current general minimum wage of $17.60, working 40 hours a week for 52 weeks:
Weekly Pay: $17.60 x 40 = $704
Annual Pay: $704 x 52 = $36,608
If you’re paid on commission, your pay still needs to meet the minimum wage requirements. Here’s an example:
Scarlett is paid on commission and receives her pay weekly. One week, she earned $300 in commission and worked 25 hours. At a minimum wage of $17.60 an hour, Scarlett should have earned at least $440 for that week ($17.60 x 25). Since Scarlett’s commission is less than the minimum wage amount, her employer owes her an additional $140.
*Note that if Scarlett had worked overtime, these calculations would become more complicated.
An employer that provides room and board can count the value of that toward minimum wage. Keep in mind, this only applies if the employee received the meals or occupied the room. The relevant amounts are outlined on the Ontario Government website.
The rules around overtime pay
In Ontario, overtime applies to any hours worked beyond 44 in a single week. Those overtime hours are paid at 1.5 times the employee’s regular rate or employee’s regular wage. The current overtime rate is $26.40 an hour and this will increase to approximately $26.93 an hour on October 1, 2026. Here’s an example:
Lucy makes the general minimum wage and worked 48 hours in one week. Since 4 of those hours qualify for overtime, her total pay would be $880:
Regular Pay: $17.60 x 44 hours = $774.40
Overtime Pay: $26.40 x 4 hours = $105.60
Employees can choose to “bank” overtime as paid time off, at a rate of 1.5 hours off for each overtime hour worked. This requires a written agreement or electronic agreement, and special rules apply in some workplaces or for some employee categories; the time off should usually be used within three months.
The three-hour rule
If an employee regularly works more than three hours a day and is sent home after working , the rule may require pay for at least three hours, and you’re entitled to whichever is higher:
- Three hours at your regular rate, or
- Pay for the time worked, plus regular wages to meet the minimum of three hours.
For example, if Sam is scheduled for five hours at minimum wage ($17.60/hour) but is sent home after one and worked less than three hours, Sam is still owed $52.80 (3 x $17.30).
Exceptions to this rule include factors outside your employer’s control, such as weather or a power outage. If you regularly work shifts under three hours, the rule also doesn’t apply.
What to do if you’re paid less than minimum wage
If you suspect you were not paid minimum wage, there are options for recourse. Start with the following steps:
Step 1 – Collect your pay stubs and any records of working time.
Step 2 – Ask your employer for a written explanation of the discrepancy. If the issue is a wage increase or correction, it should be fixed no later than the next pay period.
Step 3 – You can file an Employment Standards Claim for free with Ontario’s Ministry of Labour. An officer will investigate and order your employer to pay any owed wages. Claims must be filed within two years of the alleged violation.
Step 4 – For serious disputes, consider seeking legal advice. Talking to an employment lawyer can help you see if an ESA claim is the right choice or suggest other options. This can be especially important if you’re being pressured to sign a release or severance offer.
Minimum wage in Toronto, London, and other Ontario cities
No matter where you’re located in Ontario, your protections under the ESA are the same. There are no separate city rates because the same provincial rate applies across Ontario, so the minimum wage in Toronto is the same as the minimum wage in London. The October 1, 2026 increase will take effect across the province.
Key minimum wage dates: April 1 and October 1
After the upcoming increase on October 1, 2026, the next scheduled adjustment is October 1, 2027. The new rate hasn’t come out yet, but it’s typically announced on April 1.
Keep an eye on the current and upcoming changes on the Government of Ontario’s website or the Government of Canada’s minimum wage resource page.
