Boxing Day 2026 in Canada: Saturday, December 26

Boxing Day dates

Boxing Day is always December 26, the day after Christmas. Only the weekday changes, and in 2026 and 2027 it falls on a weekend, which is why the "observed" date matters. Payments Canada, Canada Post and TMX have published Monday, December 28, 2026 as their closure day. Their 2027 schedules are not out yet; they usually appear in the autumn of the year before. In 2028 Boxing Day is a Tuesday, so there is nothing to move.

Is Boxing Day a stat holiday? Province by province

Short answer: only in Ontario and for federally regulated employers. Everywhere else it is a regular day under employment standards law, even though many workplaces close.

"Not a statutory holiday" means the province's minimum standards do not require a day off or holiday pay. A collective agreement, an employment contract or a company policy can still give you December 26 off with pay, and public-sector employers often do. Provincial and municipal offices set their own closures, so check the specific office before you go.

Who gets Monday, December 28, 2026 off?

This is the question that trips people up in 2026. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so what happens depends on who you work for:

• Federally regulated employees: section 193(2) of the Canada Labour Code says that when Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday that is a non-working day, the employee gets a holiday with pay on the working day immediately before or after it. Christmas Day is already on Friday, December 25, so in practice that is usually Monday, December 28, 2026.
• Federal public servants under Treasury Board collective agreements: a holiday that falls on a day of rest moves to the first scheduled working day after it, which points to Monday, December 28 for a Monday-to-Friday schedule.
• Ontario: the day does not automatically move to Monday. If December 26 is not a normal working day for you, your employer must give you a substitute day off with public holiday pay, scheduled within three months (up to 12 months if you agree electronically or in writing), or, if you agree, simply pay you public holiday pay for the day. Many employers choose December 28 as the substitute day, but the law does not require that date.
• Everywhere else: no provincial rule requires a day off on December 28. Whether you get it depends on your employer or contract.

Banks are a special case: they are federally regulated and they close because the national payment systems run by Payments Canada are closed that day. Cheques, wire transfers and most direct deposits are not processed on December 28, so a payment due that day usually moves to a nearby business day. See bank holidays in Canada.

Holiday pay if you work on Boxing Day

In Ontario, Boxing Day follows the same rules as any public holiday. If you agree to work it, you choose between two options: your regular wages for the hours worked plus a substitute paid day off, or public holiday pay plus premium pay of 1.5 times your regular rate for the hours worked. Public holiday pay is the regular wages and vacation pay you earned in the four work weeks before the holiday's work week, divided by 20. Some industries and managerial roles have special rules.

Federally regulated workers who work on a general holiday are entitled to holiday pay plus at least 1.5 times their regular rate for the hours worked.

In Alberta, holiday pay on Boxing Day applies only if your employer has chosen to make it a general holiday for its staff. In other provinces, working December 26 is paid at your normal rate unless your contract says otherwise; overtime rules still apply if your hours go past the daily or weekly limit.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your provincial employment standards office, or the federal Labour Program for federally regulated jobs, can give a definitive answer for your situation.

Store hours on Boxing Day by province

Retail rules are separate from employment rules, which is why stores can be open in a province where Boxing Day is a stat holiday (Ontario) and closed in one where it is not (Nova Scotia).

Every one of these laws has exceptions (pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, tourist zones, municipal by-laws), so an individual store may be open even where most are closed. Western provinces and the territories have no Boxing Day closing rule for retail; opening hours are up to each business.

What is open and closed on Boxing Day 2026

Transit systems and municipal services publish their own holiday schedules in December. For the full mail and market calendars see Canada Post holidays and TSX holidays.

Shopping the Boxing Day sales: rules worth knowing

• Returns are a store policy, not a right. Ontario's Consumer Protection Act "does not provide a general right to return or exchange goods", and the same is true in most provinces. Check the return window, restocking fees and whether "final sale" or seasonal items are excluded before you buy. A defective or misrepresented product is a different matter.
• "Was" prices must be real. Under the federal Competition Act, a store that compares its sale price to a regular price must have sold a substantial volume at that regular price, or offered it in good faith for a substantial period. Our Black Friday page explains the tests and how to report a misleading deal.
• Gift returns pile up after Christmas. If you are returning a gift, keep the gift receipt; without proof of purchase many stores offer only store credit at the lowest recent price, or nothing.

Common mix-ups

• "Banks are closed, so it must be a stat holiday." Banks close because they follow the federal calendar and Payments Canada's closures. That says nothing about your provincial entitlement.
• "Boxing Day moved to Monday, so I get Monday off." Only federally regulated employees have a rule pointing to the next working day. In Ontario you get a substitute day, but not necessarily Monday. Elsewhere, there is no rule.
• "Ontario stores must close because it's a public holiday." No. Employment law and retail closing law are separate, and Ontario's retail law has not covered December 26 since 1996.