Minimum daily pay

On this page

• Employees must be paid for at least 2 hours
• When minimum daily pay isn't required
• What you can do

Employees must be paid for at least 2 hours

An employee who reports for work must be paid for at least 2 hours, even if they work less than 2 hours. If the employee is scheduled for more than 8 hours, they must be paid for at least 4 hours.

If work stops for a reason beyond the employer’s control, the employee must be paid their minimum daily pay or the actual time worked, whichever is longer.

Example 1: A grocery store employee reports to work for a 4-hour shift. The manager sends the employee home before work starts because the store is not busy. The employee is entitled to be paid for 2 hours minimum daily pay.

Example 2: A golf course employee reports to work for a 10-hour shift. An hour into the shift, the employee is sent home. The employee is entitled to receive 4 hours minimum daily pay.

When minimum daily pay isn't required

An employee only needs to be paid for time actually worked if they:

• Are unfit to work
• Don't meet WorkSafeBC health and safety regulations
• Ask to leave early (in this case, employers need to have proof that the employee made the request to leave early, and that they were not following a request from the employer)

Minimum daily pay doesn't apply if an employee is paid according to the rules of another agreement. For example, if they're under an approved written variance issued by the Employment Standards Branch

What you can do

If you're having issues at work, find out what you can do:

• Use Solution Explorer
• Contact Employment Standards
• Submit a complaint 

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