Hourly Worker Pay Stub Checker
Confirm every hour is counted and every premium is paid — before it is too late to fix.
Written and reviewed by Rocco Clayfield, Founder & DirectorLast reviewed
Short answer
Your hourly pay stub should show the total hours worked multiplied by your agreed hourly rate to give your regular gross pay, plus any applicable overtime or premium pay. Overtime rules — including the threshold and the premium rate — vary by province and by industry. CPP, EI, and income tax are then deducted from your gross earnings. If the hours or rates look off, raise it promptly because payroll corrections are easier before the pay period closes.
As an hourly worker, your pay should be straightforward to verify: hours multiplied by rate equals your regular gross pay. In practice, pay stubs for hourly workers can include overtime lines, shift differentials, statutory holiday pay, vacation pay accruals, and other additions — all of which need to be checked separately.
Errors in hourly pay are unfortunately common. Time-tracking systems can round incorrectly, data entry mistakes happen, and overtime eligibility rules are sometimes misapplied. Checking your stub each period takes only a few minutes and is the fastest way to catch errors before they accumulate.
Overtime thresholds and premium rates are set by provincial employment standards legislation and vary across Canada. Federally regulated workers are covered by the Canada Labour Code. This page helps you know what to look for; always verify the specific rules for your province or industry.
What this page helps you check
- That the hours shown on your stub match your own records for the pay period
- That your hourly rate is correct and matches your most recent offer letter or contract
- Whether overtime hours are separated and paid at the correct premium (rules vary by province)
- Whether shift differentials, on-call pay, or other premiums appear where you expect them
- That vacation pay is accruing or being paid on each cheque as required
- That statutory holiday pay has been applied correctly if a holiday fell in the period
- That CPP, EI, and income tax deductions are present and proportional
- Whether hours are being rounded in a way that consistently disadvantages you
Verifying Hours: The First and Most Important Check
Compare the hours on your stub to your own records. If your employer uses a time clock or scheduling app, cross-reference the hours shown in that system with what appears on your stub. Discrepancies can arise from rounding, missed clock-ins, or manual data entry in payroll.
Some employers round time to the nearest quarter-hour or half-hour. Rounding is permissible in many provinces if the policy is applied consistently and does not systematically underpay workers over time. If you consistently see your hours rounded down but never up, it is worth raising with HR.
If your employer asks you to perform work before clocking in or after clocking out — answering messages, cleaning up, attending mandatory meetings — that time is generally compensable under employment standards law. Keep your own records of any time worked outside the clocked period.
Overtime Pay: Rules and Thresholds
Overtime rules in Canada are set by provincial and territorial employment standards legislation, except for federally regulated industries, which follow the Canada Labour Code. The overtime threshold — the number of hours per day or per week after which premium pay is required — varies by province. The premium rate is also set by law.
Some provinces calculate overtime on a daily basis (for example, after 8 hours in a day), some on a weekly basis (for example, after 44 hours in a week), and some use both. Your specific industry or role may have different rules under sectoral schedules or a collective agreement.
Check that your stub separates regular hours from overtime hours and shows the correct premium on the overtime portion. If you worked what you believe were overtime hours but they appear on the stub as regular hours, ask payroll for the calculation method being used.
Shift Premiums and Additional Pay
Many hourly roles come with additional pay for specific circumstances: evening or overnight shift premiums, weekend premiums, on-call pay, reporting pay (sometimes owed when you show up but are sent home), or call-in pay minimums. These may appear as separate line items on your stub.
If your employment contract, collective agreement, or company policy entitles you to a premium that is not appearing consistently, flag it with payroll. Confirm what triggers the premium and how it is calculated.
Vacation Pay for Hourly Workers
Hourly workers typically earn vacation pay as a percentage of gross earnings. Depending on your province and your years of service, the applicable percentage may increase. Some employers accrue vacation pay and pay it out when you take vacation; others pay it on every cheque.
Because hourly workers often have variable earnings, the percentage-of-gross method means your vacation pay also varies. A period with overtime will generate slightly more vacation pay than a period with only regular hours.
If you are terminated or resign, any accrued but unpaid vacation pay must generally be paid out with your final paycheque, subject to provincial rules.
How CPP, EI, and Tax Are Calculated on Hourly Wages
CPP, EI, and income tax are all calculated on your gross pay for the period, which includes regular hours, overtime, and premiums. A period with significant overtime will have higher deductions than a regular period. This is expected and correct.
Income tax withholding on variable earnings can be lumpy: a high-earnings period is taxed at a rate projected from that high level, which may over-withhold. The balance is corrected when you file your annual return. If your earnings vary significantly, you may find a refund at tax time — or a balance owing if you had several high-earning periods with insufficient withholding.
Province & territory note
Quebec works differently
Common red flags worth checking
These do not automatically mean there is an error. They are simply lines worth a closer look, or worth asking payroll to explain.
Hours consistently lower than your own records
A single period could be a data-entry error. Multiple periods where stub hours are consistently lower than your records suggests a systematic issue — whether rounding policy, missed clock-ins, or something else. Document the discrepancies and raise them with HR.
Overtime hours appearing as regular hours
If you worked past the daily or weekly threshold for your province and the stub shows all hours at the same rate, your employer may not be correctly applying overtime rules. Check the overtime threshold for your province.
Shift premiums not appearing
If your role qualifies for evening, night, or weekend premiums under your contract or collective agreement and they are missing from your stub, raise it with payroll. Premiums sometimes fall off if scheduling systems do not correctly tag the shift type.
Vacation pay percentage lower than your entitlement
Vacation pay percentages may increase with years of service in some provinces. If you have passed the service threshold for a higher rate and your stub still shows the base rate, ask payroll to confirm your entitlement.
Deductions larger than gross pay
Total deductions should never exceed net zero. If you see a negative net pay, there may be a data error, a loan repayment, or an overpayment recovery — all of which should be explained in writing before being applied.
No CPP or EI on periods where you earned above the basic exemption
Once your per-period earnings exceed the CPP basic exemption (a small amount set federally), CPP should be deducted. EI has no per-period floor for most employees. Missing deductions could indicate a payroll setup issue.
Want this checked on your real pay stub?
Upload your pay stub or payroll document and get a plain-English breakdown with possible questions to ask payroll.
What to ask payroll or HR
Calm, specific questions get clearer answers. You can copy any of these, or build a full message with the Payroll Message Generator.
- “Can you show me the hours calculation for this pay period? I want to reconcile it against my own time records.”
- “My stub shows fewer hours than I tracked. Is there a rounding policy, and can I see how it was applied this period?”
- “I worked more than the overtime threshold this period. Can you confirm whether overtime premium was applied and at what rate?”
- “I was scheduled for an evening shift. Should a shift differential appear on this stub, and if not, why?”
- “What is my current vacation pay accrual balance, and at what rate is it being calculated?”
- “If I believe there is an error on a past stub, how far back can payroll make a correction?”
Frequently asked questions
What is the overtime threshold in Canada?
There is no single national threshold. Overtime rules are set by each province and territory, and federally regulated workers follow the Canada Labour Code. Thresholds can be daily, weekly, or both, and vary by province. Check your provincial employment standards website for your jurisdiction.
My employer rounds my time. Is that legal?
Time rounding is permitted in many provinces if the employer's policy is consistent and does not systematically result in employees being underpaid. If the rounding always goes against you, it may not comply with employment standards. Document your actual hours and compare.
Am I owed pay for time I spent setting up or cleaning up?
In most provinces, time you are required by your employer to spend on work-related activities — including pre-shift setup and post-shift cleanup — is compensable work time. If that time is not being captured in your paid hours, raise it with HR.
What is "reporting pay"?
Some provinces require employers to pay a minimum amount if you report for a scheduled shift but are sent home early or the shift is cancelled with insufficient notice. The rules and minimums vary by province. Check your provincial employment standards if this has happened to you.
Can my employer average my hours over multiple weeks to avoid paying overtime?
Some provinces allow overtime to be averaged over multiple weeks if the employer has a written agreement or a permit from the employment standards authority. This must be set up formally — it is not something an employer can apply unilaterally without following the proper process.
Why did I receive a smaller paycheque this period even though I worked more hours?
Higher gross earnings trigger higher income tax withholding. The annualised-projection method means an unusually high-earning period can result in significantly more tax being withheld. This should even out over the year, and any excess will be refunded when you file.
I think my employer has been shorting my hours for months. What can I do?
Gather your own records — time-clock printouts, app records, your own notes — and compare them to your stubs. Raise the concern in writing with HR first. If it is not resolved, you can file a complaint with your provincial employment standards office. There are time limits on how far back claims can go.
Official sources for this page
Every figure here is derived from these. Where a number matters to you, read it at the source — PayStub IQ Canada explains the rules, it does not set them.
- Payroll deductions and contributions — Canada Revenue Agency
- CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions — Canada Revenue Agency
- EI premium rates and maximums — Canada Revenue Agency
Get told when Canadian payroll rates change
Seven provinces and territories have already published a minimum wage increase for the next few weeks, and every federal and provincial figure is re-indexed each January. One short email when a rate actually changes. Nothing else, ever.
Related guides & checkers
Helpful guidance, not advice
PayStub IQ Canada provides educational payroll explanations based on the information visible in your document. It does not provide legal, tax, accounting, payroll, CRA, Revenu Québec, or employment standards advice. For official decisions or corrections, contact your employer, payroll department, CRA, Revenu Québec, your provincial or territorial employment standards office, or a qualified professional.