Alberta Minimum Wage: Current Rate, Student Rate, and Exemptions

Alberta's minimum wage is $15.00 per hour, unchanged since October 1, 2018, because the province's Employment Standards Regulation contains no annual indexing formula, so it is the lowest general minimum wage of any Canadian province or territory as of October 1, 2026.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers Alberta's minimum wage under the Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, and the Employment Standards Code, RSA 2000, c E-9, as in force on October 1, 2026. It covers the general rate, the student rate, commission and domestic worker rates, exemptions, and how to file a wage complaint. For how Alberta's rate compares to every other Canadian province and territory, and for the October 1, 2026 increases that took effect elsewhere in the country, see Minimum Wage in Canada.

Alberta's General Minimum Wage

Alberta's general minimum wage is $15.00 per hour, effective October 1, 2018, set out in the Employment Standards Regulation:

"9(1) Employers must pay wages to employees at at least the following rates: (a) except where clause (a.1), (b) or (c) applies, the rate is ... (iii) from October 1, 2018, $15.00 per hour." (Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, s.9(1)(a)(iii))

The Government of Alberta's own minimum wage page confirms the same figure in plain terms: "Most employees (general minimum wage) $15/hour." The regulation's amendment history for this section lists no amendment since 81/2019, and no amendment has touched the dollar figure since, confirming the rate has not moved for eight years.

No increase is scheduled or indexed. Unlike Ontario, British Columbia, and most other Canadian jurisdictions, section 9 of the Employment Standards Regulation contains no Consumer Price Index or other annual adjustment formula at all. Alberta's minimum wage table simply steps up through 2016, 2017, and 2018 and then stops at $15.00 per hour, with no further scheduled increase written into the regulation. This is a legislative and policy choice, not an oversight or a gap in the text, and it means an Alberta increase can only happen if the government amends the regulation directly. No such amendment or announcement had been made as of October 1, 2026, and no change occurred on October 1, 2026, when several other provinces increased their own rates.

The Student Minimum Wage

Alberta pays a lower rate to some student workers, sometimes called the job creation student wage:

"for an employee who is under the age of 18 years and is a student enrolled in an educational institution, the rate is $13.00 per hour for (i) work performed during a school break ... or (ii) the first 28 hours in a work week for work performed other than during a school break." (Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, s.9(1)(a.1))

This lower rate applies only to two situations: work during a school break, or the first 28 hours worked in a week while school is in session. Once a student works past 28 hours in a school week, every additional hour must be paid at the full $15.00 general rate. Alberta's own government page gives a worked example: "a student who worked 30 hours in a week can be paid as low as $13/hour for the first 28 hours, but must be paid no less than $15/hour for the 2 additional hours."

Commission and Domestic Worker Rates

Some workers are paid under a flat weekly or monthly minimum instead of an hourly rate, under the same regulation.

Commission salespeople: direct sellers, non-route commission salespeople, and auto, truck, RV, bus, manufactured-home, farm-machinery, and heavy-equipment salespeople, builder-employed residential-home salespeople, and licensed land agents have a flat $598 per week minimum:

"the rate is ... (xii) from October 1, 2018, $598 per week." (Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, s.9(1)(b)(xii))

Live-in domestic employees: an employee who lives in the employer's home has a flat $2,848 per month minimum, regardless of hours worked, which may be pro-rated by written agreement for a partial month:

"... from October 1, 2018, $2848 per month." (Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, s.9(1)(c))

Domestic employees who commute rather than live in the employer's home are not covered by this flat monthly rate. Alberta's government page states plainly, "For domestic employees who don't live in their employer's home: $15 per hour," meaning the ordinary hourly general rate applies to them instead.

Room and board deductions: with the employee's written authorization, an employer may deduct up to $4.41 per day for lodging and up to $3.35 per meal actually consumed. No deduction is permitted for a meal the employee did not receive.

Who Is Exempt From Minimum Wage in Alberta

The Government of Alberta lists a specific set of occupations as exempt from minimum wage standards entirely, meaning these workers have no minimum wage floor at all, rather than a lower rate: real estate brokers, securities salespersons, insurance salespersons paid entirely by commission, students in an approved work experience or off-campus education program, film and video extras, camp counsellors and instructors at a non-profit children's, religious, or disability camp, municipal police service members, and post-secondary academic staff.

No liquor server subminimum wage exists in Alberta. Alberta had a separate, lower liquor server wage until it was eliminated in two steps, on October 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016. Since then servers are paid the same general rate as other workers, now $15.00, the same practical outcome as Ontario and British Columbia after those provinces eliminated their own server rates.

Anyone who wants to see what this flat hourly rate comes to for the hours they work, or how it compares with neighbouring provinces, can run the numbers through the Canada minimum wage calculator.

No gig worker or app-based platform wage rule was found in the Employment Standards Code or Regulation text reviewed for this article. Alberta has not enacted an Ontario- or British Columbia-style digital platform worker minimum wage law as of October 1, 2026.

How to File a Minimum Wage Complaint in Alberta

Employment Standards, part of Alberta's Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration, handles minimum wage complaints under the Employment Standards Code, RSA 2000, c E-9. The complaint window is tied to the employment relationship rather than a fixed calendar period:

"(2) A complaint ... may be made at any time while the employee is employed by the employer and, if the employee's employment is terminated, at any time up to 6 months after the date on which the employment is terminated." (Employment Standards Code, RSA 2000, c E-9, s.82(2))

Even where a complaint is timely, the amount an officer can order paid is limited by an "assessment period" that generally reaches back only 6 months from the earlier of the complaint date or the date employment ended:

"'assessment period' means (i) ... the period (A) commencing 6 months before the earlier of (I) the claim date, and (II) the date the employee's employment is [terminated]..." (Employment Standards Code, RSA 2000, c E-9, s.90(3)(b))

This 6 month recovery lookback is shorter than the recovery period available in some other provinces, so an employee who waits to complain risks losing the ability to recover wages from further back, even though the right to complain itself remains open throughout employment and for 6 months after it ends. The government's complaint page adds that complaints can be submitted online and there is no cost.

For what an employer owes on a final cheque more broadly, see Final Paycheck Deadlines in Canada, and for the separate rules on paid overtime, see Overtime and Hours of Work in Canada. Alberta employees also have statutory holiday entitlements separate from the minimum wage itself; see Statutory Holidays in Alberta.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Alberta's minimum wage under the Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, and the Employment Standards Code, RSA 2000, c E-9, current as of October 1, 2026. It is not legal advice. Consult Alberta Employment Standards or a lawyer licensed in Alberta for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum wage in Alberta right now?

$15.00 per hour, effective October 1, 2018, under the Employment Standards Regulation, Alta Reg 14/1997, s.9(1)(a)(iii). This rate has not changed since 2018 and no increase was announced as of October 1, 2026.

Why hasn't Alberta's minimum wage gone up like other provinces?

Alberta's Employment Standards Regulation does not contain an annual Consumer Price Index adjustment formula, unlike Ontario, British Columbia, and most other provinces. Any increase in Alberta has to come from a deliberate regulatory amendment rather than an automatic yearly calculation, and no such amendment has been made since October 1, 2018.

Is there a lower minimum wage for students in Alberta?

Yes, for students under 18 who are enrolled in an educational institution. They can be paid $13.00 per hour for work during a school break, or for the first 28 hours worked in a week when school is in session. Any hours beyond 28 in a school week must be paid the full $15.00 general rate.

Does Alberta have a separate minimum wage for liquor servers?

No, not since October 1, 2016. Alberta had a lower liquor server wage until it was eliminated in two steps on October 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016; servers are now paid the same $15.00 general rate as other workers.

What is the minimum wage for domestic workers in Alberta?

A domestic employee who lives in the employer's home has a flat minimum of $2,848 per month, regardless of hours, which may be pro-rated for a partial month by agreement. A domestic employee who does not live in the employer's home is paid the ordinary $15.00 hourly rate instead.

Who is exempt from minimum wage in Alberta?

The Government of Alberta lists the following as exempt from minimum wage standards: real estate brokers, securities salespersons, insurance salespersons paid entirely by commission, students in an approved work experience or off campus education program, film and video extras, camp counsellors and instructors at a non-profit children's, religious, or disability camp, municipal police service members, and post-secondary academic staff. These workers have no minimum wage floor at all, rather than a lower rate.

How long do I have to file a minimum wage complaint in Alberta?

A complaint may be made at any time while still employed, and up to 6 months after employment ends, under the Employment Standards Code, RSA 2000, c E-9, s.82(2). Even a timely complaint generally recovers only wages owed in the 6 months before the claim or termination date.