British Columbia Minimum Wage 2026: Current Rate, Gig Worker Pay, and Special Rates

British Columbia's minimum wage is $18.25 per hour as of June 1, 2026, not the $17.85 figure still common in older sources, with a materially higher rate for app-based gig workers, no liquor server subminimum since 2021, and automatic annual increases tied to BC's Consumer Price Index under the Employment Standards Act.

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

This article covers the minimum wage rules that apply to employees in British Columbia under the Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c 113, and the Employment Standards Regulation, BC Reg 396/95. Employees whose jobs fall under federal jurisdiction, such as banking, telecommunications, or interprovincial trucking, follow the federal minimum wage instead; see Federally Regulated Employees in Canada. For the rates in other provinces and territories, see Minimum Wage in Canada, and for the broader employment standards framework BC workers fall under, see Employment Standards in Canada: An Overview.

British Columbia's Minimum Wage Right Now

As of June 1, 2026, British Columbia's general minimum wage is $18.25 per hour. This is a straightforward point that still gets reported wrong, because the prior rate is easy to find and easy to mistake for the current one.

$17.85 was correct for exactly one year, from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026. It has not been the current rate since June 1, 2026. Unlike Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, BC's minimum wage cycle runs on June 1, not October 1, and there was no change on October 1, 2026. The next scheduled adjustment is June 1, 2027, under section 16.2 of the Employment Standards Act.

Why the Act's Own Text Looks Out of Date

Reading the Employment Standards Act itself can be misleading here. Section 16.1(1) sets a base figure that reads:

"Subject to subsection (2) and section 16.2, the minimum wage is $16.75 per hour." (Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c 113, s.16.1(1))

That $16.75 figure is not the current rate. It is the pre-indexation base the Legislature fixed in the Act, and section 16.2 layers an annual adjustment on top of it that the statute text does not rewrite every year. The government's own minimum wage page is explicit that the live figure sits above the bare statutory text: as of June 1, 2026, minimum wage is $18.25 per hour. Reading only section 16.1(1) and stopping there will understate BC's real minimum wage.

The formerly separate dollar figure in the Employment Standards Regulation, which used to set the general rate by regulation, was repealed by BC Reg 87/2024; the general rate now lives in the Act itself.

How the Rate Is Adjusted Each Year

Section 16.2 of the Act sets the formula. Every June 1, beginning June 1, 2024, the minimum wage is adjusted by the ratio of BC's annual average All-Items Consumer Price Index for the preceding year over the year before that:

"every year on June 1, beginning on June 1, 2024, (a) the minimum wage referred to in section 16.1 (1) is adjusted in accordance with the formula ... (b) the adjusted minimum wage is rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05 or, if the adjusted minimum wage is equidistant from 2 consecutive multiples, to the higher multiple." (Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c 113, s.16.2(2))

Like Ontario, this is a one-way ratchet. The government's guide confirms that if the Consumer Price Index goes down, minimum wages stay the same rather than falling.

Readers can check what the current general rate comes to for their own hours, or how it compares with other provinces, using the Canada minimum wage calculator.

No Liquor Server Minimum Wage in British Columbia

British Columbia used to pay liquor servers a lower minimum wage. That ended June 1, 2021. The government's minimum wage page states the current rule directly:

"As of June 1, 2021, liquor servers must be paid the regular minimum wage rate for hours worked, in addition to any tips or gratuities they receive." (Government of British Columbia, minimum wage guide)

A liquor server in BC today is paid the same $18.25 general rate as any other employee, with tips as a separate addition on top, the same structural change Ontario made in 2022.

Minimum Wage for App-Based Gig Workers

British Columbia's approach to online platform workers, meaning ride-hail and delivery workers who take assignments through an app, pays a higher rate calculated differently from the general minimum wage. As of June 1, 2026, engaged time is paid at $21.89 per hour, roughly $3.65 above the general minimum wage, plus a distance expense allowance to offset transportation costs: at least $0.35 per kilometre for delivery work using a mode of transport other than walking, and at least $0.45 per kilometre for ride-hail work using a motor vehicle. The government's guide defines the covered period this way: engaged time starts when a worker accepts an order or request, and ends when they complete it or it is cancelled.

This is a materially different structure from Ontario's Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, which pays the ordinary general minimum wage per assignment rather than a separate, higher hourly figure, and does not mandate a distance allowance in the same way. The rate is set by section 18.2 of the Employment Standards Regulation, which fixes a base minimum hourly wage for delivery services and ride-hail services workers that applies only to engaged time, requires the employer to pay any shortfall where a worker's online work earnings in a pay period fall below that minimum multiplied by the hours of engaged time, and adjusts the rate every June 1 beginning June 1, 2025. The $21.89 figure is that rate as adjusted on June 1, 2026.

Other Special Rates: Live-In Workers, Resident Caretakers, and Farm Workers

Several categories of BC workers are paid under rate structures set out in the Employment Standards Regulation rather than the general hourly minimum wage:

• Live-in camp leaders at charity summer or seasonal camps, where no room and board is charged, are paid a daily rate of $145.64 as of June 1, 2026.
• Live-in home support workers are paid a daily rate of $135.88 as of June 1, 2026.
• Resident caretakers of apartment buildings are paid a monthly rate that depends on the number of suites: $1,092.10 per month plus $43.75 per suite for a building with 9 to 60 suites, and $3,719.96 per month for a building with 61 or more suites, as of June 1, 2026.
• Farm workers doing hand-harvest piece-rate work on crops such as apples or blueberries are paid fixed per-unit rates set out in the Employment Standards Regulation. Unlike the other categories above, these piece rates are adjusted every December 31, not June 1, and an employer must post the container volumes or weights used to calculate the rate.

The Employment Standards Regulation's own text can lag these current figures for the same reason the Act's base figure does: a regulation consolidation dated as current can still display an older, pre-indexation dollar amount for resident caretakers or live-in workers while the true current figure sits only on the government's rate table. Confirm any of these figures against the current official minimum wage guide rather than the bare regulation text alone.

How to File a Wage Claim in British Columbia

Employees who believe they were not paid at least minimum wage can file a complaint with BC's Employment Standards Branch. There are two different limits to keep straight. First, a filing deadline for a terminated employee: section 74(3) of the Act requires the complaint to be delivered within 6 months after the last day of employment.

"A complaint relating to an employee whose employment has terminated must be delivered under subsection (2) within 6 months after the last day of employment." (Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c 113, s.74(3))

The Act does not set a separate numbered filing deadline on the face of section 74 for a worker who is still employed. Second, and separately, a recovery cap: even a timely complaint can only recover wages that became payable in the 12 months before the earlier of the complaint date or the termination date, plus interest, under section 80(1)(a). The director can extend the 6 month filing deadline, even after it has passed, where special circumstances exist that prevented a timely complaint and an injustice would otherwise result.

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

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about British Columbia's minimum wage rules under the Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996, c 113, and the Employment Standards Regulation, BC Reg 396/95, current as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Confirm the current rate and any special rate before relying on it, and consult a lawyer licensed in British Columbia or the Employment Standards Branch for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is British Columbia's minimum wage right now?

As of October 1, 2026, British Columbia's general minimum wage is $18.25 per hour, effective since June 1, 2026. The previous rate of $17.85 per hour applied only from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, so it is no longer current.

Did BC's minimum wage go up on October 1 like Ontario's?

No. British Columbia adjusts its minimum wage every June 1, under section 16.2 of the Employment Standards Act. There was no October 1, 2026 increase for BC; the next scheduled adjustment is June 1, 2027.

Is there still a lower minimum wage for liquor servers in BC?

No. British Columbia eliminated the separate liquor server minimum wage effective June 1, 2021. Servers are paid the regular minimum wage for hours worked, plus any tips or gratuities they receive on top.

Do rideshare and delivery drivers get a different minimum wage in BC?

Yes. Online platform workers doing ride-hail or delivery work through an app are paid $21.89 per hour for engaged time as of June 1, 2026, higher than the general minimum wage, plus a per-kilometre distance allowance to offset transportation costs. Engaged time runs from accepting a request to completing or cancelling it.

Why does the Employment Standards Act say BC's minimum wage is $16.75?

Section 16.1(1) of the Act sets a pre-indexation base figure that the Legislature fixed in the statute text and does not rewrite every year. The real current rate comes from applying the annual Consumer Price Index adjustment formula in section 16.2 on top of that base, which is how the current rate reaches $18.25 even though the bare statutory text still shows $16.75.

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

A complaint from a terminated employee must be delivered within 6 months of the last day of employment under section 74(3) of the Employment Standards Act. Separately, even a timely complaint can only recover wages that became payable in the 12 months before the complaint or the termination, under section 80(1)(a).