Canada
Make employment in Canada easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Canada, all in one easy-to-use platform.
- Capital City
Ottawa
- Currency
Canadian dollar ($, CAD)
- Languages
French and English
- Population size
37,589,262
Facts & Stats
- Capital City
Ottawa
- Currency
Canadian dollar ($, CAD)
- Languages
French and English
- Population size
37,589,262
- Ease of doing business
Very easy
- Cost of living index
$$$
- Payroll frequency
Biweekly
- VAT - standard rate
5% (varies by province)
- GDP - real growth rate
1.9%
Canada is the second-largest country in the world by land area, split into 10 provinces and three territories. With a GDP of nearly $2 trillion in 2020, Canada has a robust economy with workers in a variety of critical industries. Companies looking to hire remote workers in Canada will find plenty of talent in tech, finance, health, professional services, and a variety of other industries. Thanks to its abundant resources, Canada is also home to thriving businesses in agriculture, mining, forestry, and construction.
Grow your team in Canada with Remote
Looking to hire employees in Canada? Companies hiring in Canada must either own a local legal entity or work with a global employment platform like Remote that can legally provide employment services in the country.
Remote can employ team members in Canada and keep you compliant at all times. Remote can hire, onboard, and pay your Canada team so you don't have to set up local HR services in the region. Remote also makes it easy to pay contractors in Canada. Sign up now to get started or talk to an expert for more details.
Risks of misclassification
Canada, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Canada may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Canada
Canadian labour laws vary from one province to another, although the country does enforce some laws at the federal level. Employees in Canada enjoy protections against discrimination based on age, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, and race.
Although “Canadian work experience” is a common subject, employers should avoid asking employees about Canada-specific work history. Depending on the laws of the province, certain questions about Canadian work experience could be considered discriminatory. When interviewing candidates in Canada, limit questions to the duties and responsibilities of the role instead of focusing on where the candidate gained the experience.
Common questions including minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off vary depending on the province. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Canada.
Minimum Wage
The Government of Canada proposed a federal minimum wage of $17.30 per hour, rising with inflation, effective on April 1, 2024. However, each province still sets their own hourly minimum wage (more details on province rates here).
Payroll Cycle
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal instalments twice a month (15th of the month and end of the month), payable in arrears.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in Canada fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 2 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
6 Public holidays
Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!
Effortless HR in Canada: Take the Tour
Competitive benefits package in Canada
Remote supports our clients by offering competitive benefits packages that will help you attract and retain the best talent across the globe! Our benefits specialists have done the research on norms and requirements in each local market and have crafted packages that will allow your employees to thrive, no matter what country they live in.
Our benefits packages in Canada are tailored to fulfil the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Life and Disability Insurance
Local market insights
In Canada, 99%* of employers offer supplemental health insurance to their workforce. (*based on 3rd-party market research from our partners)
Although the country has a public health system, supplemental health insurance provides employees with access to a wider range of options for providers and specialists, as well as significantly shorter wait times. Our plans also offer global coverage (excluding the US) to protect your employees when they are travelling outside their home country.
Life, accident, and long-term disability insurance are also offered by 90%* of employers in Canada. (*based on 3rd-party market research from our partners)
Our core benefits (which often include things like healthcare) are required in most countries where we hire. Because Remote is the employer of record, it’s important for us to offer the same core benefits to all employees in a country to ensure fair equity and non-discriminatory hiring practices, which protects your business and ours. Note that we do not add a markup on any benefits premiums or administration costs.
If you'd like specific information about our benefits packages in Canada, start onboarding your first employee with Remote today.
For more insight into fair equity and benefits best practices, download our Global Benefits Guide and share with the rest of your hiring team.
Fair Pricing in Canada
Employer of Record
Hire and pay your global team
Starting at $809/month
paid annually, or CA$945/month paid monthly
Top features
Satisfaction guaranteed
No deposits or hidden fees
Zero onboarding or offboarding fees
Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting
Built-in security and compliance
Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)
Flexible, localised benefits
Contractor Management
Compliantly onboard and pay contractors
$39
per contractor/month
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with contractors in 200+ countries and territories
Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts
Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay
Transparent payments with complete visibility
Payroll
Consolidate your multi-country payroll
$39
per employee/month
Top features
Simplify: Comprehensive platform that integrates all payroll functions
Support: Personalised assistance with a dedicated team and specialists
Accuracy: Test runs and parallel pay runs before implementation
Compliance: Adhere to local labour laws in every country
Timeliness: Accurate and on-time payroll with labour authority reporting handled
Experience: Seamless payroll with easy access to payslips and expenses
Top features
Guided onboarding and offboarding
Employee profile and document management
Time and attendance (time off and tracking)
Expense management and reimbursement
Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app