585 Minimum wage and room & board
The Employment Standards Act sets a minimum wage, which is the lowest amount that an employer can legally pay an employee per hour. That amount sometimes changes.
Minimum wage requirements
In general, you must be paid at least $10.25 per hour. If you work serving alcohol you must be paid at least $8.90 per hour. If you work as a homeworker you must be paid at least $11.28 per hour. If you are a student under the age of 18 you must usually be paid $9.60 per hour unless you work more than 28 hours a week during the school year.
Rules about paying an employee through room and board
Sometimes, an employee is paid partly with money and partly by room and board. In this situation, the employer usually provides meals and a place to sleep, and then "charges" the employee the cost of room and board, which is automatically deducted from the employee's pay. There is a maximum amount that most employers can charge for room and board.
If the employer charges for a room, the maximum charge that can be deducted from the employee's pay is $31.70 per week for a private room, and $15.85 per week for a shared room. For meals, the employer can only charge $2.55 for each meal, and not more than $53.55 per week. When both room and board are provided, the employer cannot charge more than $85.25 per week for a private room, and $69.40 per week if the room is shared.
If you are unsure how much you should be paid or how much you should pay for room and board, you can contact the Employment Standards office in your area.
For more information about employment issues, refer to other sections of Legal Line .