Calculates the official end date of an employment probation period in Canada, accounting for province-specific rules and unpaid leave.
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What is resignation notice?
Resignation notice is the advance warning you give your employer before your last day of work. In Canada, how much notice you owe depends on three things: your province or territory, the terms of your employment contract, and, where neither sets a fixed period, the common-law duty to give reasonable notice. Many people give two weeks because it is the usual courtesy, but that figure is a custom and not a rule in most of the country.
How the calculation works
The calculator first measures your length of service from your start date to the day you will hand in your letter. It then looks for a statutory minimum. Alberta and Manitoba set one for employees in their employment standards legislation. In Alberta, an employee with more than 90 days of service must give one week of notice, rising to two weeks once they have two years of service. In Manitoba, an employee with at least 30 days of service must give one week, rising to two weeks from one year of service.
Next it converts any notice clause in your contract into days, whether written in days, weeks or months. The minimum notice you must give is the higher of the statutory figure and the contract figure. Finally it compares that minimum with the notice you would like to give, which is two weeks by default, and uses the longer one. Your last day of work is the notice date plus that number of calendar days.
A worked example
Suppose you work in Alberta, started on 1 March 2022 and hand in your letter on 26 October 2026. You have four completed years of service, so the statutory minimum is two weeks (14 days). Your contract says nothing about notice, and you planned to give two weeks. The notice period is 14 days and your last day of work is 9 November 2026.
Now suppose you work in Ontario and your contract requires one month of notice. The Employment Standards Act, 2000 does not set a general resignation period, so the contract governs. If you give notice on 2 November 2026, one calendar month later is 2 December 2026, and that becomes your last day.
Common situations
- No contract clause, no statutory rule. This is the usual situation in Ontario and British Columbia. You are expected to give reasonable notice, and two weeks is the standard courtesy for most roles. Senior or hard-to-replace positions often justify more.
- Contract with a longer period. A clause requiring four weeks or a month binds you, and in provinces with a statutory minimum the contract cannot go below it.
- Short service. In Alberta and Manitoba, the statutory duty only begins after the minimum service period. Before then, only your contract applies.
- Quebec. The Civil Code requires reasonable notice for an indefinite-term contract. Take the length from your contract and the circumstances of your job.
- Other provinces and territories. Some set their own employee notice. Check with the employment standards office and enter the days in the calculator.
Tips before you hand in notice
Give notice in writing and keep a copy. State your last day of work clearly, and mention any contract clause you are following. Check whether you have vacation to use, a bonus that depends on being employed on a given date, or benefits that end on your last day. If your employer agrees to a shorter period or asks you to leave sooner, ask for that in writing.
Which document to prepare
After you have your last day, prepare a letter of resignation. It should include the date of the letter, your position, your last day of employment, whether your contract specifies a notice period, and any offer to help with the transition. The Letter of Resignation template for Canada lets you fill in those details so the dates match the result of this calculator.
Limits of the calculator
Provincial rules change, and some situations fall outside a simple formula: collective agreements, federally regulated employers, probationary periods, or a resignation caused by the employer's own conduct. If your case is not simple, check the rule with your provincial employment standards office or an employment lawyer before you set your last day.