On December 9, 2004, the Ontario legislature passed new rules about working excess daily or weekly hours and averaging hours of work for overtime purposes. These new rules came into force March 1, 2005. For more information, see Hours of Work and Overtime (Your Guide to the Employment Standards Act).
As of March 1, 2005, if an employer wants an employee to work more than 48 hours a week, the employer must:
The first two requirements also apply if an employer wants an employee to work excess daily hours.
In order to average an employee's hours of work for overtime pay purposes, the employer must obtain written agreement from the employee or union and receive an approval from the Director of Employment Standards.
If the Director has not made a decision on an application within 30 days, a limited number of excess weekly hours can be worked, and averaging hours over a period of two weeks may begin, if certain conditions are met.
The Director of Employment Standards may consider any factor he or she considers relevant in deciding whether to issue an approval.
Applications can be submitted by fax, verifiable mail, in person or online. For faster service, use the online "e-Form" application.
| Guide: | Employer's Guide to the Application Process |
| Form Title: | Hours of Work and Averaging Hours |
| Form Number: | MOL-ES-001 |
| Format: |
Please use only one method to submit your application: on-line (using the e-Form) or fax or verified mail or in person (using the PDF). For example, if you have submitted your application online, do not also submit it by fax or mail.
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| Related Resources |
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If you have questions, please contact the Employment Standards Information Centre at 416-326-7160, toll-free at 1-800-531-5551 or 1-866-567-8893 for Hearing Impaired TTY between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
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