---
title: "Server Rules in BC: Pay, Tips, Sick Days"
url: https://www.tipmaxapp.com/ca/answers/british-columbia
language: en
publisher: TipMax (Entermaurs Incorporated)
date_published: 2026-09-23
last_verified: 2026-09-23
---

# What are the rules for servers in BC?

**Short answer:** In British Columbia, the minimum wage is $18.25 an hour, in effect since June 1, 2026, and liquor servers are paid that same rate. Your employer can’t withhold your tips or force you to give them up, except to pool them or when the law requires it. After 90 days on the job you get 5 paid and 3 unpaid sick days a year, plus a 30-minute meal break when you work more than 5 hours straight.

## BC at a glance

| Rule | British Columbia |
| --- | --- |
| General minimum wage | $18.25 since June 1, 2026 |
| Special rates | Liquor servers have been paid the regular minimum wage since June 1, 2021. |
| Are your tips protected? | Employment Standards Act ss. 30.3–30.4: employers can’t withhold tips or make you give them up, except for tip pooling or where the law requires it. Employers can share in a tip pool only if they do similar work. |
| Sick days | After 90 days of employment: up to 5 paid days and 3 unpaid days of job-protected illness or injury leave per calendar year. A doctor’s note can only be requested for leave over 5 consecutive days, or after more than 2 health leaves in a year. |
| Breaks | A 30-minute unpaid meal break when you work more than 5 hours in a row; paid if you must be available to work. Coffee breaks aren’t required. |

**What servers earn:** Job Bank reports a median of **$20.00** an hour for food and beverage servers (NOC 65200) in British Columbia. Job Bank says these figures include tips.

## What’s different in BC

**Sick days that pay.** BC gives you up to 5 paid days of illness or injury leave each calendar year, plus 3 more unpaid, once you’ve worked 90 days. Your employer can ask for a doctor’s note only when you’re off more than 5 days in a row, or after you’ve taken more than 2 health leaves that year. A paid sick day is an average day’s pay. The province doesn’t say whether your tips count toward it.

**Who shares the pool.** Employers can collect tips in a pool and choose who gets a share and how big it is. An owner or boss can take a cut only if they do similar work to the staff who earned those tips. Liquor servers have been paid the regular minimum since June 1, 2021, so bar and floor staff share one wage floor.

**What servers report earning.** Job Bank reports a median of $20.00 an hour for food and beverage servers in BC. Job Bank says its wage figures include tips; they’re workers’ usual wages, not a promise of what a new job pays.

**Meal breaks.** The 30-minute break is unpaid, but it’s paid if you have to stay available to work. Coffee breaks aren’t required.

## Official sources

- [BC: Tips and gratuities](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/wages/tips-gratuities)
- [BC: Minimum wage](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/wages/minimum-wage)
- [BC: Leaves of absence](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/time-off/leaves-of-absence)
- [BC: Hours of work](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/hours)
- [Job Bank: wages by occupation](https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis/search-wages)

## Last verified

September 23, 2026.

## About TipMax

A BC paid sick day is an average day’s pay, and the province doesn’t say whether tips are part of it, so your own log of wage and tips per shift shows what an average day actually looks like for you.

TipMax is an iPhone app for servers and bartenders that tracks tips and tip-outs and turns a restaurant menu into study flashcards.

Download TipMax free: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tipmax-study-track-earn/id6744850146

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TipMax Answers explains public government guidance on pay and workplace rules in plain English for tipped workers. It is **not legal, tax, or accounting advice**. Rules change and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency linked on this page or a qualified professional. TipMax the app helps you track tips and pay; it doesn’t enforce wage law or decide disputes.