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

# What are the rules for servers in Quebec?

**Short answer:** Quebec’s general minimum wage has been $16.60 an hour since May 1, 2026, but servers who usually get tips in a restaurant can be paid the tipped-worker minimum of $13.30, not counting tips. Your tips belong to you, and your employer can’t impose a tip-sharing arrangement; most of the tipped staff have to agree to one. You get 2 paid days of absence a year after 3 months, and an unpaid 30-minute meal break after 5 hours.

## Quebec at a glance

| Rule | Quebec |
| --- | --- |
| General minimum wage | $16.60 since May 1, 2026 |
| Special rates | Tipped-worker minimum: $13.30 an hour, for people who usually receive tips in restaurants (not places where customers order at a counter and pay before eating), off-premises meal businesses, rooms serving alcohol, and tourist accommodation. |
| Are your tips protected? | Act respecting labour standards, s. 50: a tip belongs to the employee. The employer can’t impose a tip-sharing arrangement; one needs the agreement of a majority of employees. |
| Sick days | Up to 26 weeks of protected absence for illness in 12 months. It’s unpaid except for the first 2 days per calendar year, which need 3 months of uninterrupted service and are shared with family and other reasons. |
| Breaks | An unpaid 30-minute meal break after 5 consecutive hours; paid if you must stay at your workstation. Other breaks aren’t required, but if your employer gives them, they must be paid. |

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

## What’s different in Quebec

**The lower rate has limits.** The $13.30 tipped minimum only applies to people who usually receive tips in a restaurant (not a place where customers order at a counter and pay before eating), a business that sells or delivers meals to eat elsewhere, a room serving alcohol on site, or tourist accommodation. Your employer pays it without counting tips. Everyone else gets at least $16.60.

**Staff decide on sharing.** Here the employer can’t set up a tip-sharing arrangement or interfere in one. It exists only if a majority of the employees entitled to tips freely agree, and once it’s in place a new hire has to follow it. The employer can’t keep any tips, even to cover a short cash drawer or a broken plate.

**Tips raise your paid leave.** Revenu Québec says vacation pay, statutory holiday pay and pay for family events are calculated on your base wage plus tips, which is one reason declaring your tips pays off. Your 2 paid days per calendar year need 3 months of uninterrupted service and are shared with family and other reasons, so a sick day may already be used up. Beyond those, you can be absent for illness up to 26 weeks in 12 months, unpaid.

**Pay reported by servers.** Job Bank reports a median of $20.00 an hour for food and beverage servers in Quebec. Job Bank says the figure includes tips and reflects workers’ usual wages.

## Official sources

- [CNESST: Wages of employees receiving tips](https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-conditions/wage-and-pay/wages/wages-employees-receiving-tips)
- [CNESST: Act respecting labour standards, s. 50 (interpretation)](https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/node/1147646/interpretation-guide/act-respecting-labour-standards/chapter-iv-larbour-standards-section-391-97/division-i-wages-section-391-511/section-50)
- [CNESST: Non-work-related accident or illness](https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-conditions/leave/accidents-and-illnesses/non-work-related-accident-or-illness)
- [CNESST: Breaks and weekly rest](https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-conditions/work-schedule-and-termination-employment/work-schedule/presence-work-breaks-and-weekly-rest-period)
- [Job Bank: wages by occupation](https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis/search-wages)

## Last verified

September 23, 2026.

## About TipMax

In Quebec, vacation and statutory holiday pay are calculated on your wage plus tips, so a per-shift tip log lets you check those amounts when they show up on your pay slip.

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

---

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.