CCQ overtime: thresholds, premiums and rules by sector

When does an hour become overtime?

When it goes beyond the daily or weekly hours set by the collective agreement, or is worked outside the scheduled time limits. The agreements also count as overtime any work done on a mandatory annual holiday or a statutory holiday off. The general thresholds are as follows:

Rules specific to certain trades shift these thresholds. For example, in institutional-commercial (s. 20.03):

• carpenter-joiners and painters have a 40-hour week and 10-hour days, with a weekly limit of 32 hours if a statutory holiday off reduces the week to four days (the same goes for bricklayer-masons, plasterers and cement finishers, with 10-hour days possible);
• tile setters and resilient flooring installers have a 44-hour week, the last four hours of which are voluntary (34 hours in a four-day week);
• roofers can work 10-hour days, Monday to Friday, up to a maximum of 50 hours a week.

At the request of the majority of employees on a job site, the employer can also adopt a compressed four-day week: overtime then only applies beyond the daily limit set that way (s. 20.02 in institutional-commercial).

What is the overtime premium?

It depends on the sector. In institutional-commercial and industrial, the agreement adds 50% (time and a half) to the first overtime hour of the week, then 100% (double time) from the second hour on. Premium-rate work on Sundays and statutory holidays is still paid at 200% from the first hour.

Sample calculation, using a fictitious base rate of $40.00 an hour: one hour at +50% is worth $60.00; one hour at +100% (double time) is worth $80.00.

Three important points:

• The text of the institutional-commercial and industrial agreements refers to the first overtime hour "of the week". To know how to count a specific week (daily hours, statutory holiday, compressed week), check with your employer association or with the CCQ.
• In heavy industry, the premium calculation is based on Appendices B and B-2 of the industrial agreement, and the 150% rule for the first hour does not apply to shutdown work.
• On an isolated job site or in James Bay (and, in institutional-commercial, north of the 55th parallel), the first five overtime hours carry a 50% premium, and the following hours and Sunday hours a 100% premium (s. 21.03 of the institutional-commercial and industrial agreements).

Is overtime mandatory?

No. Overtime is voluntary, and the employer cannot penalize an employee who refuses it, unless it is emergency work, which the employer must prove. In civil engineering and roadwork, there is an exception for certain camp-based job sites where the project owner requires 50 hours a week: only the hours beyond 50 are then voluntary. If an employer asks for work on a statutory holiday off without paying overtime, or on a non-voluntary basis, the CCQ says the situation can be reported.

What changes depending on the sector and trade?

Here are the most useful differences to know.

• Residential: the hours bank. The employer can spread hours over a basis other than weekly. Each bank holds a maximum of 80 hours without premium, over a period running from March 29, 2026 to March 27, 2027. The balance must be settled and paid no later than the last Thursday of the following April, with a 50% premium in light residential and 100% in heavy residential (s. 19.04). According to the CCQ, the bank cannot be used to make up for a statutory holiday off.
• Light residential: making up time. For work exposed to weather conditions, the week can be spread over two consecutive weeks: the employee makes up lost hours at straight time, up to 10 hours a day and 50 hours a week, without exceeding 80 regular paid hours per two-week period (s. 18.02).
• Civil engineering and roadwork: a simple general rule, +100%, with some exceptions (s. 22.02).
• Some trades have their own rules: elevator mechanics, erector-mechanics (glaziers), electricians on isolated job sites and security system installers, among others (s. 21.03 in institutional-commercial).

Are bonuses increased for overtime?

As a general rule, no. In all four agreements, overtime pay is calculated before bonuses are added: the premium percentage does not apply to bonuses. The institutional-commercial and industrial agreements provide an exception for the bonuses in section 22.03 (crew leader and group leader), and civil engineering provides the same exception (s. 23.01, bonuses in s. 23.03). In residential, the bonus section covers heavy residential only, except sections 22.07 and 22.08, which also cover light residential.

In institutional-commercial, the shift bonus is 4% of the wage rate for each hour worked on a shift other than the first, with higher percentages for some trades (5% for bricklayer-masons, tile setters and plasterers, for example, and 12% for electricians on the second and third shifts). Crew leaders receive 8% and group leaders 10%, unless a trade-specific rule applies.

What breaks and meal allowances come with overtime?

• Break: fifteen minutes paid at the premium rate after each two-hour overtime period, if work continues afterwards.
• Meal: after two consecutive overtime hours following the normal day, a paid half-hour to eat, plus a $17.00 meal allowance (with receipts in residential), unless the employer provides a suitable meal. The allowance is due again after four more overtime hours.
• Rest: at least eight consecutive hours per 24-hour period, unless public health and safety are at risk. Pay at the premium rate continues until this rest has been granted.

These rules appear in particular in section 20.07 (institutional-commercial) and section 18.05 (residential). Check the provisions for your sector, since some trades have specific meal and rest rules.

How does overtime affect payroll?

Each hour has to be classified in the right category (normal, 50% premium, 100% premium or 200%), then get the bonuses that go with it. Base rates are in the 2026 CCQ rate table, and the true cost of an employee calculator helps you budget the total cost. The 13% vacation pay credited each week is explained in our article on the construction holiday; how it applies to premium hours should be confirmed on ccq.org.

SubmitX calculates payroll for CCQ-covered employees from timesheets entered at the office or on the job site (see the features and the CCQ payroll guide). Always confirm the rules for your job site against the applicable collective agreement.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours before work counts as overtime in construction?

The general rule is 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, and 8 hours a day (10 hours for some trades). Beyond that, or outside the time limits set by the collective agreement, hours are overtime. Any work on a mandatory annual holiday or a statutory holiday off is also overtime. Some trades have their own normal schedules.

What is the CCQ overtime premium?

In institutional-commercial and industrial: a 50% premium for the first overtime hour of the week, then 100% from the second hour, and pay at 200% on Sundays and statutory holidays. In civil engineering and roadwork: 100%. In residential: 50% in light residential and 100% in heavy residential. Special rules apply to some trades and to isolated job sites.

Is overtime mandatory in construction?

No. Overtime is voluntary, and the employer cannot penalize an employee who refuses it, except for emergency work, which the employer must prove.

Are bonuses increased for overtime?

As a general rule, no: overtime pay is calculated before bonuses are added, and the premium percentage does not apply to bonuses. The institutional-commercial, industrial and civil engineering agreements provide an exception for certain bonuses (for example, in institutional-commercial, the crew leader and group leader bonuses).

Sources

2025-2029 collective agreements published by the CCQ, consulted on October 13, 2026. The text of the agreement that applies to your job site prevails in case of difference.

• Institutional and commercial, section XX: normal hours of work, schedules, rest (in French)
• Institutional and commercial, section XXI: overtime (in French)
• Institutional and commercial, section XXII: bonuses (in French)
• Industrial, section XX: normal hours of work (in French)
• Industrial, section XXI: overtime (in French)
• Industrial, section XXII: bonuses (in French)
• Civil engineering and roadwork, section XXI: hours of work (in French)
• Civil engineering and roadwork, section XXII: overtime (in French)
• Civil engineering and roadwork, section XXIII: bonuses (in French)
• Residential, section 18: work schedule (in French)
• Residential, section 19: overtime (in French)
• Residential, section 22: bonuses (in French)
• CCQ: statutory holidays, FAQ (in French)

Last checked: October 13, 2026.