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Hospitality in Ontario

HR software for restaurants, hotels, and tourism businesses in Ontario

Hospitality teams of 8–75 in Ontario need HR software that understands provincial rules — minimum wage of $17.20/hr, the 10 statutory holidays observed here, and the compliance particulars below. WalnutsHR handles all of it in one workspace, priced in CAD.

Last reviewed: April 2026

ON min wage

$17.20 /hr

Stat holidays 2026

10

WalnutsHR

$10 CAD/emp/mo

What restaurants, hotels, and tourism businesses in Ontario deal with every week

  • Gratuity and tip reporting: controlled vs direct tips are taxed differently by CRA, and getting the reporting wrong triggers audits.
  • Split shifts and short-notice scheduling: the bookkeeping alone can swamp a general manager.
  • Temporary foreign worker (TFW) permit tracking: critical for hotels and kitchens that rely on the program; expired permits stop the entire workforce.

Ontario specifics for restaurants, hotels, and tourism businesses

  • The Employment Standards Act (ESA) applies to most employees in Ontario.
  • Working for Workers Four Act introduced job-posting pay-transparency rules.
  • Federal employees (banks, telecom, airlines) are covered by the Canada Labour Code instead.

Governing body: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

How WalnutsHR handles it

  • Gratuity recorded as a distinct earnings line so controlled-vs-direct tips stay separate in each employee's record — your payroll provider gets clean data for CRA reporting and year-end T4 box 14/box 42 clarity.
  • Per-shift records with start/end times make split shifts legible when you need to audit hours later.
  • Work-permit expiry dates sit on each employee's record with reminders, so a TFW renewal isn't missed.

Try the payroll calculator

Pre-filled for a median hospitality salary in Ontario. Adjust any of the inputs.

Your details

Estimate

2026 tax year · paid biweekly

Net pay per period

$1,317

Annual take-home: $34,242 of $42,000

DeductionPer periodAnnual
Gross pay$1,615$42,000
CPP / QPP$88$2,291
EI / QPIP$26$689
Federal tax$132$3,434
Provincial tax$52$1,344
  • • Estimated using 2026 tax brackets.
  • • Assumes only the basic personal amount; other TD1 credits (spousal, dependants, disability, tuition) would further reduce tax.
  • • Does not include RRSP contributions, taxable benefits, or pension adjustments.
  • • For official deductions, use CRA's Payroll Deductions Online Calculator (PDOC).
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FAQ for restaurants, hotels, and tourism businesses in Ontario

Does WalnutsHR handle tips and gratuities?+
Tips and gratuities are tracked as a separate earnings category. Controlled tips (pooled and distributed by the employer) are subject to payroll deductions; direct tips (received directly from customers) typically are not but must be reported. WalnutsHR keeps them separate in each employee's record so your payroll provider applies the correct tax treatment and T4 reporting.
How do split shifts work in the system?+
Each shift is a discrete record with start and end times, so a 10 AM–2 PM plus 5 PM–9 PM day shows up as two shifts on one calendar day. Provincial split-shift premiums (where required) are calculated on the hours and export cleanly to your payroll provider.
Can WalnutsHR track TFW or work permit expiry dates?+
Yes — work-permit expiry is a standard field on every employee record, and we send reminders ahead of expiry. You're still responsible for reviewing the actual permit document and initiating renewal with IRCC; we just make sure the date doesn't sneak up on you.
We have staff across multiple locations. Does that work?+
Yes. You can tag each employee with a primary location, and managers at each location see only their team. Cross-location transfers keep the employee's record intact — no re-onboarding.

Related reading

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