This 2025 stat holiday hack lets you turn 10 vacation days into 36 days off work in Ontario
If you're flipping through your 2025 calendar and already dreaming of more time off, this vacation hack might be just what you need.
By using your paid time off strategically around the statutory holidays in 2025, you can actually stretch just two weeks of vacation into a luxurious 36 days away from work.
Ontario's stat holidays are scattered across the week this year — with some falling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays — making it the perfect year to get creative with your vacation days. By adding a day or two of PTO around these midweek holidays, you can finesse those short, chopped-up breaks into long, relaxing escapes.
The best part is that you only need 10 vacation days — the minimum PTO allotment required by law in Ontario — to maximize your 2025 stat holiday calendar.
So, whether you're planning to jet off somewhere warm or just binge-watch your favourite shows, this trick will help you make the most of your time off.
Ontario stat holidays 2025
Here's a breakdown of all the Ontario stat holiday dates you'll want to mark on your calendar and how to stretch them into full-blown vacations without breaking the PTO bank:
- Family Day (Monday, February 17): Take Friday, February 14 off, and you've got a four-day Valentine's weekend in exchange for just one PTO day.
- Good Friday (Friday, April 18): Use Monday, April 21 as a vacation day to score a four-day weekend.
- Victoria Day (Monday, May 19): Book off Friday, May 16, and you'll have four days to enjoy some May sunshine.
- Canada Day (Tuesday, July 1): Take Monday, June 30 off to turn Canada Day into a dreamy four-day cottage long weekend.
- Civic Holiday (Monday, August 4): While this isn't an official stat holiday in Ontario, many employers elect to give their staff the day off anyway. If your workplace doesn't observe this day, use a PTO day to turn it into a three-day weekend anyway. And if you're lucky enough to get the day off already, why not add Friday, August 1 for a four-day weekend?
- Labour Day (Monday, September 1): Use Friday, August 29 to make summer's last long weekend even longer.
- Thanksgiving (Monday, October 13): Take either Friday, October 10 or Tuesday, October 14 off for a four-day break — depending on whether you're planning to use the day to prep for your feast or recover from it.
- Christmas & Boxing Day (Thursday, December 25 & Friday, December 26): Use your last three vacation days on December 22 to 24 for a luxurious nine-day break to end the year.
By simply planning your vacation days around these stat holidays, you'll end up with one three-day weekend, six four-day weekends and a full nine-day holiday break at the end of the year — 36 days total in breaks longer than a normal weekend!
So, dust off your calendar, chat with your boss about those days off and get ready to enjoy 36 days of pure relaxation. Your future self will thank you!
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