Public holidays 2026
| Holiday | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2026 | Thursday |
| Chinese New Year | 17 February 2026 | Tuesday |
| Chinese New Year | 18 February 2026 | Wednesday |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 21 March 2026 | Saturday |
| Good Friday | 3 April 2026 | Friday |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2026 | Friday |
| Hari Raya Haji | 27 May 2026 | Wednesday |
| Vesak Day | 31 May 2026 | Sunday |
| National Day | 9 August 2026 | Sunday |
| Deepavali | 8 November 2026 | Sunday |
| Christmas Day | 25 December 2026 | Friday |
Public holidays 2027
| Holiday | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 | Friday |
| Chinese New Year | 6 February 2027 | Saturday |
| Chinese New Year | 7 February 2027 | Sunday |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 10 March 2027 | Wednesday |
| Good Friday | 26 March 2027 | Friday |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2027 | Saturday |
| Hari Raya Haji | 17 May 2027 | Monday |
| Vesak Day | 20 May 2027 | Thursday |
| National Day | 9 August 2027 | Monday |
| Deepavali | 28 October 2027 | Thursday |
| Christmas Day | 25 December 2027 | Saturday |
Pay rules for public holidays
Employees covered by the Employment Act are entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year. The rules below decide what is owed in the cases that cause most payroll questions.
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Employee works on a public holiday | An extra day’s salary at the basic rate of pay, on top of the gross rate of pay for that day. By mutual agreement, a public holiday in lieu or time off in lieu can be given instead. |
| Holiday falls on a rest day | The next working day is a paid public holiday. |
| Holiday falls on a non-working day, such as Saturday for a 5-day week | A day off in lieu, or one day’s salary in lieu at the gross rate of pay. |
| Employee is on authorised leave the day before or after | Still entitled to the holiday pay. Annual leave, sick leave and approved unpaid leave count as authorised. |
| Employee is absent without consent or reasonable excuse on the working day before or after | Not entitled to the holiday pay. |
Holidays that fall on a Saturday
In 2026, Hari Raya Puasa falls on Saturday 21 March. In 2027, three holidays fall on a Saturday: 6 February, 1 May and 25 December. For an employee on a 5-day week, Saturday is a non-working day, so the employer gives either another day off or one extra day’s salary for each of them. This has to be decided and recorded for each employee, because it changes either the leave balance or the pay run.
In MUST
How MUST handles holiday pay
Attendance is recorded by GPS clock-in on the staff phone, so hours worked on a public holiday are on the record with the date. Approved hours, overtime and leave flow into MUST Payroll without re-entry, and every run keeps an audit trail of what was paid and who approved it.
Official sources
- MOM: Public holidays for 2026 (press release, 16 June 2025)
- MOM: Public holidays for 2027 (press release, 18 June 2026)
- MOM: Public holidays
- MOM: Public holidays entitlement and pay
This guide is general information for employers, summarised from the sources above as they stood on 1 October 2026. Rules and rates change; the official source prevails, and this is not legal or tax advice for a specific case.