Singapore Public Holidays 2026: Dates, Pay and Substitute Days

Singapore public holidays in 2026 include 11 gazetted holidays, covering civic observances and major religious dates. This guide lists the official Singapore public holidays calendar, explains why some dates move from year to year, and separates a public holiday date from an employee's individual day-off entitlement. It also covers substitute-day rules, public-holiday pay, and the practical effect of holidays on schools, offices, banks, shops, and transport.

The calendar is useful for residents, employers, students, visitors, and businesses that need to arrange leave, payroll, appointments, or travel. Religious dates shown as subject to confirmation should be treated as the dates published in the official announcement, while recognising that the relevant authority may confirm them closer to the time. A public holiday is not automatically a closure notice for every service, so institution-specific schedules still matter.

Singapore Public Holidays 2026: Official Calendar

Singapore's official holiday calendar is published by the Ministry of Manpower. The 2026 list contains 11 gazetted public holidays. Chinese New Year accounts for two of those days; substitute days are not additional holiday categories.

Singapore Public Holidays in 2026 at a Glance

The following Singapore holiday calendar uses the dates announced by the Ministry of Manpower. Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji are marked subject to confirmation in that announcement.

The 2026 announcement identifies Monday 1 June, Monday 10 August, and Monday 9 November in connection with the Sunday holidays. These dates arise from weekend and rest-day rules. They should not be counted as extra gazetted holiday types, and their application to an individual employee depends on that employee's work arrangement.

For calendar planning, the busiest clusters may be more important than the total count. Chinese New Year occupies two consecutive weekdays, while several holidays fall close to weekends. A business should therefore review the full roster rather than count only Monday-to-Friday dates. The same distinction helps families separate a national public holiday from a school vacation day or an employer-approved leave day.

How to Read the Singapore Holiday Calendar

Singapore has 11 gazetted public holidays each year. This count includes both days of Chinese New Year. In everyday use, people may call them Singapore holidays, national holidays, or bank holidays, but these expressions do not always mean the same thing in law or in operating practice.

A gazetted public holiday is the national calendar date announced for Singapore. Whether a person receives time off on that exact date, on a following weekday, or through another arrangement can depend on whether the date is a normal working day, a designated rest day, or a non-working day under the person's schedule. A school calendar, bank notice, or employer roster may therefore show additional dates without changing the national list of 11 holidays.

It is also useful to distinguish a public holiday from annual leave. Annual leave is an employee's leave entitlement, whereas a public holiday is a date with its own statutory treatment for covered employees. If a workplace remains open, the employer still needs to apply the relevant public-holiday arrangement rather than treating the date as an ordinary day without review.

Fixed-Date and Movable Public Holidays

Some dates are easy to place on a long-term calendar because they stay on the same Gregorian date. Others are set through religious or liturgical calendars and change their civil-calendar position from year to year.

Fixed-Date Public Holidays

Four Singapore public holidays always use the same Gregorian calendar date: New Year's Day on 1 January, Labour Day on 1 May, National Day on 9 August, and Christmas Day on 25 December. Their weekday changes each year, which can affect whether a substitute-day issue arises for a particular work schedule.

New Year's Day marks the start of the calendar year. Labour Day is a national labour-related observance. National Day is Singapore's principal civic observance, while Christmas Day is a Christian public holiday. Their fixed dates make them useful anchors for annual staffing plans, school-term planning, and international business calendars. Fixed date does not mean that every office, shop, or service must use identical opening hours.

For employers, a fixed date is predictable but not necessarily operationally simple. A Thursday holiday can affect the preceding day's deadlines, while a Friday holiday can change payroll cut-offs or customer response times around the weekend. The date remains stable; the weekday pattern and each organisation's staffing decision change from year to year.

Movable Public Holidays and Religious Calendars

Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, Vesak Day, Deepavali, and Good Friday do not all remain on the same Gregorian date. Their timing reflects Chinese and Islamic lunar calendars, other religious calendar calculations, or, for Good Friday, the Christian liturgical calendar. As a result, the holidays can move between months and weekdays across different years.

These calendars do not all move in the same way. Islamic observances are based on the Islamic calendar, Chinese New Year follows the Chinese lunisolar calendar, and Good Friday is determined within the Christian liturgical year. Vesak Day and Deepavali likewise depend on religious-calendar calculations. Readers should therefore avoid assuming that one holiday's date can be used to predict another's.

For example, Chinese New Year was in late January in 2025 but is scheduled for mid-February in 2026. A movable date is not less official than a fixed date. Once it is gazetted or announced by the appropriate authority, it is part of Singapore's public-holiday calendar. The important planning distinction is that a generic online calendar may not reflect the final official treatment of a religious date.

For 2026, Hari Raya Puasa on 21 March and Hari Raya Haji on 27 May are marked subject to confirmation in the MOM announcement used for this calendar. Do not attempt to calculate employment deadlines, ticket changes, or school arrangements from a general calendar formula. Use the annual Ministry of Manpower announcement and its current public-holiday page as the controlling public reference.

Employment Rights and Public Holiday Pay

Public holidays have practical employment consequences, but the result is shaped by Employment Act coverage, contractual terms, and the employee's usual work pattern. The national date alone is not enough to determine every pay or time-off outcome.

Who Receives Paid Public Holiday Entitlement

The general rule under the Employment Act is that an employee is entitled to a paid holiday at the gross rate of pay when a public holiday falls during the period of employment. The statutory wording is available in the Singapore Employment Act. In practical terms, the law provides a paid public-holiday entitlement rather than simply identifying dates on a calendar.

“Gross rate of pay” is a statutory pay concept. Its detailed treatment can matter where pay has multiple components, so employees and employers should not assume that an informal daily-rate calculation will always be correct. Entitlement can also be affected by matters addressed in MOM public-holiday entitlement guidance, including authorised leave and unexplained absence around the holiday.

Coverage is important. Review the employee's Employment Act coverage and employment contract before assuming that statutory public-holiday pay rules apply in exactly the same way. A contract may provide more favourable benefits, while unusual roles or employment arrangements may require a closer reading of the applicable terms and current official guidance.

The entitlement should be considered when a roster is prepared, not only after payroll is processed. Employers should identify which employees are covered, record the holiday arrangement, and explain whether the result is a day off, salary in lieu, additional salary, or permitted time off in lieu. Employees who are unsure about a deduction or replacement day should compare the payslip and roster with the written employment terms and current MOM guidance.

Saturday and Sunday Public Holidays

A common source of confusion is the difference between a non-working day and a rest day. In a typical five-day schedule, Saturday may be a non-working day and Sunday may be the designated rest day. Those labels are not interchangeable. An employee with a different roster can have a different result.

MOM's public-holiday entitlement guidance explains that a public holiday on a non-working day may result in a day off or salary in lieu, while a public holiday on a rest day generally makes the next working day a paid public holiday. This is why the 2026 Sunday holidays—Vesak Day, National Day, and Deepavali—are associated with Monday 1 June, 10 August, and 9 November.

Confirm whether Saturday is a non-working day or Sunday is the designated rest day in the employee's actual work schedule before calculating a substitute day. Part-time workers, shift workers, workers on rotating rosters, and employees with non-standard rest days should not assume that the usual five-day-week example applies to them. A Saturday holiday and a Sunday holiday can therefore produce different outcomes even when both dates fall outside a standard office schedule.

Working on a Public Holiday

An employee covered by the relevant rules who works on a public holiday is generally entitled to the public-holiday entitlement as well as the applicable additional salary or agreed time-off arrangement. The exact treatment can differ depending on whether the holiday is an ordinary working day, a non-working day, or a rest day, and whether the employee falls within a category for which time off in lieu may be agreed.

Consider a shop employee whose normal Tuesday shift falls on Chinese New Year. The employer should identify the employee's public-holiday entitlement before assigning the shift, record the agreed compensation arrangement, and process the payment or time off under the applicable MOM rule. This is more reliable than treating the shift as ordinary overtime or assuming that one pay formula suits every employee.

The same question should be asked for a worker who was not rostered on the holiday and for a worker whose holiday falls on a designated rest day. Those situations are not interchangeable. In continuously operating sectors, the roster, the employee's coverage, and the written arrangement should be checked together before deciding whether additional salary, another day off, or time off in lieu applies.

Employers and employees may, where permitted, agree to substitute a public holiday for another working day. This can help organisations that operate continuously, such as retail, hospitality, healthcare, logistics, and essential services. Check the applicable MOM pay or time-off-in-lieu rule and keep the public-holiday roster and compensation arrangement in writing. Overtime rules are separate from public-holiday entitlement and may require their own assessment.

How Public Holidays Affect Daily Operations

The national calendar is a useful planning signal, but it does not impose one universal service pattern. Public-facing organisations set their own hours, and their arrangements can differ by branch, campus, route, or event.

Government Offices and Banks

Government offices commonly follow the national public-holiday calendar, so in-person administrative services and routine processing may pause on those dates. Online services may remain available, but an online submission does not necessarily mean that review or approval happens that day. Plan time-sensitive applications, collection appointments, and document requests around the relevant agency's published schedule.

Singapore public holidays should not be treated as a separate, uniform bank-closure regime. The Monetary Authority of Singapore information on Directive 17 records that the former directive on the declaration of bank holidays is cancelled. Individual banks can still set their branch, customer-service, payment, and settlement arrangements, and digital banking availability can differ from branch counter availability.

For urgent payments, account matters, or document collection, verify the opening hours and service notices of the specific bank or government office before travelling or scheduling an appointment. This is particularly important when a holiday falls beside a weekend, because processing queues and cut-off times may differ from normal business days. A bank's own notice is more useful for a particular transaction than the national calendar by itself.

Schools and Education Calendars

Singapore schools use calendars that include national public holidays, but the school year also has term breaks, vacation periods, and school-specific arrangements. These are separate from the 11-day employment public-holiday framework. A date when a school is closed does not automatically create a national public holiday or an employee entitlement.

The Ministry of Education publishes the 2026 school terms and holidays for the schools within its calendar. Families should not classify Youth Day, Teachers' Day, or Children's Day as Singapore national public holidays simply because some schools have related closures or observances.

MOE dates are useful for planning the mainstream school calendar, but they do not establish the academic schedule for every institution. Private, international, and higher-education institutions may use different term dates, examination periods, and closure policies. When arranging childcare, travel, tuition, or appointments, compare the MOM public-holiday calendar with the relevant MOE calendar and the individual school's notices.

Shops, Services, and Public Transport

Public holidays do not mean that all shops and services close. Shopping centres, supermarkets, restaurants, attractions, clinics, and other consumer-facing businesses may open as usual, use shorter hours, or operate with holiday staffing. Some businesses may be busier than on a standard weekday, especially in dining, leisure, and central commercial areas.

Public transport also does not have one automatic holiday timetable. Bus and train operators may issue service notices for particular routes, station arrangements, crowd management, maintenance, or event-related changes. Holiday periods can increase leisure travel while reducing some ordinary weekday commuting patterns, but the effect will vary by location, time, and event.

For a trip, check three separate details: whether the destination is open, whether the route is operating normally, and whether the final service or appointment cut-off has changed. Verify the opening hours and service notices of the specific shop, venue, bus route, or train operator before travelling or scheduling an appointment. Do not rely on the national calendar alone for last-train arrangements, route diversions, or a venue's holiday opening hours.

The Cultural and National Meaning of Singapore Public Holidays

Singapore's calendar is practical for work and travel planning, but it also reflects the country's shared civic life and religious diversity. The public-holiday list is not a complete catalogue of every community observance or festival.

How Singapore Actually Chooses Its Public Holidays

A Multireligious National Calendar

The gazetted list combines civic holidays with observances associated with Chinese, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian traditions. Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, Vesak Day, Deepavali, Good Friday, and Christmas Day sit alongside New Year's Day, Labour Day, and National Day.

Celebrating Commonalities: Festive Customs in Singapore

This approach gives national visibility to several traditions while keeping the legal calendar limited to defined public-holiday dates. The wider cultural practices of a festival may last longer than the statutory day or days. For planning purposes, distinguish the public-holiday date from private observances, community events, and individual business decisions. Public-holiday status identifies a statutory date; it does not describe every ritual, event, or customary period associated with the observance.

National Day, Labour Day, and Shared Civic Time

National Day is a shared civic observance, and Labour Day recognises the place of work and workers in national life. Along with the other public holidays, these dates can shape family plans, community activities, media schedules, staffing, and the rhythm of business operations.

Singapore National Day, Explained: 1965 to the Fireworks

However, public-holiday status does not guarantee that every parade, event, shop, office, or service follows the same schedule. The calendar provides a national starting point; the actual arrangement for a workplace, school, venue, or operator depends on its own notice and operating needs.

Planning and Verifying Singapore Public Holidays

Early planning helps avoid payroll errors, missed appointments, and assumptions about service availability. Use the official calendar first, then apply the separate rules relevant to work, education, banking, or travel.

Planning for Employees and Employers

Employees can use the official calendar when requesting leave, discussing substitute arrangements, and checking rosters. Employers can use it for payroll preparation, staffing levels, deadlines, office-closure notices, and customer communication. For each employee, identify the normal working days, non-working day, and designated rest day before deciding how a weekend public holiday is handled.

• Mark the 11 gazetted dates in the payroll and staffing calendar, including both Chinese New Year days.
• Flag dates that the MOM announcement identifies as subject to confirmation.
• Check each employee's work pattern before assigning a replacement day for a Saturday or Sunday holiday.
• Record any permitted substitute-day, salary-in-lieu, or time-off arrangement with the relevant roster.
• Check government, bank, customer, and supplier deadlines separately when a holiday is near a weekend.

Businesses working across borders should also compare Singapore holiday dates with the calendars of overseas clients, suppliers, banks, and markets. A Singapore public holiday may affect local response times even when another country is operating normally. Conversely, an overseas holiday may affect a cross-border transaction while Singapore is open.

The recurring framework is 11 gazetted holidays, but a one-off public holiday or special announcement should be handled as a separate event. Do not assume future arrangements from an old calendar or from a prior year's roster.

Planning for Visitors, Students, and Families

Visitors and families should use public-holiday dates to anticipate possible changes to appointment availability, government services, bank branches, accommodation demand, retail hours, and local travel conditions. Students should compare the national calendar with their institution's own schedule, particularly where school breaks do not match public holidays.

Before booking or travelling, identify the specific service you need and check its notice: a government office may require an appointment, a bank may have different branch and digital-service arrangements, a school may follow its own academic calendar, and a venue may change its hours. If you need to visit a government office, collect a document, complete a banking task, or attend a school-related appointment, choose a date with enough time before a holiday period.

For travel or accommodation, a public holiday can be a useful signal to book earlier, but it is not a guarantee of closure, crowds, or special transport services. Allow flexibility around dates whose official confirmation or substitute arrangements may affect your booking or appointment.

Where to Verify Current and Future Dates

For the official Singapore holiday calendar, start with MOM's public holidays page and annual press releases. The government also makes public-holiday information available through data.gov.sg. For employment matters, use the Employment Act together with MOM's current entitlement and pay guidance. For school planning, use the MOE calendar and the individual school's notices.

Religious-calendar dates can remain subject to confirmation, and substitute-day notes must be read with the employee's actual work pattern. Before making payroll, travel, school, or appointment plans, check the latest MOM public-holiday page, especially for religious dates marked subject to confirmation.

When planning a later year, return to the current official announcement rather than treating an old search result or third-party holiday list as final. This is the most reliable way to confirm both the public-holiday date and any official note about a following weekday. Check the page's latest update or publication date when the timing of a payroll run, booking, or official appointment matters.

Key Takeaways for Using the Singapore Holiday Calendar

Singapore has 11 gazetted public holidays in 2026, including two days for Chinese New Year. Fixed-date holidays are straightforward calendar anchors, while religious and liturgical holidays can move between Gregorian dates. Sunday holidays in 2026 are linked to Monday substitute dates, but an employee's entitlement depends on the designated rest day and work schedule.

Use the MOM calendar for official dates, the Employment Act and MOM guidance for pay questions, and MOE or institution-specific calendars for school planning. For banks, government offices, shops, venues, and transport, the public-holiday calendar is a planning tool rather than a universal operating-hours notice.