Public Holidays
Public Holidays in Singapore
Singapore's public holidays reflect its multicultural society. All employees covered by the Employment Act, including managers and executives, are entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year:
- New Year's Day
- Chinese New Year (first day)
- Chinese New Year (second day)
- Good Friday
- Labour Day
- Hari Raya Puasa
- Vesak Day
- Hari Raya Haji
- National Day
- Deepavali
- Christmas Day
You can find each year's public holiday dates on MOM's website.
Holiday Pay
Employees are paid their gross rate of pay for a public holiday. They are not entitled to holiday pay if:
- they are absent without consent or a reasonable excuse on the working day immediately before or after the holiday, or
- the holiday falls within their approved unpaid leave.
Public holidays on a rest day or non-working day
- Rest day (e.g. Sunday): the next working day is a paid public holiday.
- Non-working day (e.g. Saturday for a 5-day work week): the employee gets another day off, or one extra day's salary at the gross rate of pay.
Working on a public holiday
If an employee works on a public holiday, they are entitled to an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay, on top of their gross pay for that day. Alternatively:
- The employer and employee can agree to substitute the public holiday with another working day.
- For workmen earning more than $4,500 a month, non-workmen earning more than $2,600 a month, and all managers and executives, the employer can grant time off in lieu instead, based on a mutually agreed number of hours.
Employees not covered by the Employment Act
Public holiday entitlements for these employees depend on their employment contract.
