Singapore Public Holidays 2026: MOM Official Dates & Calendar

Key Takeaways:

• The 2026 Singapore calendar features 11 official public holidays, confirmed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
• Employees can strategically plan for six long weekends in 2026, offering extended breaks with minimal annual leave usage.
• MOM rules stipulate that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is automatically the paid public holiday (holiday-in-lieu).
• When required to work on a public holiday, employees are entitled to an extra day's salary or a mutually agreed-upon day off-in-lieu.

Full List of Singapore Public Holidays 2026 (MOM Official Update)

To ensure smooth scheduling and strict compliance for the year ahead, here is the complete, official calendar detailing all 11 gazetted public holidays in Singapore for 2026, your quick reference for seamless payroll and leave management.

Singapore Public Holidays for 2026

Note: When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday.

• Monday, 1 June 2026, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 31 May 2026.
• Monday, 10 August 2026, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 9 August 2026.
• Monday, 9 November 2026, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 8 November 2026.

Singapore Long Weekends in 2026

Six glorious long weekends are on the calendar for Singapore in 2026! For HR leaders, this can be a strategic advantage for boosting employee morale and maximizing talent retention.

Let’s explore how you can proactively encourage smart leave planning to ensure a well-rested, high-performing team while minimizing operational disruptions.

Major Festivals in 2026 (Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali)

Singapore’s multicultural calendar means HR needs to be mindful of key cultural periods beyond the official public holidays.

Chinese New Year (17 & 18 February 2026)

This two-day public holiday is the most significant festival, marking the start of the lunar new year. It is traditionally a period of family reunion, visiting, and honouring elders.

While there is no official early release on the eve of Chinese New Year (16 February), many workplaces, particularly those in the administrative and non-essential sectors, practice a tradition of allowing employees to leave earlier (e.g., 1 pm) to allow for reunion dinner preparations. Communicating this practice clearly is essential for team morale.

Hari Raya Puasa (21 March 2026) & Hari Raya Haji (27 May 2026)

Hari Raya Puasa marks the joyous end of the fasting month of Ramadan, a time of forgiveness and togetherness. Hari Raya Haji commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son.

These are solemn yet celebratory periods for the Muslim community, involving congregational prayers, visiting family, and sharing meals.

Deepavali (8 November 2026)

Also known as the Festival of Lights, Deepavali symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Celebrations involve lighting oil lamps, sharing sweets, and visiting temples.

As Deepavali falls on a Sunday with the Monday gazetted as a holiday, this creates a natural long weekend for all employees.

How to Plan Leaves Around Public Holidays (2026 Leave Hacks)

Smart annual leave planning is key to maximising the 2026 public holidays Singapore. As an HR leader, guiding your team to plan their leave efficiently is a value-added service you can provide.

• Leave Optimisation: Advise employees to cluster their annual leave days around the Thursday/Friday and Monday public holidays to achieve 4- or 5-day breaks, as highlighted in the Long Weekends table above.
• Off-in-Lieu Rules: Ensure clear communication on the default rule: if a public holiday falls on a Sunday (Vesak Day, National Day, Deepavali), the following Monday is automatically a paid public holiday.
• Leave Blackout Periods: Clearly define blackout periods, especially around high-impact holidays like Chinese New Year, to manage critical staffing needs.

Everything You Need to Know About Public Holidays Entitlement and Pay in Singapore

In Singapore, every employee is entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year. According to the Employment Act, employees are entitled to a gross rate of pay on a public holiday, if:

• They were not absent on the working day immediately before or after a holiday without consent or a reasonable excuse.
• They are on authorised leave (e.g. medical leave, annual leave, unpaid leave) on the day immediately before or after a holiday.

If an employee is not covered by the Employment Act, the terms will be based on the employment contract.

Do employees get paid for working on public holidays?

If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, the employer should pay an extra day’s salary or grant time off in lieu.

An employee can request a public holiday in lieu, in which the employee and the employer can mutually agree to substitute a public holiday for another working day.

What if a public holiday falls on a non-working day?

In accordance with the Employment Act, if a public holiday falls on a non-working day, an employee is entitled to another day off or one extra day's salary in lieu of the public holiday at the gross rate of pay.

What if a public holiday falls on a rest day in Singapore?

If a public holiday falls on the employee’s rest day, the following working day will be a paid public holiday.

What happens if a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday?

For a public holiday that falls on a Saturday, an employee should get either a day off or salary in lieu.

For a public holiday that falls on a Sunday, the following day on Monday would be gazetted as a public holiday (also called holiday-in-lieu).

What if an employee is not covered under Part IV of the Employment Act?

If an employee is not covered under Part IV of the Employment Act, the employer can grant time off in lieu for working on a public holiday. The time off should consist of a mutually agreed number of hours.

If there is no mutual agreement on the duration of time off in lieu, the employer can decide on one of the following:

• Pay an extra day’s salary at the basic rate of pay for one day’s work.
• For working 4 hours or less on a holiday, grant time off in lieu of 4 hours on a working day.
• For working more than 4 hours on a holiday, grant a full day off on a working day.

You can also use this public holiday pay calculator to check the employee’s pay for working on a public holiday that falls on a working day or non-working day.

NOTE: This calculator is only applicable for full-time employees covered by the Employment Act.

💡 Smart HR Tip: QuickHR Payroll Management Software seamlessly integrates with your leave system, ensuring accurate calculations of the employees’ pay on public holidays.

Simplify Your Public Holiday and Leave Management

Imagine never having to manually update your leave system for public holidays or worry about MOM compliance!

QuickHR Leave Management System offers streamlined and transparent leave processing, benefiting both employees and organisations alike:

• Auto-sync MOM Public Holidays: The system automatically updates with the official Singapore public holidays 2026 and observed dates, ensuring your internal calendar is instantly compliant.
• Streamlined Off-in-Lieu Management: Ensure employees are correctly credited with a day off-in-lieu or the next working day is gazetted as the holiday.
• Seamless Leave Planning: Visualise leave schedules across departments with calendar integration to prevent staffing conflicts, especially during the long weekend peaks.
• Accurate Payroll Processing: Leave data is automatically integrated with payroll, ensuring accurate calculation of public holiday pay, off-in-lieu, and overtime, maintaining strict CPF and MOM compliance.
• Flexible Leave Request Rules: Employees may apply for Advanced Carry Forward leave using their last year’s remaining leave balance. The advanced days will be deducted from the carried-forward balance when the new year begins.
• Clear Segregation of PH Normal & PH OT Hours: Timesheets display PH Normal and PH OT hours separately. A detailed breakdown appears when clicking OT hours, improving accuracy and visibility for payroll and approvals.

To learn more about QuickHR, you may contact us or start your 14-day FREE trial with absolutely no terms and conditions!