Boxing Day public holiday dates by state, 2026 and 2027
Boxing Day is 26 December, but the day you actually get depends on the state. Most states keep the 26th as a public holiday and add a weekday when it lands on a weekend. South Australia observes the same holiday as Proclamation Day. Tasmania moves the public holiday to the weekday and does not treat the weekend day as one.
| State or territory | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Boxing Day Additional Day (Boxing Day) | Boxing Day Additional Day (Boxing Day) |
| VIC | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) |
| QLD | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) |
| WA | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) |
| SA | Proclamation Day holiday Additional holiday (Proclamation Day) | Proclamation Day holiday and Boxing Day Additional holiday (Proclamation Day) |
| TAS | Boxing Day (observed) | Boxing Day (observed) |
| ACT | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) |
| NT | Boxing Day Boxing Day Monday | Boxing Day Additional holiday (Boxing Day) |
Which Boxing Day gets the public holiday rate in 2026?
In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory, Saturday 26 December 2026 is a public holiday and Monday 28 December is an additional public holiday. Both are public holidays for pay, so a shift on either is paid at the public holiday rate. You do not choose between them, and working the Saturday does not use up the Monday.
Tasmania is different. WorkSafe Tasmania's list does not include Saturday 26 December 2026. The public holiday is Monday 28 December, so a Saturday shift in Tasmania is paid at the ordinary Saturday rate in your award and the public holiday rate applies on the Monday. In 2027, with Boxing Day on a Sunday, the Tuesday 28 December is the holiday there as well.
Boxing Day pay rates
The rate is your award's public holiday rate. Under the General Retail Award it is 225% for full-time and part-time employees and 250% for casuals, and the same under the Hospitality Award. Across the 14 awards on this site the permanent range is 200% to 250% and the casual range 225% to 312.5%. The Fair Work Ombudsman's own example is a retail store manager who agrees to work Boxing Day for a promotion: she is paid public holiday rates for every hour.
Boxing Day sales mean a lot of retail staff work it. Your award's public holiday row is the rate to check for hours worked on the day. SCHADS says in terms that public holiday pay replaces weekend rates and shift loadings (cl 34.2(b)); for any other award, read its public holiday clause if the Saturday and public holiday rates are close.
What you're paid for working Boxing Day
Enter your base hourly rate (the permanent rate from your payslip or award, before any casual loading), the hours you work on the day and your award. The award rate is read from the award’s own penalty table.
- Public holiday rate (250%)
- $69.52/h
- Pay for 8 hours on the public holiday
- $556.16
- Same hours on an ordinary weekday (incl. 25% loading)
- $278.08
- Extra for working the public holiday
- $278.08
- If you don't work it and would normally be rostered
- $0.00 (casual)
Casuals are paid only for public holidays they work. The casual rate shown already includes the 25% loading — it is not added again.
Before tax. Minimum shift lengths, overtime and allowances are not included. All General Retail Award rates · Take-home pay after tax
Prefilled for a casual employee under the General Retail Award. Change the award, rate and hours to match your payslip.
Worked example: an 8-hour shift on Monday 28 December 2026
Entry-level adult rates from 1 July 2026, 8 hours, compared with the same hours on an ordinary weekday. The retail row is the typical Boxing Day sales shift.
| Award and employment | Base rate | Holiday rate | Pay for 8 hours | Same hours, ordinary day | Day off, not working |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Retail AwardFull-time or part-time | $27.81/h | 225%$62.57/h | $500.56 | $222.48 | $222.48 |
| General Retail AwardCasual | $27.81/h | 250%$69.52/h | $556.16 | $278.08 | $0.00 |
| Hospitality AwardFull-time or part-time | $26.44/h | 225%$59.49/h | $475.92 | $211.52 | $211.52 |
| Hospitality AwardCasual | $26.44/h | 250%$66.10/h | $528.80 | $264.40 | $0.00 |
Before tax. Excludes overtime, allowances and minimum shift lengths.
If you don't work Boxing Day
A full-time or part-time employee who would normally work on the day is paid their base rate for their ordinary hours, whichever of the Saturday and the Monday applies to them. A Monday-to-Friday worker is paid for Monday 28 December 2026 even though they would not have worked the Saturday. A part-timer who works Tuesday to Thursday is paid for neither, and the Fair Work Ombudsman's example makes the same point for a Friday Boxing Day.
Casuals are paid only for the hours they work, at the casual public holiday rate. Check your roster for the 28th as well as the 26th, because both are public holidays in most states.
South Australia: Proclamation Day
South Australia's holiday on 26 December is Proclamation Day, and it works for pay exactly as Boxing Day does elsewhere. In 2026 that is Saturday 26 December with an additional holiday on Monday 28 December. In 2027, with 26 December on a Sunday, the Sunday and Tuesday 28 December are both public holidays, and Monday 27 December is the additional day for Christmas Day.
Boxing Day during annual leave
If you are on annual leave across Christmas, Boxing Day or its additional Monday is not deducted from your leave balance when it falls on a day you would normally work. You are paid the public holiday instead. A two-week break that includes both Monday 28 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027 costs 8 days of leave rather than 10 for someone who works Monday to Friday.
More holiday pay guides
Every public holiday is paid by the same rules, but the dates, extra days and part-day windows differ. The public holiday pay guide has the full 14-award rate table, and each state page lists that state’s own days.
Boxing Day pay questions
How this page is sourced▼
Every date was read from the relevant state or territory government’s own public holidays page on 24 September 2026 and checked against the Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2026 and 2027 public holiday lists on 5 October 2026. Each date is stored with the text the government prints, and automated tests check the day, month and weekday.
Public holiday pay rates are read from the site’s award constants (Fair Work Commission award texts, rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026). Rights when not working come from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Act 2009 ss 114–116. Check your own award or enterprise agreement before relying on a figure.
Sources & References
- 12026 public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 22027 public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Rules and entitlements during the end-of-year holiday season— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4NSW public holidays 2026 to 2027— NSW Government
- 5Victorian public holidays 2026— Business Victoria
- 6Queensland public holidays— Queensland Government
- 7Public holidays in Western Australia— Government of Western Australia
- 8Public holidays— SafeWork SA
- 9Public holidays— WorkSafe Tasmania
- 10Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving— ACT Government
- 11NT public and regional holidays— Northern Territory Government
- 12Not working on public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 13Public holiday penalty rates— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 14Public holidays (working outside your state or region)— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 15Fair Work Act 2009, sections 114–116— Federal Register of Legislation
Last verified: 5 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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