ACT public holidays 2026
Every public holiday in the ACT for 2026, as published by the ACT Government. Additional days such as Additional holiday (Anzac Day) on Monday 27 April 2026 are public holidays for pay too.
| Public holiday | Date 2026 | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Whole state | |
| Australia Day | Whole state | |
| Canberra Day | Whole state | |
| Good Friday | Whole state | |
| Easter Saturday | Whole state | |
| Easter Sunday | Whole state | |
| Easter Monday | Whole state | |
| Anzac Day | Whole state | |
| Additional holiday (Anzac Day)Anzac Day falls on a Saturday. | Additional day | |
| Reconciliation Day | Whole state | |
| King's Birthday | Whole state | |
| Labour Day | Whole state | |
| Christmas Day | Whole state | |
| Boxing Day | Whole state | |
| Additional holiday (Boxing Day)Boxing Day falls on a Saturday. | Additional day |
ACT public holidays 2027
| Public holiday | Date 2027 | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Whole state | |
| Australia Day | Whole state | |
| Canberra Day | Whole state | |
| Good Friday | Whole state | |
| Easter Saturday | Whole state | |
| Easter Sunday | Whole state | |
| Easter Monday | Whole state | |
| Anzac Day | Whole state | |
| Additional holiday (Anzac Day)Anzac Day falls on a Sunday. | Additional day | |
| Reconciliation Day | Whole state | |
| King's Birthday | Whole state | |
| Labour Day | Whole state | |
| Christmas Day | Whole state | |
| Boxing Day | Whole state | |
| Additional holiday (Christmas Day)Christmas Day falls on a Saturday. | Additional day | |
| Additional holiday (Boxing Day)Boxing Day falls on a Sunday. | Additional day |
What you’re paid on a ACT public holiday
The state decides which days are public holidays. Your award or enterprise agreement decides the rate. If you work the day, every hour is paid at the public holiday rate below. If you don’t work it and it falls on a day you normally work, a full-time or part-time employee is paid their base rate for their ordinary hours. Casuals are paid only for hours they work.
| Award | Full-time / part-time | Casual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged Care AwardMA000018 · cl 23, 26.1 and 29.2 | 250% | 275% | Permanent employees can elect each year to have the hours added to annual leave instead of the extra 150% (cl 29.2(b)). |
| Building and Construction AwardMA000020 · cl 30.1 and cl 12.5–12.6 | 250% | 275% | |
| Cleaning AwardMA000022 · cl 20.2, Table 7 | 250% | 275% | Part-time employees are paid 265% because their 15% part-time allowance applies too (cl 10.2). |
| Clerks AwardMA000002 · cl 24 and Schedule B.3.1 | 250% | 275% | Paid for at least 4 hours when required to work a public holiday (cl 24.4(d)). |
| Commercial Sales AwardMA000083 · cl 19, cl 25.3–25.4 and Schedule A | 250% | 275% | |
| Electrical AwardMA000025 · cl 20.4 and Schedule B.2.1 / B.3.1 | 250% | 312.5% | |
| Fast Food AwardMA000003 · cl 21, Table 6 | 225% | 250% | Casuals 250% (the 225% plus the 25% loading). |
| General Retail AwardMA000004 | 225% | 250% | |
| Hair and Beauty AwardMA000005 · cl 23, Tables 14 and 15 | 250% | 250% | Casuals are paid 250% — the same as permanent staff. The 25% loading is not added (Table 15). |
| Health Professionals AwardMA000027 · cl 26, cl 33.2 and Schedule C | 250% | 275% | Casuals are paid 275%, the 250% plus the 25% loading (Schedule C.2.3). |
| Horticulture AwardMA000028 · cl 13.2, 13.3(d) and 27.3–27.4, and Schedule B.2–B.3 | 200% | 225% | |
| Hospitality AwardMA000009 · cl 29.2(b), Table 14 | 225% | 250% | |
| Legal Services AwardMA000116 · cl 21.3 and 21.4, Schedule B.1 and B.2 | 250% | 275% | |
| Live Performance AwardMA000081 · cl 21.5, cl 63.3(c) and cl 63.4 | 200% | 225% | |
| Manufacturing AwardMA000010 · cl 33 | 250% | 312.5%(250% of casual rate) | Casual rate is 250% of the casual hourly rate (cl 33), which is 312.5% of the minimum rate. Minimum 3 hours for day workers. |
| Mining AwardMA000011 · cl 21 and Schedule B.1.3 / B.2.3 | 250% | 312.5%(250% of casual rate) | Casual rate is 250% of the casual hourly rate (Schedule B.2.3), which is 312.5% of the minimum rate. |
| Miscellaneous AwardMA000104 · cl 20 and Schedule A.1.1 / A.2.1 | 250% | 250% | |
| Nurses AwardMA000034 · cl 20.2, 21 and 28.2 | 200% | 250%(200% of casual rate) | Casual rate is 200% of the casual hourly rate (cl 28.2), which is 250% of the minimum rate. Christmas Day on a weekend attracts an extra 50% in 7-day businesses (cl 28.2(b)). |
| Pastoral AwardMA000035 · cl 35.5 and Schedule B.2.1 / B.2.4 | 200% | 225% | |
| Pharmacy AwardMA000012 · cl 22.3, Table 6 | 225% | 250% | |
| Plumbing AwardMA000036 · cl 23 and Schedules C.1.3–C.1.7, D.1.3–D.1.7 | 250% | 275% | |
| Real Estate AwardMA000106 · cl 25.3 and Schedule B.1.1 / B.2.2 | 200% | 250%(200% of casual rate) | |
| Restaurant AwardMA000119 · cl 24.2, Table 8 | 225% | 250% | By agreement a permanent employee can take 125% plus a day added to annual leave or a day off within 28 days instead (cl 24.4(d)). Minimum engagement 4 hours (permanent) or 2 hours (casual). |
| Road Transport AwardMA000038 · cl 22.3, 22.8, 22.10, 23 and Schedule C | 250% | 275% | Day workers get 150% on top of the weekly wage for hours worked (effectively 250%), and 200% on top (300%) on Good Friday and Christmas Day; casual day workers 275% and 325% (cl 23.2). |
| SCHADS AwardMA000100 · cl 34.2 | 250% | 275% | The award says "double time and a half". Public holiday pay replaces weekend rates and shift loadings (cl 34.2(b)). |
| Security AwardMA000016 · cl 20.2, Table 7 | 250% | 275% | |
| Timber AwardMA000071 · cl 27 and Schedule D | 250% | 275% | Casual 275% is tabulated for the General Timber stream only (cl 27.1(d)); the award prints no casual public holiday rate for the other two streams. Minimum 3 hours. |
You can refuse a request to work a public holiday if the request is unreasonable or you have reasonable grounds. The public holiday pay guide covers refusals, leave and substitute days in full.
What you're paid for working Canberra Day in ACT
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%)
- $67.43/h
- Pay for 7.6 hours on the public holiday
- $512.47
- Same hours on an ordinary weekday
- $204.97
- Extra for working the public holiday
- $307.50
- If you don't work it and would normally be rostered
- $204.97
Full-time and part-time employees who normally work that day are paid their base rate for their ordinary hours even when they have the day off (Fair Work Act s 116).
Clerks Award: Paid for at least 4 hours when required to work a public holiday (cl 24.4(d)).
Before tax. Minimum shift lengths, overtime and allowances are not included. All Clerks Award rates · Take-home pay after tax
Prefilled for a permanent employee under the Clerks Award. Change the award, rate and hours to match your payslip.
Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day
Canberra Day (Monday 9 March 2026, Monday 8 March 2027) and Reconciliation Day (Monday 1 June 2026, Monday 31 May 2027) are ACT public holidays only. If your job is based in the ACT, award public holiday rates apply to every hour you work on them, and a full-time or part-time employee who normally works a Monday is paid for the day off. A job based in NSW doesn't get them, even for work done in Canberra that day.
Living in NSW, working in Canberra
Public holiday entitlements follow where your job is based, not where you live. Someone who lives in Queanbeyan and works for a Canberra-based employer gets the ACT holidays, including Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day. Someone who lives in Canberra but works from a NSW base gets the NSW list. It pays to check which calendar your roster was built on, especially around the two ACT-only Mondays.
The August bank holiday
The Holidays Act 1958 also sets a bank holiday on the first Monday in August. The ACT Government notes that bank holidays do not apply to everyone, so for most employees it is an ordinary working day. Check your award or enterprise agreement if you work in banking or finance.
Your ACT pay, leave and payslip
Public holiday pay is taxed as ordinary income with the rest of your pay. To see what a pay period with a public holiday shift leaves you after tax, use the ACT pay calculator. Long service leave is set by ACT law, not the National Employment Standards; the ACT long service leave calculator works out your entitlement. To check the public holiday line on your payslip, the payslip guide explains each line, and the back pay calculator totals an underpayment.
ACT public holiday pay questions
Public holidays in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every date was read from the ACT Government’s own public holidays page on 24 September 2026. Each date is stored alongside the text the government prints, and automated tests check the day, month and weekday against it. Where the government has not yet published a date, the page says so instead of estimating it.
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.
Sources & References
- 1Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving— ACT Government
- 2Holidays Act 1958 (ACT)— ACT Legislation Register
- 3Not working on public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 4Public holiday penalty rates— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 5Public holidays (working outside your state or region)— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 6Fair Work Act 2009, sections 114–116— Federal Register of Legislation
Last verified: 24 September 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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