QLD public holidays 2026
Every public holiday in Queensland for 2026, as published by the Queensland Government. Additional days such as Additional holiday (Boxing Day) on Monday 28 December 2026 are public holidays for pay too.
| Public holiday | Date 2026 | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Whole state | |
| Australia Day | Whole state | |
| Good Friday | Whole state | |
| The day after Good Friday | Whole state | |
| Easter Sunday | Whole state | |
| Easter Monday | Whole state | |
| Anzac DayMoves to Monday only when 25 April is a Sunday. | Whole state | |
| Labour Day | Whole state | |
| Royal Queensland Show (Ekka)Brisbane area only. Other areas hold their own show holiday — see below. | Part of state | |
| King's Birthday | Whole state | |
| Christmas Eve | 6pm to midnight | Part day |
| Christmas Day | Whole state | |
| Boxing Day | Whole state | |
| Additional holiday (Boxing Day)Boxing Day falls on a Saturday. | Additional day |
QLD public holidays 2027
| Public holiday | Date 2027 | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Whole state | |
| Australia Day | Whole state | |
| Good Friday | Whole state | |
| The day after Good Friday | Whole state | |
| Easter Sunday | Whole state | |
| Easter Monday | Whole state | |
| Anzac Day (observed)25 April 2027 is a Sunday, so the public holiday is the Monday. | Whole state | |
| Labour Day | Whole state | |
| Royal Queensland Show (Ekka)Brisbane area only. | Part of state | |
| King's Birthday | Whole state | |
| Christmas Eve | 6pm to midnight | Part day |
| 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 |
- Local show holidays 2027: not shown. The Queensland Government appoints show holidays each year and had published only the 2026 list when this page was checked. Only the Brisbane Ekka date for 2027 is on the public holidays page.
Queensland show holidays 2026 — main centres
A show holiday is a public holiday only in the district it is appointed for. If your job is based in that district, public holiday rates apply that day. Elsewhere it is an ordinary working day. The Queensland Government's 2026 list has 97 entries, and these are the main population centres. Check the official list for smaller districts and exact boundaries.
| Holiday | 2026 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Toowoomba Royal Show | Toowoomba Regional Council, excluding Yarraman, Upper Yarraman and Cooyar | |
| Ipswich Show | City of Ipswich | |
| Fraser Coast Show | Fraser Coast region | |
| Bundaberg Show | Bundaberg region — postcodes 4660, 4670 and 4673 | |
| Maleny Show | Sunshine Coast — former Caloundra City Council area | |
| Rockhampton Show | Rockhampton region | |
| Sunshine Coast Show | Sunshine Coast — former Maroochy Shire area | |
| Mackay Show | Mackay region | |
| Mount Isa Show | City of Mount Isa | |
| Townsville Show | City of Townsville | |
| Cairns Show | Cairns region | |
| Royal Queensland Show (outside Brisbane)These councils take the Ekka holiday on the Monday, not the Brisbane Wednesday. | Logan, Moreton Bay, Redland, Gladstone, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Somerset | |
| Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) | City of Brisbane | |
| Gold Coast Show | City of Gold Coast | |
| Noosa Show | Shire of Noosa |
The 2027 show holiday list has not been published yet. Source: Show holiday dates (Queensland Government).
What you’re paid on a QLD 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.
Holidays marked “Part of state” are public holidays only where your job is based in that area. Elsewhere in QLD they are ordinary working days.
What you're paid for working Christmas Eve (from 6pm) in QLD
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 4 hours on the public holiday
- $278.08
- Same hours on an ordinary weekday (incl. 25% loading)
- $139.04
- Extra for working the public holiday
- $139.04
- 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.
For Christmas Eve, enter only the hours worked from 6pm to midnight; earlier hours are ordinary hours.
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.
Christmas Eve: public holiday rates from 6pm
Since 2019 the Holidays Act 1983 has made Christmas Eve a part-day public holiday from 6pm to midnight. Hours before 6pm are ordinary hours at the usual weekday or weekend rate. Hours from 6pm are paid at the public holiday rate. A 2pm to 10pm retail shift on Thursday 24 December 2026 is 4 hours at the usual Thursday rates and 4 hours at the public holiday rate.
Queensland's window starts at 6pm, an hour earlier than the Christmas Eve part-day holidays in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
The Ekka and local show holidays
The Royal Queensland Show holiday, the Ekka, is a Brisbane-area public holiday on the Wednesday of show week: 12 August 2026 and 11 August 2027. In 2026 several councils around Brisbane, including Logan, Moreton Bay and Redland, took the same show holiday on Monday 10 August instead. The rest of the state has its own local show day, appointed district by district.
Your entitlement follows where your job is based. A Brisbane-based employee working in Toowoomba on Ekka Wednesday is still on the Brisbane public holiday.
When Anzac Day moves to Monday
Queensland moves Anzac Day to the following Monday only when 25 April is a Sunday. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday, so Saturday 25 April is the public holiday and there is no Monday holiday. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday, so Monday 26 April is the public holiday.
Your QLD 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 QLD pay calculator. Long service leave is set by QLD law, not the National Employment Standards; the QLD 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.
QLD public holiday pay questions
Public holidays in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every date was read from the Queensland 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
- 1Queensland public holidays— Queensland Government
- 2Show holiday dates— Queensland Government
- 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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