WA public holidays 2026
Every public holiday in Western Australia for 2026, as published by the Government of Western Australia. 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 | |
| Labour Day | Whole state | |
| Good Friday | 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 | |
| Western Australia Day | Whole state | |
| King's BirthdayNot in Karratha or Port Hedland, which observe it on Monday 3 August. | Whole state | |
| Christmas Day | Whole state | |
| Boxing Day | Whole state | |
| Additional holiday (Boxing Day)Boxing Day falls on a Saturday. | Additional day |
WA public holidays 2027
| Public holiday | Date 2027 | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Whole state | |
| Australia Day | Whole state | |
| Labour Day | Whole state | |
| Good Friday | 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 | |
| Western Australia Day | Whole state | |
| King's Birthday | 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 |
- Regional King's Birthday 2027 (Karratha, Port Hedland): not shown. The WA Government lists regional King's Birthday dates for 2026 only. In past years both towns have held it on the first or second Monday in August, but the 2027 dates are not published yet.
Regional King's Birthday public holiday 2026
In these two Pilbara districts the King's Birthday public holiday is held on this date instead of the date used in the rest of WA. Monday 28 September 2026 is not a public holiday there, so it is paid as an ordinary day.
| Holiday | 2026 | Where |
|---|---|---|
| King's Birthday (regional) | City of Karratha | |
| King's Birthday (regional) | Town of Port Hedland |
The 2027 regional dates have not been published yet. Source: Public holidays in Western Australia (WA Government).
What you’re paid on a WA 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 WA Day in WA
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 5 hours on the public holiday
- $347.60
- Same hours on an ordinary weekday (incl. 25% loading)
- $173.80
- Extra for working the public holiday
- $173.80
- 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.
Fast Food Award: Casuals 250% (the 225% plus the 25% loading).
Before tax. Minimum shift lengths, overtime and allowances are not included. All Fast Food Award rates · Take-home pay after tax
Prefilled for a casual employee under the Fast Food Award. Change the award, rate and hours to match your payslip.
State system or national system: which rules pay you
WA has two employment systems for the private sector. Pty Ltd companies are in the national Fair Work system, and the National Employment Standards and modern awards on this page apply to them. Sole traders, unincorporated partnerships and trusts without a Pty Ltd trustee, some not-for-profit associations, household employers, WA local governments and most state public sector agencies are in the WA state system instead.
In the state system, a full-time or part-time employee who is absent because of a public holiday is paid as if they had worked their ordinary hours, at the higher of the WA award, industrial agreement or contract rate. That does not apply to casuals, to employees who would not ordinarily work that day, or to employees on unpaid leave. The WA Government's example is a part-timer who works 9am to 2pm on Mondays and is paid those 5 hours for a Monday public holiday.
If you work a public holiday in the state system, the rate comes from your WA award or agreement. Award-free state system employees have no minimum entitlement to a higher rate under the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act. They are paid their normal rate unless the contract says otherwise. Wageline (1300 655 266) answers state system pay questions.
Easter Saturday is not a public holiday in WA
WA does not gazette Easter Saturday, so under the national system it is paid as an ordinary Saturday. Some WA state awards treat it differently. The WA Government lists the Aboriginal Communities and Organisations, Crisis Assistance and Supported Housing, Social and Community Services, Local Government Officers, Municipal Employees and Retail Pharmacists awards as treating Easter Saturday as a public holiday. The Shop and Warehouse, Building Trades (Construction), Clerks (Wholesale and Retail) and Hair and Beauty (WA) awards pay a higher rate that day without making it a public holiday.
Weekend holidays get an extra Monday, including Anzac Day
When New Year's Day, Anzac Day or Christmas Day falls on a weekend, the following Monday is also a public holiday in WA, and both days count. Boxing Day on a Saturday adds the Monday. Boxing Day on a Sunday or Monday adds the Tuesday. Australia Day on a weekend moves to the Monday instead. In 2026 that gives WA Monday 27 April for Anzac Day and Monday 28 December for Boxing Day.
The WA Government has published proposed changes to the public holiday schedule (its public holiday review) and says the 2028 dates will be published once confirmed.
Your WA 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 WA pay calculator. Long service leave is set by WA law, not the National Employment Standards; the WA 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.
WA public holiday pay questions
Public holidays in other states
How this page is sourced▼
Every date was read from the Government of Western Australia’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 in Western Australia— Government of Western Australia
- 2Public holiday pay and entitlements for state system employees— Government of Western Australia (Wageline)
- 3Entitlement to be paid when absent on a public holiday— Government of Western Australia (Wageline)
- 4WA award provisions for Easter Saturday— Government of Western Australia (Wageline)
- 5Which system of employment law applies— Government of Western Australia (Wageline)
- 6Not working on public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 7Public holiday penalty rates— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 8Public holidays (working outside your state or region)— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 9Fair 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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