2027 public holidays most workers are paid for
The holidays that matter on most rosters, state by state. A dash means that state has no public holiday that day. Dates in the table come from each state government’s own 2027 list and agree with the Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2027 page.
| Holiday | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | ||||||||
| Australia Day | ||||||||
| Good Friday | ||||||||
| Easter Saturday | – | – | ||||||
| Easter Sunday | – | |||||||
| Easter Monday | ||||||||
| Anzac Day | ||||||||
| Christmas Day | ||||||||
| Boxing Day / Proclamation Day |
Where a cell shows two dates, both are public holidays: for example Saturday 25 and Monday 27 December for Christmas Day. Tasmania, 2027: the Fair Work Ombudsman’s list shows Saturday 25 December as well as Monday 27 December for Christmas Day, while WorkSafe Tasmania’s table shows the Monday, so check your award or agreement for the Saturday.
State-only public holidays in 2027
Labour Day, the King’s Birthday and each state’s own days are not shared, and they fall on different dates. The count is every whole-day holiday for that state in 2027 including the rows above. Show days and other holidays that apply to only part of a state are on the state pages.
| State | Whole-day holidays | Other 2027 holidays |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 14 | King's Birthday; Labour Day |
| VIC | 14 | Labour Day; King's Birthday; Melbourne Cup |
| QLD | 13 | Labour Day; King's Birthday |
| WA | 14 | Labour Day; King's Birthday |
| SA | 14 | Adelaide Cup Day; King's Birthday; Labour Day |
| TAS | 9 | Eight Hours Day; King's Birthday |
| ACT | 16 | Canberra Day; Reconciliation Day; King's Birthday; Labour Day |
| NT | 14 | May Day; King's Birthday; Picnic Day |
Part-day public holidays in 2027
Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory add evening holidays. Only the hours inside the window are paid at the public holiday rate.
- QLD: Christmas Eve Friday 24 December, 6pm to midnight.
- SA: Christmas Eve Friday 24 December, 7pm to midnight; New Year's Eve Friday 31 December, 7pm to midnight.
- NT: Christmas Eve Friday 24 December, 7pm to midnight; New Year's Eve Friday 31 December, 7pm to midnight.
How a 2027 public holiday is paid
Each state and territory sets its own list, but the pay rules are national. If you work a public holiday your award or agreement decides the rate. Retail and hospitality pay 225% (casual 250%), and across the 14 awards this site publishes the permanent range is 200% to 250% and the casual range 225% to 312.5%. If you are a full-time or part-time employee and the holiday falls on a day you would normally work, you are paid your base rate for your ordinary hours even when you don't work.
The Fair Work Ombudsman's 2027 list is based on each state and territory's own published list, includes state-wide holidays, capital-city holidays and some regional holidays, and notes that some states add or substitute holidays when one falls on a weekend and others don't. That is why the tables below are split by state rather than shown as one national list.
Public Holiday Pay Calculator
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 (225%)
- $62.57/h
- Pay for 8 hours on the public holiday
- $500.56
- Same hours on an ordinary weekday
- $222.48
- Extra for working the public holiday
- $278.08
- If you don't work it and would normally be rostered
- $222.48
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).
Before tax. Minimum shift lengths, overtime and allowances are not included. All General Retail Award rates · Take-home pay after tax
Prefilled for a permanent employee under the General Retail Award. Change the award, rate and hours to match your payslip.
Worked example: an 8-hour shift on a 2027 public holiday
Entry-level adult rates from 1 July 2026, 8 hours worked on a public holiday, compared with the same hours on an ordinary weekday. Award rates are reviewed each year, so these 2026-27 figures can change after the next annual wage review.
| 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.
What is different about 2027
Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, so most states hold the weekend days and add Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. Anzac Day is a Sunday (25 April), which is why the Anzac row in the table differs most: New South Wales, Western Australia and the ACT keep the Sunday and add Monday 26 April, Queensland and the Northern Territory list Monday 26 April as Anzac Day, and Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania have no replacement day. Check the row for your state. Australia Day, Tuesday 26 January, falls mid-week with no replacement day needed.
A few 2027 dates are not published yet. Victoria's Friday before the AFL Grand Final depends on the AFL fixture, and most regional and show-day holidays are announced later in the year. The state pages list what each government has published so far and mark the rest as not yet confirmed.
Pay guides for the big 2027 holidays
Easter, Australia Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day have their own pay guides, each with the state dates, the part-day rules where they apply, and a worked example. The pay rules above apply to all of them, so the guides concentrate on what is specific to each day.
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.
Public holidays 2027 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
- 12027 public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 2NSW public holidays 2026 to 2027— NSW Government
- 3Victorian public holidays 2026— Business Victoria
- 4Queensland public holidays— Queensland Government
- 5Public holidays in Western Australia— Government of Western Australia
- 6Public holidays— SafeWork SA
- 7Public holidays— WorkSafe Tasmania
- 8Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving— ACT Government
- 9NT public and regional holidays— Northern Territory Government
- 10Not working on public holidays— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 11Public holiday penalty rates— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 12Public holidays (working outside your state or region)— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 13Fair 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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