Working on a public holiday in Singapore: pay and time off in lieu
Checked against MOM on 15 November 2026
Hospitals, shops, hotels and transport keep running on public holidays, so plenty of people work them. Under the Employment Act, working on a public holiday earns you an extra day’s salary at your basic rate of pay, on top of your normal pay for the day.
The alternatives to extra pay
MOM sets out these options:
- By mutual agreement, you can take a public holiday in lieu on another day instead of the extra pay. Employees not covered by Part 4 of the Act (the part on hours of work and overtime) can agree to time off in lieu instead.
- If there is no agreement on time off, the employer may choose to give one extra day’s basic pay, or 4 hours off for working 4 hours or less, or a full day off for working more than 4 hours.
Overtime on a holiday
Hours beyond your normal daily hours on a public holiday count as overtime for employees covered by Part 4. MOM’s overtime pay page explains the rates.
When you can lose holiday pay
You keep your pay for a public holiday if you were at work on the working days just before and after it, or were on authorised leave. If you are absent without your employer’s consent or a reasonable excuse on the working day immediately before or after the holiday, you are not entitled to the holiday pay, and the employer can deduct one day’s gross pay.
You also get no holiday pay if the holiday falls inside approved unpaid leave.
Swapping the day
You and your employer can agree to treat another working day as the public holiday. This is common in workplaces that open on festival days.
Sources: MOM, public holidays entitlement and pay; MOM, calculate public holiday pay.
Plan your 2027 leave around the public holidays.