NSW public holidays

In addition to these standard public holidays for all of NSW, there are also some Local Public Holidays and Local Event Days declared in regional and rural NSW to recognise a significant annual event for the local community like an agricultural show or racing carnival.

These occasions may be declared by the Minister for Industrial Relations following an application made by a local council for a whole day or part of a day. 

• Local Public Holidays
• Local Event Days

Ask about trading restrictions and exemptions for banks and retail shops by calling Fair Trading NSW at 13 32 20. 

You can also see Trading on public holidays page on Fair Trading NSW website.

Public holidays, including local public days, will affect workplace entitlements for national system employers and employees. Information is provided by the Fair Work Ombudsman on the National Employment Standards for public holidays and in the awards and agreements that apply to your workplace.

The Public Holidays Act 2010 notes that the following provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 of the Commonwealth also apply to employees and employers in New South Wales.

• Section 114, about the entitlement to be absent from employment on a public holiday, and
• Section 116, about payment for absence on a public holiday.

For information and assistance, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.

NSW Guide to Public Holidays

How you can prepare your business:

• Get to know which public holidays may affect your business.
• Ensure you have a leave calendar or a staff log of available staff.
• Find out about the Industrial Relations implications and obligations for staff working on a Public Holiday i.e. loading or penalty.
• Take time to understand what additional staffing needs may be required

Access the:

NSW Guide to Public Holidays and NSW Industrial Relations public holiday presentation.

Also see the FAQs for employers and employees on this page.

Holidays for NSW are gazetted under the Public Holidays Act 2010. They are statewide or regional public holidays and apply to all businesses across NSW.

The standard public holidays across NSW include:

• New Year’s Day
• Australia Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Saturday
• Easter Sunday
• Easter Monday
• Anzac Day
• King’s Birthday
• Labour Day
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day.

Local public holidays may also be declared in regional and rural NSW. They are holidays that commemorate a day of special significance to a specific local community. These are in addition to the standard public holidays that apply to the whole of NSW.

Note: A local public holiday is a declared public holiday for that area for work purposes. Additional penalty payments may apply. Refer to your applicable industrial instrument for details.

There are a small number of Local Event Days that can be for a whole day or part of a day. These are in addition to standard public holidays that apply to the whole of NSW. They might be for an event like an agricultural show or racing carnival.

Importantly, Local Event Days are not a declared public holiday for work purposes.

Every few years, New Year's Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday. When this happens, there will be an additional gazetted public holiday on the following available weekday.

No, it is not a declared public holiday for all of NSW. Only retail bank branches and certain financial institutions are required to remain closed on the first Monday in August, unless otherwise exempt.

For more information refer to the NSW Fair Trading website.

The Anzac Day holiday is always recognised and observed on the 25 April every year. This includes when it falls on a weekend.

Where Australia Day falls on a weekend, there is no public holiday on that day. Instead, the following Monday is the public holiday.

In most cases an employee that works on a gazetted public holiday is entitled to extra payment. This is usually in the form of an additional penalty or loading.

Detailed information on public holiday entitlements is in your workplace industrial instrument. This could be an award, agreement or employment contract that covers your workplace.

For information on pay and conditions of employment in the national system visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

If you work in the NSW Local Government industry, visit our Local Government Industry page. You can also call us on 131 628 for help with public holidays.

In most cases where an employee is off work on a public holiday, and that day is their regular working day, the employee would still be entitled for payment for the absence on a public holiday.

The Public Holidays Act 2010 also notes that the following provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009 also apply to employees and employers in NSW:

• Section 114, about the entitlement to be absent on a public holiday, and
• Section 116, about payment for absence on a public holiday. 

Please refer to the relevant industrial laws and instruments including the specific Award or Agreement that covers your workplace for detailed information on public holiday entitlements.

For information on pay and conditions of employment in the national system, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

You may have a situation where you are on Long Service Leave when a gazetted public holiday occurs. If this is a normal working day for an employee, an extra day must be added to the Long Service Leave period.

For information on pay and conditions of employment in the national system, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

For information on pay and conditions of employment in the national system, please visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

For any NSW business trading hours information on public holidays (including Bank Holiday information) visit the NSW Fair Trading website.