To run a business in Singapore, you must understand employer responsibilities and employee entitlements. Among these are paid public holidays and associated compensation for work on off-days. Learning about them will help you stay compliant, avoid penalties, and build a reputation as a trusted employer.
List of Public Holidays in 2025
There are 11 official public holidays scheduled for 2025 in Singapore.
| Date and Day | Occasion |
| 01 Jan (Wed) | New Year’s Day |
| 29 Jan (Mon) | Chinese New Year |
| 30 Jan (Tue) | Chinese New Year rest day |
| 31 Mar (Mon) | Hari Raya Pausa |
| 18 Apr (Fri) | Good Friday |
| 01 May (Thu) | Labour Day |
| 12 May (Mon) | Vesak Day |
| 07 Jun (Sat) | Hari Raya Haji |
| 09 Aug (Sat) | National Day |
| 20 Oct (Mon) | Deepavali |
| 25 Dec (Thu) | Christmas Day |
Holiday Pay in Singapore
The Employment Act of Singapore mandates that all bank holidays be paid holidays for all employees. If a holiday falls on a rest day, the following working day will be a paid holiday. Employees are entitled to at least one rest day per week in Singapore.
If an employee is on unpaid or approved paid leave (as per their company’s laws) before or after a public holiday, they are still eligible for paid leave on the holiday.
Employees on approved paid/unpaid long leave do not get extra pay or leave in lieu if the public holiday falls during their leave.
Navigating Payments During Off Days
The Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has well-defined guidelines for employers on how to manage pay or leave in lieu of work done on public holidays or rest days. This is to protect the rights of employees and ensure fair compensation for extra hours worked.
Remuneration for work on public holidays
Employees are entitled to different compensations for working on a public holiday depending on the day it falls on.
| If a public holiday falls on | Employee entitlements |
| A working day | 1 additional day’s salary according to the basic pay rateGross rate of pay for that holidayOvertime pay only if the employee worked beyond normal working hours |
| A non-working day (Saturday is a non-working day for employees on a 5-day workweek contract) | Another day off or 1 day’s salary at the gross rate of payOvertime pay if worked beyond normal working hours |
| A rest day (Sunday is a rest day) | 1 day’s salary for half day worked and 2 day’s salary for a full day of workOvertime pay is worked beyond usual hours |
Employees must know that if the Employment Act does not cover them, their compensation for working on rest days (weekly off days, usually Sunday), non-working days (Saturdays for 5-day workweek arrangements), or public holidays depends on their employment contract.
Access Financial Simplifies Compliance for You
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