Christmas is coming, yay! You are thinking of working on a public holiday to earn some extra cash for that nice present you have been eyeing. While working on a holiday can be "sian", do you actually know how much you should be getting paid? Continue scrolling to find out.

Summary of contents:

1. List of public holidays
2. Working on a public holiday
3. Public holiday on a rest day or non-working day
4. Not covered by the Employment Act?

List of Public Holidays

For holiday pay, you will be paid at your gross rate of pay if you are not absent from work the working day before or after a holiday without proper reason and if you are on authorised leave the day before or after the holiday.

Working on a Holiday

If you work on a holiday, your employer is expected to pay you an extra day's salary. Either that or by mutual agreement, you get a public holiday or time off instead.

If you are not present at work the working day before or after the holiday, you will not be given your holiday pay.

If you are working on a public holiday and it falls on a...

Working Day

• You are expected to be paid an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay
• You are to be paid at the gross rate of pay for the holiday
• You will be paid for working overtime

Non-working day

• You will be paid for working overtime
• One extra day's salary at the gross rate of pay or a day off

Rest Day

• You get paid for working on a rest day
• You will be paid for working overtime
• The next working day will be a paid holiday

Basic rate of pay vs gross rate of pay?

Basic rate of pay: Used for calculating pay for working on a rest day or public holiday

Gross rate of pay: Used for calculating paid public holidays and paid leave

Public Holiday on a Rest Day or Non-working Day

If the public holiday falls on a non-working day, you are allowed to have another day off. If not, you can get an extra day's salary at the gross rate of pay.

However, if the public holiday is on a rest day, the next working day will become a paid public holiday. If you are not covered by the employment act, then your entitlements will follow what has been agreed in your employment contract.

Not covered by the Employment Act?

• Both you and your employer can discuss the number of hours that you can have off from working on a public holiday
• If there is no agreement, the employer can decide to pay an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay
• If you have worked 4 hours or less on a holiday, you can have 4 hours of time off on a working day
• If you have worked for more than 4 hours on a holiday, you can have a full day off on a working day

Want to know more about the Employment Act?
Click here for more on working hours, overtime pay and rest day entitlements
Click here for more on annual leave
Click here for more on sick leave entitlements