On 18 June 2026, the Ministry of Manpower published Singapore’s official public holidays for 2027. There are eleven gazetted public holidays in total, carrying the same entitlements that Singapore employers have managed for years — but with new dates, new day-of-week configurations, and at least one weekend fallout that triggers a substitution day under the Employment Act. For HR teams finalising leave calendars, setting payroll rules, and advising staff on long-weekend planning, this is the reference guide you need.
This article sets out the full 2027 Singapore public holiday list, explains the Employment Act rules on entitlement, pay, and substitution days, and flags the planning pitfalls most likely to catch employers off guard.
Singapore Public Holidays 2027: The Official List
Per the Ministry of Manpower’s press release of 18 June 2026, the 11 gazetted public holidays for 2027 are as follows:
| Holiday | Date | Day | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 | Friday | |
| Chinese New Year (Day 1) | 6 February 2027 | Saturday | Substitution: Monday 8 February 2027 is a public holiday |
| Chinese New Year (Day 2) | 7 February 2027 | Sunday | Substitution: Monday 8 February 2027 is a public holiday |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 10 March 2027 | Wednesday | Subject to moon sighting confirmation |
| Good Friday | 26 March 2027 | Friday | |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2027 | Saturday | Substitution day applies — check MOM guidance |
| Hari Raya Haji | 17 May 2027 | Monday | Subject to moon sighting confirmation |
| Vesak Day | 20 May 2027 | Thursday | |
| National Day | 9 August 2027 | Monday | |
| Deepavali | 28 October 2027 | Thursday | |
| Christmas Day | 25 December 2027 | Saturday | Substitution day applies — check MOM guidance |
Important note on Hari Raya dates: The dates of Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji are based on the Islamic lunar calendar and are subject to confirmation by moon sighting closer to the relevant month. The dates above reflect current projections and may shift by one day. Employers should confirm these dates via the MOM public holidays page as each date approaches.
The Substitution Day Rule: Chinese New Year 2027
In 2027, Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6 February (Day 1) and Sunday 7 February (Day 2). Because both days fall on the weekend — and MOM has confirmed that Monday 8 February 2027 will be a public holiday — employers need to handle this carefully.
Under the Employment Act, when a gazetted public holiday falls on a rest day (typically Sunday for five-day-week employees), the next working day becomes a public holiday in substitution. MOM’s press release confirms that Monday 8 February 2027 is gazetted as a public holiday for this reason. This means employees who would normally work on Monday 8 February are entitled to a paid day off, and those required to work on that day are entitled to public holiday premium pay.
Employers running Monday-to-Friday operations should programme this into their leave and payroll systems well before the date. The practical effect is that Chinese New Year in 2027 creates a 4-day weekend for most office workers (Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February, with many employers granting leave on the Tuesday as well).
Labour Day (1 May 2027, Saturday) and Christmas Day (25 December 2027, Saturday) also fall on weekends. MOM will confirm substitution arrangements for these holidays in due course; employers should monitor the MOM public holidays page for formal gazette notifications. Historically, when a public holiday falls on a Saturday (which is a rest day for five-day-week employees), a substitution day is granted on the following Monday.
Employer Obligations Under the Employment Act
The Employment Act (Cap. 91A) entitles all employees covered by the Act to eleven paid public holidays per year. As at 9 July 2026, the key obligations employers must meet are:
Paid Day Off
Employees are entitled to a paid day off on each public holiday. The employer cannot require an employee to work on a public holiday without compensating them appropriately — simply giving time-off-in-lieu at a later date without additional pay is not compliant.
Public Holiday Pay for Employees Required to Work
Employees who are required to work on a public holiday are entitled to:
- Their gross rate of pay for the day (i.e., the normal day’s pay), plus
- An extra day’s salary at their basic rate of pay.
This effectively means the employee receives approximately two days’ pay for working one day during a public holiday. This is a mandatory statutory entitlement — it cannot be contracted out of, waived, or replaced by a blanket “you agreed to work public holidays” clause in an employment contract.
Time-Off-In-Lieu Option (Specific Groups Only)
For three specific groups, employers have the option (with mutual agreement) to grant time-off-in-lieu instead of the extra day’s pay:
- Workmen earning more than S$4,500 per month
- Non-workmen earning more than S$2,600 per month
- All Managers and Executives
Outside these groups, time-off-in-lieu is not a permissible substitute for the statutory additional pay. Employers who apply time-off-in-lieu to employees below these thresholds — particularly lower-wage workers — may be in breach of the Employment Act.
Substitution by Mutual Agreement
Employers and employees may mutually agree to substitute a gazetted public holiday for another working day. This must be genuinely mutual — an employer cannot unilaterally designate a different day as the substitute. The agreement should be documented in writing, ideally in the employment contract or a separate letter of agreement, to avoid disputes.
Part-Time and Shift Workers: Pro-Rated Entitlements
Part-time employees are entitled to public holidays on a pro-rated basis, calculated according to the hours they work relative to a full-time employee. If a public holiday falls on a day when the part-time employee would not normally work, they are entitled to a pro-rated day’s pay in lieu. Shift workers whose schedules span multiple days may work on a public holiday without it being their “public holiday” in the traditional sense — employers should check individual rosters against the Employment Act’s definitions of rest days and public holidays to ensure correct treatment.
For the treatment of foreign employees on Employment Passes and S Passes, the public holiday entitlements under the Employment Act apply in the same way as for local employees — there is no distinction based on nationality or pass type. For HR teams managing compliance across both local and foreign headcount, the Singapore HR MOM compliance calendar provides a useful overview of the full regulatory year. Similarly, employers should be aware of the retirement age changes effective July 2026 when planning headcount and contracts for 2027.
Long Weekends in 2027: What HR Planners Need to Know
Beyond the substitution-day question, 2027 offers several natural long weekends that HR teams can anticipate when managing leave balances and operational cover:
| Holiday(s) | Date(s) | Day | Potential Long Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 Jan 2027 | Friday | Fri–Sun: 3 days |
| Chinese New Year (incl. substitute) | 6–8 Feb 2027 | Sat–Mon | Sat–Tue with leave: 4–5 days |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 10 Mar 2027 | Wednesday | Mid-week break |
| Good Friday | 26 Mar 2027 | Friday | Fri–Sun: 3 days |
| Hari Raya Haji | 17 May 2027 | Monday | Sat–Mon: 3 days |
| Vesak Day | 20 May 2027 | Thursday | Thu–Sun with leave: 4 days |
| National Day | 9 Aug 2027 | Monday | Sat–Mon: 3 days |
| Deepavali | 28 Oct 2027 | Thursday | Thu–Sun with leave: 4 days |
HR departments in client-facing businesses should plan operational staffing well in advance of the three mid-week public holidays (Hari Raya Puasa, Vesak Day, Deepavali) and the two extended long-weekend clusters (Chinese New Year and Good Friday). Rostering software and payroll systems should be updated to reflect the substitution days as soon as MOM formally gazetted them.
Practical Steps for Employers Before Year-End 2026
To avoid compliance issues and operational disruption in 2027, HR teams should complete the following before 31 December 2026:
- Update payroll systems: Ensure that Monday 8 February 2027 is flagged as a gazetted public holiday, and that Labour Day (1 May) and Christmas Day (25 December) carry placeholder flags pending MOM’s gazette notification for substitution days.
- Review leave management software: Calendar integrations in HRMS platforms often auto-populate based on fixed-date rules. Confirm that the platform has been updated to reflect MOM’s confirmed 2027 calendar, not a generic or extrapolated list.
- Update employment contracts: If your contracts reference specific public holiday dates or lists, ensure they do not inadvertently conflict with the 2027 gazette. Contracts that reference “public holidays as gazetted by MOM from time to time” do not require amendment.
- Brief line managers: Ensure that managers approving leave requests in Q1 2027 (particularly around the Chinese New Year cluster) are aware of the Monday 8 February substitution day and the correct payroll treatment for employees who work on that date.
- Confirm Hari Raya dates: Once the Islamic calendar dates are confirmed closer to March 2027, update your systems and communicate to staff as early as possible — particularly in businesses with significant Muslim employee populations where operational planning around these dates is culturally important.
If you need support structuring employment contracts, managing payroll compliance across local and foreign staff, or ensuring your HR policies align with Employment Act requirements, Singapore Employment Agency provides licensed employment and HR compliance advisory services. For payroll outsourcing, company secretarial, and workforce compliance support, Raffles Corporate Services works alongside LBEA to deliver integrated employer solutions. For a comprehensive view of all HR compliance milestones across the year, refer to the shared parental leave update for 2026 and the wider MOM compliance calendar.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency