On 18 June 2026, the Ministry of Manpower published Singapore’s public holidays 2027 — the official list of 11 gazetted holidays that every employer covered by the Employment Act must grant employees. Planning rosters, payroll runs, and leave calendars around these dates is a routine obligation that carries real cost consequences when done incorrectly. This guide presents the full 2027 public holiday schedule, explains which holidays fall on weekends and what the Employment Act requires in those cases, and sets out the public holiday pay rules that HR teams must apply.
The earlier you lock these dates into your HR system, the fewer last-minute scheduling conflicts arise — particularly around the May and August long weekends when leave demand peaks.
Singapore Public Holidays 2027: The Full Official List
The following 11 holidays are gazetted under the Employment Act for 2027, as published by MOM on 18 June 2026:
| Public Holiday | Date | Day | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 | Friday | — |
| Chinese New Year (Day 1) | 6 February 2027 | Saturday | Day in lieu on preceding Friday (5 Feb) or agreed day |
| Chinese New Year (Day 2) | 7 February 2027 | Sunday | Substitute holiday: Monday 8 February 2027 |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 10 March 2027 | Wednesday | Subject to moon sighting; date may shift by one day |
| Good Friday | 26 March 2027 | Friday | — |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2027 | Saturday | Day in lieu on preceding Friday (30 Apr) or agreed day |
| Hari Raya Haji | 17 May 2027 | Monday | — |
| Vesak Day | 20 May 2027 | Thursday | — |
| National Day | 9 August 2027 | Monday | — |
| Deepavali | 28 October 2027 | Thursday | — |
| Christmas Day | 25 December 2027 | Saturday | Day in lieu on preceding Friday (24 Dec) or agreed day |
Long weekends in 2027: New Year (Fri 1 Jan), Chinese New Year (Sat 6 Feb to Mon 8 Feb), Good Friday (Fri 26 Mar), Hari Raya Haji (Mon 17 May), and National Day (Mon 9 Aug) each create a long weekend. Employees who stack leave strategically around the February CNY block can secure an extended break spanning five or more days.
When Public Holidays Fall on Weekends: What the Employment Act Requires
Three of 2027’s public holidays fall on a Saturday: Chinese New Year Day 1 (6 February), Labour Day (1 May), and Christmas Day (25 December). One falls on a Sunday: Chinese New Year Day 2 (7 February). The Employment Act’s rules for these situations are specific:
Sunday Holidays — Substitute Monday
Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday and the employee is not required to work on Sundays, the following Monday is treated as a public holiday in substitution. This is a statutory requirement, not a matter of employer discretion. For 2027, this applies to Chinese New Year Day 2 (7 February, Sunday), resulting in Monday 8 February being a substitute public holiday. Employers must reflect this substitute day in payroll and leave systems.
Saturday Holidays — Day in Lieu
Where a public holiday falls on a Saturday and Saturday is the employee’s rest day, the employer must grant a day in lieu. Under the Employment Act, this day in lieu is typically the preceding working day (Friday) unless the employer and employee agree otherwise. For 2027:
- Chinese New Year Day 1 (6 February, Saturday): in-lieu day typically Friday 5 February 2027
- Labour Day (1 May, Saturday): in-lieu day typically Friday 30 April 2027
- Christmas Day (25 December, Saturday): in-lieu day typically Friday 24 December 2027
For employees who work on Saturdays as part of their regular schedule, the Saturday public holiday is treated as a normal public holiday — they either take the day off or, if required to work, receive public holiday pay (see below).
Employers managing shift workers and hourly-rated employees should note that the Employment Act’s public holiday provisions apply differently to these groups. Review the MOM guidance on public holiday entitlement and pay for the specific rules applicable to your workforce composition.
Public Holiday Pay: The Employer’s Obligations
Under the Employment Act, all employees covered by the Act are entitled to 11 paid public holidays per year. The pay rules for 2027 are unchanged from prior years:
If the Employee Does Not Work on the Public Holiday
The employee receives their normal day’s pay. No additional payment is required. For a salaried employee, the holiday is simply a paid day off — no deduction is made from the monthly salary, and no additional payment is required.
If the Employee Works on the Public Holiday
The employer must pay the employee an additional day’s salary at the basic rate of pay, on top of the gross pay the employee is already entitled to for that day. In practice, this means the employee receives approximately double their normal daily pay for working on a public holiday. Alternatively — and this option is available only for certain categories of employees including managers, executives, and non-workmen earning more than SGD 2,600 per month — the employer may grant time off in lieu for the hours worked on the public holiday, with the specific number of hours to be agreed between the parties.
Part-Time Employees
Part-time employees are entitled to public holiday pay on a pro-rated basis. The pro-ration is calculated based on the employee’s agreed working hours as a proportion of a full-time employee’s hours. For example, an employee working three days per week is entitled to three-fifths of the full public holiday entitlement. If a public holiday falls on a day they are not normally scheduled to work, they receive a pro-rated payment instead of a day off.
Hari Raya Puasa Date: A Planning Note
The date of Hari Raya Puasa (10 March 2027 as published by MOM) is based on the Islamic lunar calendar and is subject to confirmation through the moon sighting on the 29th day of Ramadan. The published date may shift by one day if the moon is sighted a day earlier or later than expected. MOM confirms the official date through a gazette notification once the sighting is confirmed, typically one to two days before the holiday. HR systems and roster schedules should be built with this one-day uncertainty in mind.
Similarly, Hari Raya Haji (17 May 2027) is subject to the same moon-sighting confirmation process. MOM’s published dates are the best available planning reference, but the formal gazette confirmation is the authoritative date for payroll and leave-management purposes.
HR System and Payroll Updates: What to Do Before August 2026
Updating your payroll and HR systems with the 2027 public holiday schedule sooner rather than later avoids errors in leave accrual calculations, overtime processing, and public holiday pay runs. Specifically:
- Load the full 11-holiday schedule into your HRIS. Include the substitute Monday (8 February) and the Saturday in-lieu days (5 February, 30 April, 24 December) as non-working days, reflecting your company’s in-lieu policy.
- Update shift and roster templates. Operations teams planning Q1 and Q2 2027 rosters should account for the dense holiday cluster in February–May 2027 (five public holidays in approximately 16 weeks).
- Review payroll processing rules for Saturday holidays. If your payroll software does not automatically generate in-lieu days for Saturday public holidays, manual configuration may be required.
- Communicate the schedule to employees early. Proactive communication — ideally before the end of Q3 2026 — reduces ad hoc leave requests around the long weekends and supports more orderly workforce planning.
For the broader MOM compliance calendar for 2026 and forward planning into 2027, our MOM HR Compliance Calendar 2026 provides a month-by-month framework for Singapore employers.
Foreign Employees: Public Holiday Entitlement
Employment Pass, S Pass, and Work Permit holders employed in Singapore are covered by the Employment Act to the same extent as Singapore citizens and PRs. Their public holiday entitlement is identical — 11 paid public holidays per year, with the same pay rules applying if they work on a holiday. There is no differential treatment based on nationality or pass type. For foreign employees on variable or project-based contracts, employers should confirm that the contract terms explicitly address public holiday pay to avoid disputes.
For guidance on managing Employment Pass holders’ overall compliance obligations, our Singapore Employment Pass Guide 2026 covers the key rules. For S Pass holders specifically, the Singapore S Pass Guide 2026 addresses the Employment Act obligations relevant to that pass category.
Get Support with MOM Compliance
Singapore Employment Agency is the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790). We assist employers with work pass applications, Employment Act compliance, and HR policy reviews. For corporate secretarial, payroll processing, and broader employment law support, our sister brand Raffles Corporate Services provides integrated employer services.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency