Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower published the official list of public holidays for 2027 on 18 June 2026. The announcement matters more than it may first appear: HR teams that plan annual leave entitlements, payroll cycles, and shift rosters months in advance need accurate dates now, and the 2027 calendar has a few features — public holidays landing on Saturdays and a CNY substitution day — that require specific decisions before the year begins.
This guide covers all 11 gazetted public holidays for 2027, the substitution-day rules under the Employment Act, employer obligations when employees work on public holidays, and the practical planning steps that will keep your payroll and roster compliant throughout the year.
Singapore Public Holidays 2027: The Official List
Per the MOM press release dated 18 June 2026, the 11 gazetted public holidays for 2027 are as follows:
| Public Holiday | Date | Day | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 | Friday | — |
| Chinese New Year (Day 1) | 6 February 2027 | Saturday | See substitution note |
| Chinese New Year (Day 2) | 7 February 2027 | Sunday | 8 Feb (Mon) is a public holiday |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 10 March 2027 | Wednesday | Based on astronomical calculation |
| Good Friday | 26 March 2027 | Friday | — |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2027 | Saturday | See substitution note |
| Hari Raya Haji | 17 May 2027 | Monday | Based on astronomical calculation |
| Vesak Day | 20 May 2027 | Thursday | — |
| National Day | 9 August 2027 | Monday | — |
| Deepavali | 28 October 2027 | Thursday | — |
| Christmas Day | 25 December 2027 | Saturday | See substitution note |
Three holidays — Chinese New Year Day 1 (6 February), Labour Day (1 May), and Christmas Day (25 December) — fall on a Saturday in 2027. This creates specific obligations for employers depending on your employees’ contracted work schedule.
The Substitution Day Rule: What Employers Must Know
The Public Holidays Act and the Employment Act together govern what happens when a gazetted public holiday falls on a rest day.
For Chinese New Year Day 2 (7 February, a Sunday), MOM has already confirmed the substitution day: Monday, 8 February 2027 is a public holiday. This is stated explicitly in the MOM press release. Employers should treat 8 February 2027 as a paid public holiday for all employees covered by the Employment Act.
For Chinese New Year Day 1 (6 February, a Saturday) and for employees whose rest day is Saturday: where a public holiday falls on an employee’s rest day, the following working day becomes the substituted public holiday, unless the employer and employee mutually agree on a different substitution arrangement. For a standard Monday-to-Friday employee, this means 8 February covers both CNY Day 2 (via MOM’s confirmed substitution) and CNY Day 1 — employers should check whether their specific arrangements provide for two substitute days or one.
For Labour Day (1 May, a Saturday) and Christmas Day (25 December, a Saturday): the MOM press release does not specify a government-mandated substitution day for these two holidays, as the substitution arrangements depend on each employee’s contractual rest days. For employees who do not work on Saturdays, the employer must grant a substitute holiday — typically the next working day (3 May for Labour Day, 27 December for Christmas Day) — unless a different day is mutually agreed upon in writing.
Public Holiday Pay: Your Obligations Under the Employment Act
The Employment Act’s public holiday provisions apply to all employees covered under the Act — which includes employees earning up to SGD 4,500 per month (for non-workmen) or SGD 2,600 per month (for workmen), and managers and executives (MEs) for most provisions.
If the Employee Does Not Work on the Public Holiday
The employee is entitled to a paid day off — that is, their normal pay for that day without any deduction. No extra pay is required; the employee simply receives their regular daily wage for a day they did not work.
If the Employee Is Required to Work on the Public Holiday
Employees who work on a gazetted public holiday are entitled to an extra day’s salary at the basic rate of pay, in addition to their gross rate of pay for that day. In practice, this means they receive effectively double pay — their gross rate for working that day, plus one additional day’s basic-rate pay as a premium.
Time-Off-in-Lieu Option for Certain Employees
For the following groups of employees, employers have the option of granting time-off-in-lieu (based on a mutually agreed number of hours) instead of the extra day’s pay when an employee works on a public holiday:
- Workmen earning more than SGD 4,500 per month;
- Non-workmen earning more than SGD 2,600 per month; and
- All managers and executives.
This option must be mutually agreed — employers cannot unilaterally substitute pay with time-off for the groups above without the employee’s agreement.
Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji: A Note on Islamic Calendar Dates
The dates for Hari Raya Puasa (10 March 2027) and Hari Raya Haji (17 May 2027) in the MOM press release are based on astronomical calculations. Islamic public holidays in Singapore are confirmed upon official moon-sighting, and the gazetted dates may shift by one day. Employers planning rosters for Hari Raya periods should build in a one-day buffer or communicate this uncertainty to affected teams well in advance.
Singapore Public Holidays 2027: Planning Checklist for HR Teams
Based on the 2027 calendar, here are the practical steps HR managers should complete before the year begins.
By August 2026
Update your HRIS, leave management software, and payroll system with all 11 public holiday dates. Include 8 February 2027 (Monday) as the confirmed substitution public holiday for CNY Day 2. Flag Labour Day (1 May, Saturday) and Christmas Day (25 December, Saturday) for manual review of substitution arrangements based on each employee’s contracted rest days.
Before End of 2026
Issue the annual leave and public holiday schedule to all employees for 2027. Confirm in writing (or via your HR system) any agreed substitution arrangements for the Saturday public holidays. Brief your payroll team on the CNY cluster: 6, 7, and 8 February 2027 are all public holidays or substitution days — payroll must reflect this for each employee type correctly.
Ongoing in 2027
Monitor the MOM website for any official confirmation on the Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji dates as the moon-sighting periods approach (typically two to three weeks before the anticipated date). Update systems immediately when confirmed.
Long Weekends in 2027 Worth Noting for Workforce Planning
For employers managing project deadlines and client-facing teams, the following public holidays create long weekends that will affect productivity planning:
- New Year’s Day (1 Jan, Friday): Three-day weekend (Fri–Sun).
- CNY cluster (6–8 Feb): Three-day weekend if Saturday is a rest day, plus potential for further substitution arrangements.
- Good Friday (26 Mar, Friday): Three-day weekend (Fri–Sun).
- Hari Raya Haji (17 May, Monday): Three-day weekend (Sat–Mon for 5-day week employees).
- National Day (9 Aug, Monday): Three-day weekend (Sat–Mon).
Foreign Employees: Public Holiday Entitlement
All employees covered by the Employment Act — including Employment Pass holders, S Pass holders, and Work Permit holders — are entitled to Singapore’s gazetted public holidays on the same basis as local employees. Pass type does not create a different public holiday entitlement. For EP holders, note that the Employment Act covers all employees; for the full EP compliance framework including MOM obligations, see our Complete Singapore Employment Pass Guide 2026. For S Pass employers managing the full compliance picture, see the Complete Singapore S Pass Guide 2026. And for a full picture of MOM compliance deadlines across the year, including levy, quota, renewal, and tax clearance, refer to our Singapore HR MOM Compliance Calendar 2026.
If you need support managing employment pass applications or ensuring your HR practices are aligned with the Employment Act, Little Big Employment Agency (Licence No. 19C9790) provides licensed employment agency services for foreign professional placements and HR compliance guidance. For corporate secretarial, payroll, and broader employment compliance outsourcing, visit Raffles Corporate Services.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency