Australian public holidays 2027.

Working a public holiday in 2027, and what it pays

The National Employment Standards give you the right to be absent on a public holiday, and section 116 of the Fair Work Act 2009 says an employee who is absent is paid their base rate for the ordinary hours they would have worked. The NES itself sets no penalty rate. The extra money for working the day comes from your modern award or enterprise agreement, and across the awards on this site the public holiday rate is 225% or 250% for full-time and part-time employees, with casual rates higher again because the casual loading is folded in.

An employer can ask you to work a public holiday where the request is reasonable, and you can refuse where your refusal is reasonable, which is the test in section 114. Two 2027 dates are worth planning around: Anzac Day falls on a Sunday, so substitute-day treatment varies by state, and Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, which moves the observed day in most states.

To put numbers on a specific shift, use the public holiday pay calculator, or open your state calendar above, which carries the same calculator pre-configured for that state.