Canberra Day 2027

Canberra Day falls on Monday 9 March 2026 and Monday 8 March 2027. It is the second Monday in March and applies across the whole ACT, but nowhere in NSW.

Next date: Monday, 8 March 2027. Applies to ACT only. The second Monday in March each year.

Confirmed dates

YearDayDateApplies to
2026
Already passed
Monday9 MarchACT only
2027
Monday8 MarchACT only
2028
Monday13 MarchACT only
Dates and scope verified against ACT Government, Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving (ACT Government), checked 28 July 2026.

Who actually gets the day off

This is a regional public holiday, so it does not cover the whole of Australian Capital Territory. The gazetted scope is:

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra Day marks the naming of the city on 12 March 1913. It is a territory-wide holiday rather than a regional one, so unlike the show days elsewhere in this section it covers every ACT workplace. The ACT also has Reconciliation Day, observed on the first Monday on or after 27 May, which no other jurisdiction has.

Queanbeyan and the rest of the NSW border region do not get Canberra Day, because public holidays follow the jurisdiction you are based in for work, not where you live. A Queanbeyan resident who works in Civic is entitled to the day; a Canberra resident who works at a Queanbeyan site is not.

If you are outside that area, your normal Australian Capital Territory public holiday calendar applies instead, and this day is an ordinary working day for you.

What you are paid

If you do not work the day and it is a day you would ordinarily work, you are paid your base rate for the ordinary hours you would have worked. That obligation sits in the National Employment Standards, not your award, so it applies whether or not an award covers you.

Fair Work Act 2009, section 116: an employer must pay an employee at the employee's base rate of pay for the ordinary hours the employee would have worked had the day not been a public holiday. Section 114 gives the right to be absent, subject to a reasonable request to work.

If you do work it, the penalty rate comes from your award or enterprise agreement rather than the NES. Customer-facing awards commonly set public holiday rates between 200% and 250% of the base rate. Work out what a specific day is worth with the public holiday pay calculator, and check your own award on the modern award pay pages.

Casual employees are the common exception. A casual has no ordinary hours, so there is nothing to be paid for on a day not worked. A casual who does work the day gets the public holiday penalty rate in the award, usually on top of casual loading. The casual versus permanent guide sets out how the two interact.

If it falls during your annual leave

You keep the day. A public holiday that falls inside a period of paid annual leave is not deducted from your balance, so a week of leave containing this holiday costs you four days of leave rather than five.

Fair Work Act 2009, section 89: if a period of paid annual leave includes a day that is a public holiday in the place where the employee is based for work purposes, the employee is taken not to be on paid annual leave on that day.

That phrase, "the place where the employee is based for work purposes", is what makes a regional holiday like this one worth checking. It is your work base that decides the entitlement, not your home address. Model the effect on a balance with the annual leave calculator.

For the full Australian Capital Territory calendar including every statewide date, see public holidays in Australian Capital Territory, or start from the Australian Capital Territory leave calculator for annual leave, long service leave and final pay under ACT rules. For every state at once, see the public holidays hub and public holidays 2027. If you are planning leave around it, the long weekends page shows which dates fall next to a weekend, and a public holiday inside a booked break does not consume your balance: check it on the annual leave calculator.

Q & A

Canberra Day questions.

The entitlement questions people ask most about this day.

When is Canberra Day public holiday in 2027?
Canberra Day falls on Monday, 8 March in 2027. The second Monday in March each year.
Who gets Canberra Day as a public holiday?
This holiday covers ACT only. The gazetted scope is: "Australian Capital Territory" Under the Fair Work Act the test is the place where you are based for work purposes, not where you live.
Do I get paid if I do not work on Canberra Day?
Yes, if it is a day you would ordinarily work. Section 116 of the Fair Work Act 2009 requires payment at your base rate of pay for the ordinary hours you would have worked. Casuals are not paid for a public holiday they do not work, because they have no ordinary hours.
What am I paid if I work on Canberra Day?
Public holiday penalty rates come from your award or agreement, not the National Employment Standards. Rates commonly run between 200% and 250% of the base rate in customer-facing awards. Check your specific award, because the NES sets no penalty rate of its own.
What if Canberra Day falls during my annual leave?
You do not lose the day. Section 89 of the Fair Work Act says that if a public holiday falls inside a period of paid annual leave, you are taken not to be on annual leave that day, so it is paid as a public holiday and not deducted from your leave balance.
Can my employer make me work on Canberra Day?
Only if the request is reasonable. Section 114 of the Fair Work Act gives you the right to be absent on a public holiday, but an employer may make a reasonable request for you to work, and you may refuse if that request is unreasonable or your refusal is reasonable. The Act lists the factors, including the nature of the work, your personal circumstances and how much notice you were given.