As 2023 gets going, millions of workers within a variety of Australian industries are set to work on public holidays. Read on for everything you need to know to pay staff the correct public holiday rates for 2023.
Rates applied to specific dates can vary from state to state. Currently, some states in Australia award penalty rates for the Monday following a given holiday, while for others, the holiday simply falls on the Sunday.
See below for a full list of public holidays for your state, and how public holiday rates are generally paid for them.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
March 13th: Canberra Day.
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
May 29th: Reconciliation Day.
June 12th: King’s Birthday.
October 2nd: Labour Day.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
June 12th: King’s Birthday.
August 7th: Bank Holiday (applies to banks and certain financial institutions).
October 2nd: Labour Day.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 26th: Anzac Day (substitute day as Anzac Day falls on a weekend).
May 1st: May Day.
June 12th: Queen’s Birthday.
August 7th: Picnic Day.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day
May 1st: Labour Day.
August 16th: Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only).
October 2nd: King’s Birthday.
December 24th: Christmas Eve (from 6pm to 12 midnight).
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
March 13th: Adelaide Cup Day.
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
June 12th: King’s Birthday.
October 2nd: Labour Day.
December 24th: Christmas Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight).
December 25th: Christmas Day
December 26th: Boxing Day / Proclamation Day
December 31st: New Year’s Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight)
January 1st: New Year’s Day
January 26th: Australia Day
February 8th: Royal Hobart Regatta (only observed in certain areas of the state)
March 8th: Eight Hours Day
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day
June 14th: Queen’s Birthday
November 1st: Recreation Day (all parts of the state which do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta)
December 25th: Christmas Day
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
December 28th: Boxing Day (substitute day as Boxing Day falls on a weekend)
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
March 13th: Labour Day
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
June 12th: King’s Birthday.
TBC: Friday before AFL Grand Final (subject to AFL schedule).
November 7th: Melbourne Cup.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
March 6th: Labour Day.
April 7th: Good Friday.
April 8th: Easter Saturday.
April 9th: Easter Sunday.
April 10th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
April 26th: Additional public holiday for Anzac Day.
June 5th: Western Australia Day
TBA: Queen’s Birthday
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
Public Holiday Rates 2023
Pay rates are set by the award the employee is classified under, with full-time, part-time and casual employees receiving independent entitlements.
Full-time
Full-time employees in Australia, who normally work on the day the public holiday falls on, receive a paid day off. Therefore, their public holiday rates are paid at their base rate of pay, for the ordinary hours they have worked. An employer can ask a full-time employee to work on a holiday, given the employee gets paid the relevant penalty for working.
Part-time
Most awards state that part-time employees are entitled to public holiday rates paid at a penalty rate of pay for hours worked on a public holiday in Australia. Check your award or agreement for the conditions that apply to your business.
Casual
Most awards state that casual employees are entitled to be paid at a penalty rate of pay for hours worked on a public holiday. There is no payment for public holidays that they do not work. Check your award or agreement for the conditions that apply to your business.
Public Holiday Rates for popular awards
If you are unsure of how the public holiday affects your business, call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 or visit Fair Work.
How to automatically apply public Holiday Rates for 2023
Staying on top of various public holiday rates including penalty rates and award entitlements is no easy task, with a growing number of businesses falling victim to increasingly complex rules many are using software to ensure that award rates and holidays are paid correctly.
Within Tanda, our award engine automatically adds compliant pay rates to your rosters and timesheets, including base rates, overtime, allowances, higher duties and public holiday rates for 2023. All managed awards, including all of the above awards, have built-in base rates that sync with payroll and update when Fair Work mandates change. This means that award rates are updated in accordance with all future Fair Work changes and birthdate rollovers for employees, keeping businesses compliant without constantly monitoring Fair Work’s site for updates to complex rule sets.
Frequently asked questions
Permanent part-time and full-time staff typically receive a paid day off when their regular hours of work coincide with a public holiday.
Those working a fixed 5 day work week typically receive time off in lieu as Saturday is considered a non-working day. Casual employees will receive the relevant public holiday penalty rate.
Those working a fixed 5 day work week typically receive time off in lieu as Saturday is considered a non-working day. Casual employees will receive the relevant public holiday penalty rate.
Yes, Easter Monday is a public holiday in all Australian states. If you’re running a business and open on Easter Monday, you’ll need to pay your staff public holiday rates.
