The Christmas Holidays for 2021 are right around the corner, with millions of workers within a variety of Australian industries set to work the holidays. Read on for everything you need to know to pay staff the correct public holiday rates for 2021.
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 8th: Canberra Day.
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 3rd: Easter Saturday.
April 4th: Easter Sunday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
April 26th: Additional public holiday for Anzac Day.
May 31st: Reconciliation Day.
June 14th: Queen’s Birthday.
October 4th: Labour Day.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
December 28th: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 3rd: Easter Saturday.
April 4th: Easter Sunday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
June 14th: Queen’s Birthday.
August 2nd: Bank Holiday (applies to banks and certain financial institutions).
October 4th: Labour Day.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day.
December 28th: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 3rd: Easter Saturday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 26th: Anzac Day (substitute day as Anzac Day falls on a weekend).
May 3rd: May Day.
June 14th: Queen’s Birthday.
August 2nd: Picnic Day.
December 24th: Christmas eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight).
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day.
December 28th: Boxing Day (substitute day as Boxing Day falls on a Sunday).
December 31st: New Year’s Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight).
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 3rd: Day after Good Friday.
April 4th: Easter Sunday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 26th: Anzac Day (substitute day as Anzac Day falls on a Sunday).
May 3rd: Labour Day.
October 4th: Queen’s Birthday.
October 29th: Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only).
December 24th: Christmas Eve (from 6pm to 12 midnight).
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day.
December 28th: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
March 8th: Adelaide Cup Day.
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 3rd: Easter Saturday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
April 26th: Additional public holiday for Anzac Day.
June 14th: Queen’s Birthday.
October 4th: Labour Day.
December 24th: Christmas Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight).
December 26th: Boxing Day / Proclamation Day
December 27th: Christmas Day (substitute day as Christmas Day falls on a Saturday).
December 28th: Additional public holiday for 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 2nd: Good Friday
April 5th: Easter Monday
April 6th: Easter Tuesday – generally Public Service only
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 8th: Labour Day
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 3rd: Saturday before Easter Sunday.
April 4th: Easter Sunday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
June 14th: Queen’s Birthday.
TBC: Friday before AFL Grand Final (subject to AFL schedule).
November 2nd: Melbourne Cup.
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day.
December 28th: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day.
January 1st: New Year’s Day.
January 26th: Australia Day.
March 1st: Labour Day.
April 2nd: Good Friday.
April 5th: Easter Monday.
April 25th: Anzac Day.
April 26th: Additional public holiday for Anzac Day.
June 7th: Western Australia Day
September 27th: Queen’s Birthday (Some regional areas in WA hold the Queen’s Birthday public holiday on a different date).
December 25th: Christmas Day.
December 26th: Boxing Day.
December 27th: Additional public holiday for Christmas Day.
December 28th: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day.
Public Holiday Pay Rates 2021
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, they 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 be paid at a penalty rate of pay for hours worked on a public holiday in Australia. 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.
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.
Pay 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 pay rates for 2021
Staying on top of various 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 pay rates for 2021. 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.
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