Public Holiday and Bank Holiday Pay Ireland 2026: Entitlement & Examples

“Bank holiday” is common wording, but the employment entitlement is tied to statutory public holidays. Good Friday is not a statutory public holiday, although a contract or workplace practice may provide paid leave.

A full-time employee has an immediate public-holiday entitlement. A part-time employee generally qualifies after working at least 40 hours in the five weeks ending on the day before the public holiday.

The test applies to hours, not a label such as “casual.” If a part-time employee worked 8 hours in each of the five preceding weeks, the 40-hour threshold is met. A worker with 39 recorded hours does not meet that statutory test, although a better contract may still provide a benefit.

An eligible employee is entitled to one of the following, chosen by the employer unless the contract or agreement says otherwise:

• A paid day off on the public holiday.
• A paid day off within one month.
• An additional day of annual leave.
• An additional day’s pay.

The employer can ask the employee to work and provide the statutory benefit in another form. The employee can request notice of which option applies; if the employer does not give the required notice, a paid day off on the public holiday can become the default.

Example: a qualifying part-time employee normally earns €360 over three days each week and is not normally rostered on the Monday public holiday. If the employer chooses additional pay, one-fifth of €360 is €72. If the employee works the holiday, the agreed pay for those hours is separate from the chosen statutory benefit.

Irish legislation does not set one universal public-holiday premium such as time-and-a-half or double time. The statutory entitlement is one of the four benefits. A contract, collective agreement or established workplace practice can separately set a premium for hours actually worked.

Check the payslip in two steps: first, whether the worked hours were paid at the agreed rate; second, which public-holiday benefit was provided. Do not use a Sunday premium or ordinary annual-leave day to obscure the separate public-holiday entitlement.

When a public holiday falls on a weekend, there is no automatic legal right to the following Monday off. The employee remains entitled to the appropriate statutory benefit. This matters for St Stephen’s Day on Saturday 26 December 2026.

An employee on temporary lay-off can retain the public-holiday benefit for the first 13 weeks. Protected leave and sickness can have specific rules, so check the applicable leave type rather than assuming all absences are treated alike.

An employee who stops working during the week ending on the day before a public holiday can still qualify if they worked during the four weeks preceding that week. Confirm the termination date, hours and final-pay record.

1. Confirm that the date is one of the ten statutory public holidays.
2. For part-time work, total the hours in the preceding five-week test period.
3. Check the normal roster, normal weekly pay and hours actually worked.
4. Ask which of the four benefits the employer selected.
5. Compare the contract, payslip, leave balance and roster.
6. Raise any shortfall in writing, then check the WRC route and time limit if unresolved.

A holiday-pay calculator is an estimate. Actual entitlement follows the statutory method, normal work pattern, records and any more favourable agreement.