I have to work a public holiday
Penalty rates, your right to refuse, and substitute days for public holidays.
Public holiday penalty rates
If you work on a public holiday, you're entitled to penalty rates under your award. Typical public holiday penalty rates range from 225% to 250% of your base rate. For example, if your base rate is $26.44/hr, at 225% you'd earn $59.49/hr. Some awards also provide a minimum engagement of 3-4 hours.
Can I refuse to work?
Under the NES, an employer can request you to work on a public holiday, but you can refuse if the request is unreasonable. Factors considered include: the nature of the workplace, your personal circumstances (including family responsibilities), whether you could reasonably expect the request, how much notice was given, and your employment type.
Substitute days
Some awards allow employers to substitute another day for a public holiday by agreement with employees. If a public holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute day (usually the following Monday) may apply. State and territory governments determine the specific substitute arrangements for each year.
Which public holidays apply?
National public holidays apply across Australia: New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Queen's/King's Birthday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Each state and territory also has additional public holidays. Use our Public Holiday Rate Checker to see all holidays for your state.
Not working on a public holiday
If you're a full-time or part-time employee and a public holiday falls on your normal working day, you're entitled to be paid your base rate for those hours without working. Casual employees are only paid if they actually work on the public holiday.
Use these tools
In this situation yourself?
Ask our AI advisor with the specifics — grounded in the Fair Work Act and case law, free to start.
Get notified when rates change
Free alerts when minimum wage, award rates, or workplace laws are updated.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
Related reading
Your weekend and public holiday penalty rates by award — retail, hospitality, fast food & more. Free calculator shows exactly what you should earn per hour.
Can My Employer Change My Roster Without Notice? (Know Your Rights)Your employer must give 7 days' notice for roster changes under most awards. Here's when you can say NO — plus what to do if they change your hours without asking.
Recommended partners
Free tools surface the issue. Our partners help you solve it.
Authorised Employment Hero Partner
Employment Hero
Australian HR, payroll, rostering and award interpretation in one platform. Used by 300,000+ businesses. Fixes the underlying payroll/compliance issues our calculators surface.
Best for: SMEs that have outgrown spreadsheet payroll or want automated award interpretation.
See Employment HeroHR support partner
Liquid HR
Senior, hands-on HR support for your toughest workforce challenges — performance and conduct, grievances and mediation, redundancy and change. Liquid HR picks up where the technology ends.
Best for: employers and individuals who need a human HR professional to guide a workplace situation, not just a calculator.
Talk to Liquid HRIT, Microsoft & cyber partner
Frontrow Tech
Microsoft 365, Copilot rollouts, Essential Eight, Privacy Act 2026 and board-level cyber compliance for Australian SMBs. Where pay and HR end, your data and IT obligations begin.
Best for: SMBs running on Microsoft 365, anyone hitting cyber/privacy compliance, boards wanting an outside read on IT risk.
See FrontrowRecommended partners — we only recommend partners we've vetted as a good fit for Australian workplaces. Some partnerships help fund the free tools on this site.