Public Holidays Australia 2026: State Dates and Long Weekend Planning

2026 Australian public holidays by state

Public holiday searches are usually practical: you need to know whether the date applies in your state, whether it creates a long weekend, and whether a rostered shift needs a public holiday pay check. Australia has national dates, but the actual calendar still changes across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT.

Use the Public Holidays Calculator to choose your state or territory, compare the 2026 calendar, and check the dates before you book leave, publish a roster, quote contractor availability, or plan a family trip.

Key 2026 dates to check first

Several 2026 public holidays matter in every planning calendar:

Good Friday: 3 April 2026.
Easter Monday: 6 April 2026.
Anzac Day: 25 April 2026, with an additional observed public holiday in some jurisdictions such as ACT, NSW and WA on 27 April 2026.
Christmas Day: 25 December 2026.
Boxing Day or substitute holiday: 28 December 2026 in many states and territories because 26 December falls on a Saturday.

Those dates create the strongest long weekends and annual leave planning opportunities, but they are not the whole calendar. Labour Day, King's Birthday, Melbourne Cup, Western Australia Day, Reconciliation Day, Picnic Day, regional show days and Christmas Eve part-day holidays all depend on the state or territory.

Long weekend and annual leave planning

For employees, the highest-value long weekends in 2026 are usually around Easter, Anzac Day, King's Birthday dates, Labour Day dates, and Christmas. A single annual leave day can sometimes connect a public holiday to a weekend, but the best option depends on your state calendar and your employer's leave approval rules.

For contractors and small businesses, the same dates affect capacity planning. Public holidays can reduce billable days in a month, change client response times, and affect the dates you promise in invoices, quotes and project schedules. Checking the calendar early helps you avoid committing to work on a day your client assumes is unavailable.

Public holiday pay planning

Public holiday pay planning is separate from finding the date. Employees may have different entitlements when they work, do not work, or are asked to work on a public holiday. Exact rules depend on the award, agreement or contract, and public holiday penalty rates are not identical across every role or industry.

Use the public holidays calendar to identify the date and state first, then check the relevant workplace rule before approving shifts, calculating public holiday rates, or comparing ordinary pay with penalty-rate pay. If a team member works across state lines, confirm which location's public holiday entitlements apply to their work base.

Planning checklist

Select the correct state or territory instead of relying on a national-only calendar.
Check substitute or additional public holidays when a date falls on a weekend.
Block high-demand travel periods around Easter, Anzac Day and Christmas early.
Review rosters before public holiday weeks so payroll can handle public holiday pay planning.
Recheck regional holidays if you operate in places with show days or local observances.

Final check

The safest approach is to keep one live calendar for your state, then review it whenever you plan leave, contractor availability, payroll, school holiday travel or customer deadlines. Start with the Public Holidays Calculator so your 2026 planning is based on the right state and territory dates.