Is Public Holiday Pay Double Time? The Real Rates

Public holiday pay is not automatically double time

"Double pay for public holidays" is the most common payroll myth in Australia. There's no single national rate — the penalty rate for working a public holiday depends on your award, enterprise agreement, or contract, and it typically lands somewhere between 150% and 275% of your ordinary hourly rate, not a fixed "double time" figure.

The next public holiday on the calendar is Picnic Day in the Northern Territory, falling on Monday, 3 August 2026 — a reminder that even the dates aren't shared nationwide, let alone the pay rate. Check what applies where you are on the public holidays page before assuming a date, or a rate, carries over from another state.

The "double time" shorthand likely comes from older award language that combined a base penalty rate with an extra loading or a day in lieu, which people rounded down to "you get paid double." Modern awards spell the actual percentage out explicitly, and it's rarely a clean 200%.

How much extra do you actually get paid?

What you're owed depends on two things: whether you actually work the public holiday, and what kind of employee you are. The table below shows the typical bands — always confirm the exact figure against your own award or agreement, since Fair Work sets minimums, not a universal number.

Situation	Typical rate	Notes
Full-time or part-time, holiday is a normal working day, not worked	100% (ordinary pay)	You're paid as usual for the day even though you don't work it, because it would otherwise have been a rostered day.
Full-time or part-time, working the holiday	150%–250% of ordinary rate	Common under retail, clerical, and hospitality awards; many also set a minimum engagement length for the shift.
Casual, working the holiday	175%–275% of ordinary rate	Most awards publish one combined casual public-holiday rate that already folds in the 25% loading, rather than adding it separately — check your award for the exact figure.
Enterprise agreement rate	Set by the agreement	An agreement can set a different public-holiday penalty — sometimes below the award — provided each employee is better off overall than the award under the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT). Check your agreement.

None of these bands is "double pay" as a rule — some awards land close to double time for a casual, others sit well under it for an ordinary full-timer working their normal hours. For the full award-by-award breakdown, see the public holiday pay rates guide.

What happens if a public holiday falls on your day off?

If the public holiday lands on a day you weren't rostered to work anyway — a weekend for a Monday-to-Friday employee, or an off day in a rotating roster — most awards don't require your employer to pay you anything extra for that date, and you don't automatically bank a substitute day off.

The exception is when the public holiday falls on a day that would have been a working day under your usual pattern but your employer stood you down or changed the roster around it — some awards then require a day in lieu or extra pay to compensate. This is genuinely award-specific, so it's worth reading the public holidays clause in your own award or agreement rather than assuming. If you're mapping rosters or leave around these dates, the Working Days Calculator shows exactly which dates count as public holidays for your state.

Why do the rates range from 150% to 275%?

The spread exists because public holiday pay isn't set by one law with one number — it's set award by award, and sometimes agreement by agreement, on top of a Fair Work minimum floor.

• Different awards, different base penalty rates. A retail award and a hospitality award can set different percentages for the same public holiday.
• Casual rates are quoted as one combined figure. A modern award's casual public-holiday rate typically already folds in the standard 25% loading rather than adding it on top separately — which is why the combined figure sits at the higher end of the range. Always check your own award for the exact percentage rather than assuming loading stacks separately.
• Minimum engagement rules add cost. Many awards guarantee a minimum number of paid hours for any public holiday shift, even a short one.
• The date changes by state, the rate doesn't. Public holiday dates and eligible holidays vary by state and territory, but pay rates come from federal or state workplace law and awards — not from which state observes the holiday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is public holiday pay actually double time in Australia?

Not as a rule. Some awards land close to double time for casual employees once loading is included, but the typical range across awards is 150% to 275% of the ordinary rate, and employees who don't work the holiday are simply paid their normal day's pay.

How much extra do you get paid on a public holiday?

It depends on your award and employment type. Full-time and part-time employees working the holiday commonly earn 150% to 250% of their ordinary rate, while casuals — with loading stacked on top — often reach 175% to 275%. Check your specific award for the exact figure.

What happens if a public holiday falls on your day off?

If it lands on a day you weren't scheduled to work anyway, most awards don't require extra pay or a substitute day off. If your employer changed your roster specifically around the holiday, some awards require compensation — check the public holidays clause in your award or agreement.

Why do public holiday rates range from 150% to 275%?

Because pay rates are set award by award on top of a Fair Work minimum, not by one universal law. Differences in base penalty rates, casual loading stacking, and minimum engagement rules all push the figure up or down depending on your award and employment type.