Do Casual Employees Get Paid More on Public Holidays?
Find out whether casual employees get a paid day off or a higher pay rate for working public holidays, with real 2026 dates by state.
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Do Casual Employees Get Paid More on Public Holidays?
Yes, but only for hours actually worked. A casual employee who works on a public holiday is generally entitled to a higher pay rate — a public holiday penalty rate, on top of the standard 25% casual loading — set by their applicable modern award or enterprise agreement. What a casual does not get is a paid day off: unlike full-time and part-time staff, a casual who isn't rostered on a public holiday simply isn't paid for that day.
The exact penalty rate varies by award, industry and even the specific public holiday, so this guide covers the rules that apply nationally, then shows how to check the number that applies to your job. For a breakdown of standard public holiday pay rates across employment types, see our public holiday pay rates guide.
Do Casuals Get a Paid Day Off If They Don't Work a Public Holiday?
No. The National Employment Standards (NES) give full-time and part-time employees a paid day off on a public holiday that falls on a day they'd normally work — they receive their base pay whether or not they clock on. Casuals sit outside that entitlement because they're paid only for the hours rostered and worked, and they don't have "ordinary hours" in the same sense.
In practice, this means a casual who isn't rostered for a public holiday — whether because it falls outside their usual pattern or their manager simply didn't schedule them — receives nothing for that day. There's no equivalent of annual leave or personal leave accruing in the background to smooth this over, which is one of the trade-offs of casual work alongside the higher hourly loading.
What Penalty Rate Do Casuals Get for Working a Public Holiday?
Most modern awards set casual public holiday rates well above the ordinary casual rate — commonly in the range of 250% of the minimum hourly rate, and higher again in some awards (retail and hospitality frequently sit at 250–275%). That figure typically already folds in the casual loading, so it isn't simply "casual loading plus a separate penalty rate" stacked on top — the award specifies one combined public holiday rate for casuals. Because the exact percentage is award-specific, always confirm the figure that applies to your classification rather than assuming a flat rate across jobs.
| Employment type | Public holiday, worked | Public holiday, not worked |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | Award/agreement penalty rate (often 250%+ of the base rate, award-dependent) | No pay — casuals are only paid for hours rostered and worked |
| Part-time | Award/agreement penalty rate for hours worked | Base pay for the day, if it's a day they'd normally work |
| Full-time | Award/agreement penalty rate for hours worked | Base pay for the day (paid public holiday) |
Use the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool with your award and classification to get the precise dollar figure — it's the only way to be certain, since rates differ between awards covering the same industry in different states.
How Is Casual Public Holiday Pay Different From Part-Time and Full-Time?
The gap comes down to one thing: entitlement to pay for a day not worked. Part-time and full-time employees are paid for a public holiday that falls on a day they'd ordinarily work, even if the business is closed. Casuals aren't — their pay is tied entirely to the roster. For the worked-day penalty the picture is closer, but not identical: the total percentage can still differ by employment type. Many awards express the casual public holiday rate as a single combined figure that already folds in casual loading, so it can sit above the full-time and part-time penalty rather than exactly matching it — the Retail Award, for example, sets the same headline figure for all three, while other awards give casuals a higher combined rate. Check the specific percentages in your award before assuming a casual and a full-timer are paid the same for the same shift.
Another difference worth noting for part-time and casual staff specifically: part-timers only get the paid-day-off entitlement for a public holiday that falls on a day within their agreed pattern of hours. A part-timer who never works Mondays isn't paid for a Monday public holiday either — the paid-day-off rule tracks the rostered pattern, not the calendar.
Upcoming Public Holidays Where This Comes Up
The next state-wide public holidays after today land at different times depending on where you work, which is exactly when this question tends to surface for casual staff working out whether a shift is worth picking up.
| State | Next public holiday | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Labour Day | Monday, 5 October 2026 |
| VIC | Friday before the AFL Grand Final | Friday, 25 September 2026 |
| QLD | King's Birthday | Monday, 5 October 2026 |
| SA | Labour Day | Monday, 5 October 2026 |
| WA | King's Birthday | Monday, 28 September 2026 |
| ACT | Labour Day | Monday, 5 October 2026 |
| NT | Picnic Day | Monday, 3 August 2026 |
| TAS | Christmas Day | Friday, 25 December 2026 |
One Victorian note: the Friday before the AFL Grand Final holiday shown above is confirmed for 25 September 2026 on the Victorian Government's calendar, with Melbourne Cup Day (Tuesday, 3 November 2026) following it as the state's next state-wide holiday after that.
Tasmania's list looks different because most of its remaining 2026 holidays — the Royal Hobart Show, Recreation Day and the regional agricultural shows — are local or regional rather than state-wide, so they don't apply to every casual worker in the state. A casual in Hobart and a casual in Launceston can have genuinely different public holiday calendars for the rest of the year. Check the full public holidays list for your state, or start with NSW public holidays if that's where you're rostered, to see what's coming and plan around it.
The Christmas and New Year run is worth flagging separately: Christmas Day (Friday, 25 December 2026) and Boxing Day (Saturday, 26 December 2026, with an additional public holiday on Monday, 28 December 2026 because Boxing Day itself falls on a weekend) create several consecutive public holiday shifts in a short window — high-value pickup shifts for casuals in retail and hospitality, at the elevated penalty rate.
How to Confirm Your Exact Rate
Three checks before you accept or decline a public holiday shift as a casual: identify the award or agreement covering your role, find the specific public holiday penalty rate for casuals in that award (not just the general casual rate), and confirm whether the shift falls on a gazetted state-wide public holiday rather than a regional or part-day one. The Public Holidays page lists exact dates by state, and the Working Days Calculator is useful for mapping how public holidays sit against your roster over a longer stretch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do casual employees get paid more on public holidays?
Yes, for hours worked. Casuals are entitled to a higher penalty rate for shifts worked on a public holiday, set by their award or agreement — commonly around 250% of the base rate or higher, though the exact figure is award-specific.
Do casuals get a paid day off on a public holiday if they don't work?
No. Casuals are paid only for hours rostered and worked. If a casual isn't scheduled to work on a public holiday, they receive no pay for that day, unlike full-time and part-time employees who are paid their base rate for a public holiday that falls on a day they'd normally work.
What penalty rate do casuals get for working a public holiday?
It depends on the applicable modern award or enterprise agreement, but many awards set the casual public holiday rate at around 250% of the minimum hourly rate, with some industries (such as retail and hospitality) going higher. Check the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool for your specific award and classification.
How is casual public holiday pay different from part-time and full-time employees?
The main difference is pay for a day not worked: part-time and full-time employees are paid their base rate for a public holiday that falls on a day they'd ordinarily work, while casuals are not, since they have no entitlement to pay outside hours actually worked. For hours actually worked on the day, the penalty rate under the same award is generally consistent across employment types, with the casual rate already including the loading.
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