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.
Casual employees do get paid more for working a public holiday, but only for the hours they actually work. The rate is a public holiday penalty rate set by their award or enterprise agreement, and it usually sits above the ordinary casual rate. What casuals do not get is the paid day off full-time and part-time staff receive.
Why casuals miss the paid day off
The National Employment Standards give full-time and part-time employees a paid day off for a public holiday that falls on a day they would normally work. They receive their base pay whether or not they clock on.
Casuals sit outside that entitlement. They are paid for rostered hours worked and have no ordinary hours in the same sense, so an unrostered casual receives nothing for the day. Nothing accrues in the background to smooth it over either.
| Employment type | Public holiday, worked | Public holiday, not worked |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | Award or agreement penalty rate, usually one combined figure | No pay. Casuals are paid for rostered hours only |
| Part-time | Award or agreement penalty rate for the hours worked | Base pay, if the day sits in their agreed pattern |
| Full-time | Award or agreement penalty rate for the hours worked | Base pay for the day |
The rate is one combined figure, not a stack
Most awards that set a casual public holiday rate express it as a single percentage that already folds in the casual loading. It is not the loading plus a separate penalty on top, so adding the two together overstates what you are owed.
Some awards give casuals a higher combined figure than permanent staff and some set the same headline percentage for everyone. Because the number is award-specific, read the clause for your own classification rather than a rate you heard from a workmate.
The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool returns the dollar figure once you know your award and classification level. That is the only way to be certain about your own shift.
Where part-timers differ from casuals
Part-timers do get the paid day off, but only for a public holiday inside their agreed pattern of hours. Someone who never works Mondays is not paid for a Monday public holiday, because the rule tracks the roster rather than the calendar.
For a shift actually worked, the two converge on the award's penalty rate, though the percentages can still differ by employment type. The public holiday pay rates guide sets out how each type is treated.
When the next public holiday shifts land
| State | Date | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Mon 5 Oct 2026 | Labour Day |
| VIC | Fri 25 Sep 2026 | Friday before the AFL Grand Final |
| QLD | Mon 5 Oct 2026 | King's Birthday |
| SA | Mon 5 Oct 2026 | Labour Day |
| WA | Mon 28 Sep 2026 | King's Birthday |
| ACT | Mon 5 Oct 2026 | Labour Day |
| NT | Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Christmas Eve, from 7pm (part-day) |
| TAS | Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day |
Tasmania and the Northern Territory look bare because their remaining 2026 dates are regional or part-day. The Royal Hobart Show on Thursday 22 October covers Southern Tasmania and Recreation Day on Monday 2 November covers Northern Tasmania, so two Tasmanian rosters can run to different calendars.
Christmas is the run worth planning around. Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026, Boxing Day is the Saturday, and most states add a further public holiday on Monday 28 December. Tasmania moves Boxing Day to that Monday instead of keeping both.
How to confirm your exact rate
- Identify the award or enterprise agreement covering your role, from your payslip or the Fair Work Ombudsman's Find My Award tool.
- Find the public holiday clause for casuals in that award, not the general casual rate.
- Confirm the date is a public holiday where you work and for the hours you're rostered: the statewide dates on the public holidays pages, plus any regional show day for your area and the evening part-day holidays in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
- Map the holidays against your roster over a longer stretch with the Working Days Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Do casual employees get paid more on public holidays?
Yes, for hours worked. The award or agreement sets a public holiday rate for casuals that sits above the ordinary casual rate, and the figure differs between awards. A casual who is not rostered that day is paid nothing.
Do casuals get a paid day off on a public holiday?
No. There is no paid-day-off entitlement for casuals, and none accrues quietly in the background either. The trade-off is the 25% casual loading already built into the ordinary hourly rate.
Do part-time employees get paid for public holidays?
Yes, when the holiday falls on a day inside their agreed pattern of hours. Outside that pattern they are paid nothing, the same as a casual. Hours actually worked attract the award's penalty rate either way.
Is casual loading added on top of the public holiday rate?
Usually not. Most awards quote one combined public holiday percentage for casuals that already contains the loading. Adding another 25% to that figure overstates the shift.
When is the next public holiday I can pick up a shift on?
It depends on the state. Victoria has Friday 25 September 2026 and Western Australia Monday 28 September, while NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT all have Monday 5 October. Tasmania and the Northern Territory wait for the Christmas run.
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