WORKERS NEWS: Your Bank Holiday (also known as Public Holiday) Entitlements

12 March 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie

Information compliments of Citizens Information

Ciara O’Gorman, Development Manager with South Munster Citizens Information Service talks about public holidays in Ireland and workers’ entitlements in relation to same.  “There are 10 public holidays in Ireland each year.  Since 2023 there has been a new annual public holiday in early February to mark St Brigid’s Day. The public holiday is the first Monday in February, except where St Brigid’s Day (1 February) happens to fall on a Friday, in which case Friday 1 February will be a public holiday.  On a public holiday, sometimes called a bank holiday, most businesses and schools close. Other services (for example, public transport) still operate but often have restricted schedules.”

Public Holiday dates in Ireland

Good Friday is not a public holiday. While some schools and businesses close on that day, you have no automatic entitlement to time off work on that day.

How is the date of Easter Monday set each year?

Easter Monday is the only public holiday that can vary significantly from year to year. The date of Easter moves every year.  Easter should be the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after 21 March. This means the earliest possible date for Easter Sunday in any year is 22 March, and the latest is 25 April.

Public holidays and your entitlements

“Most employees are entitled to paid leave on public holidays. Full-time workers have immediate entitlement to benefit for public holidays and part-time workers have entitlement to benefit when they have worked a total of 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks.  If you qualify for public holiday benefit, you are entitled to one of the following:

• A paid day off on the public holiday
• An additional day of annual leave
• An additional day’s pay
• A paid day off within a month of the public holiday.

“You can ask your employer at least 21 days before a public holiday, which of the alternatives will apply. If your employer does not respond at least 14 days before the public holiday, you are entitled to take the actual public holiday as a paid day off.”

Part-time employees

If you work for your employer for at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks before the public holiday and it falls on a day you normally work, you get paid for the day even if you don’t work. If you have to work that day, you are entitled to an extra day’s pay.  If you don’t normally work on a certain day but it’s a public holiday, you should get paid one-fifth of your weekly pay. Even if you never work on public holidays, you still get paid a fifth of your weekly pay as compensation for the public holiday. Again, you must have worked for your employer for at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks before the public holiday.  Remember, you can count time spent on annual leave as ‘time worked’ when calculating the 40 hours worked in the 5 weeks before the public holiday.

When public holidays fall on a weekend

If the public holiday falls on a day which is not a normal working day for that business (for example, on Saturday or Sunday), you are still entitled to benefit for that public holiday. However, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work.  Contact your local Citizens Information Centre to discuss your options.

If you are on ‘sick leave’ on a public holiday

You are a full-time worker

If you are on sick leave during a public holiday, you are entitled to benefit for the public holiday you missed. Your employer can also choose to regard you as not on sick leave on the public holiday and pay you as normal for the public holiday. If this is the case, the public holiday is not counted as a sick leave day.

You are a part-time worker

If you are on sick leave during a public holiday, you are entitled to benefit for the public holiday once you worked for your employer for at least 40 hours in the previous five-week period.  There are exceptions to every rule; you are not entitled to pay or time off for the public holiday if you are on sick leave immediately before the public holiday, and either of the following apply:

• You have been off work for more than 26 weeks due to an ordinary illness or an accident
• You have been off work for more than 52 weeks due to an occupational accident.

If you are on maternity, adoptive, paternity, parent’s, parental leave or domestic violence leave

You are entitled to leave for any public holidays that occur while you are on maternity leave, parental leave, paternity leave, adoptive leave, parent’s leave or domestic violence leave.  However, you are not entitled to public holiday benefits if you were absent from work immediately before the public holiday and your absence is:

• Over 13 weeks, due to lay off or some other reason and authorised by your employer
• Due to a strike
• After the first 13 weeks of carer’s leave

If you are on lay-off, short-time work, or lose your job

During lay off or short-time working, you still are employed by your employer and your contract of employment remains in force. This means that you are entitled to benefit for any public holidays that occur during the first 13 weeks of lay off.  Part-time employees must have worked at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks before the public holiday.

If you lose your job

If your employment finishes during the week, ending on the day before a public holiday, and you have worked for your employer for the previous 4 weeks, you should get an additional day’s pay for the public holiday. This also applies to part-time employees who have worked at least 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks.

I am not getting my public holiday entitlements

If you are not getting your public holiday entitlement, you should discuss this with your employer.

You can also complain to the WRC under the Organisation of Working Time Act. You must make your complaint using the WRC’s online complaint form within 6 months of the dispute or complaint occurring.  If you would like to discuss your concerns or options in relation to this, CIS staff will be happy to help.

For more information on this topic or in relation to another issue, please contact your local Citizens Information Centre.   

Further information on this and other topics is available from Cork City Centre CIC in Cornmarket Street, open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.45am to 12.30pm and Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6950 (Lines open Mon-Fri 10am-4.30pm).  Blackpool CIC is also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays  from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6890 while Hollyhill CIC is open Mondays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel: 0818 07 6850.

Information is also available from the Citizens Information Phone Service Tel: 0818 07 4000 (9am – 8pm, Mon – Fri) or online at www.citizensinformation.ie