Leave HackerJoin the betaACT public holidays 2026
The ACT has 15 public holidays in 2026, 11 of them on weekdays. The best value is Easter: book 1 day and get 5 days off in a row. For a proper break, Christmas is the one: book 3 days, get 10 off.
All 15 public holidays in 2026
| Date | Day | Public holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| 26 January | Monday | Australia Day |
| 9 March | Monday | Canberra Day |
| 3 April | Friday | Good Friday |
| 4 April | Saturday | Easter Saturday - the day after Good Friday |
| 5 April | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 6 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 25 April | Saturday | ANZAC Day |
| 27 April | Monday | ANZAC Day (additional day) |
| 1 June | Monday | Reconciliation Day |
| 8 June | Monday | King's Birthday |
| 5 October | Monday | Labour Day |
| 25 December | Friday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Saturday | Boxing Day |
| 28 December | Monday | Boxing Day (additional day) |
When a holiday falls at a weekend, the ACT has extra or moved days: ANZAC Day (additional day) on Monday 27 April and Boxing Day (additional day) on Monday 28 December.
The bank holiday on the first Monday in August doesn't apply to everyone, so it isn't listed.
The days to book around each public holiday
Each break below runs from the first day off to the last, weekends included. Only days of leave that buy at least two days off each are listed.
New Year's Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 2 Jan | 1 to 4 Jan |
| 2 | 5 | Fri 2 Jan and Mon 5 Jan | 1 to 5 Jan |
| 3 | 6 | Fri 2 Jan and Mon 5 to Tue 6 Jan | 1 to 6 Jan |
Australia Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
Australia Day on Monday 26 January.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 23 Jan | 23 to 26 Jan |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 22 to Fri 23 Jan | 22 to 26 Jan |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 21 to Fri 23 Jan | 21 to 26 Jan |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 27 to Fri 30 Jan | 24 Jan to 1 Feb |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 19 to Fri 23 Jan | 17 to 26 Jan |
Canberra Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
Canberra Day on Monday 9 March.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 6 Mar | 6 to 9 Mar |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 5 to Fri 6 Mar | 5 to 9 Mar |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 4 to Fri 6 Mar | 4 to 9 Mar |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 10 to Fri 13 Mar | 7 to 15 Mar |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 2 to Fri 6 Mar | 28 Feb to 9 Mar |
Easter: book 1 day, get 5 off
Good Friday on Friday 3 April, Easter Saturday - the day after Good Friday on Saturday 4 April, Easter Sunday on Sunday 5 April and Easter Monday on Monday 6 April.
Book 1 day, get 5 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Thu 2 Apr | 2 to 6 Apr |
| 2 | 6 | Wed 1 to Thu 2 Apr | 1 to 6 Apr |
| 3 | 7 | Tue 31 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 31 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 4 | 10 | Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 28 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 5 | 11 | Fri 27 Mar and Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 27 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 6 | 12 | Thu 26 to Fri 27 Mar and Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr | 26 Mar to 6 Apr |
| 8 | 16 | Mon 30 Mar to Thu 2 Apr and Tue 7 to Fri 10 Apr | 28 Mar to 12 Apr |
ANZAC Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
ANZAC Day on Saturday 25 April and ANZAC Day (additional day) on Monday 27 April.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 24 Apr | 24 to 27 Apr |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 23 to Fri 24 Apr | 23 to 27 Apr |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 22 to Fri 24 Apr | 22 to 27 Apr |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 28 Apr to Fri 1 May | 25 Apr to 3 May |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 20 to Fri 24 Apr | 18 to 27 Apr |
Reconciliation Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
Reconciliation Day on Monday 1 June and King's Birthday on Monday 8 June.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 29 May | 29 May to 1 Jun |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 28 to Fri 29 May | 28 May to 1 Jun |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 27 to Fri 29 May | 27 May to 1 Jun |
| 4 | 10 | Tue 2 to Fri 5 Jun | 30 May to 8 Jun |
| 5 | 11 | Fri 29 May and Tue 2 to Fri 5 Jun | 29 May to 8 Jun |
| 6 | 12 | Thu 28 to Fri 29 May and Tue 2 to Fri 5 Jun | 28 May to 8 Jun |
| 8 | 16 | Tue 2 to Fri 5 Jun and Tue 9 to Fri 12 Jun | 30 May to 14 Jun |
Labour Day: book 1 day, get 4 off
Labour Day on Monday 5 October.
Book 1 day, get 4 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Fri 2 Oct | 2 to 5 Oct |
| 2 | 5 | Thu 1 to Fri 2 Oct | 1 to 5 Oct |
| 3 | 6 | Wed 30 Sep to Fri 2 Oct | 30 Sep to 5 Oct |
| 4 | 9 | Tue 6 to Fri 9 Oct | 3 to 11 Oct |
| 5 | 10 | Mon 28 Sep to Fri 2 Oct | 26 Sep to 5 Oct |
Christmas: book 1 day, get 5 off
Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December and Boxing Day (additional day) on Monday 28 December.
Book 1 day, get 5 off
| Days of leave | Days off | Days to book | Off from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Thu 24 Dec | 24 to 28 Dec |
| 2 | 6 | Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec | 23 to 28 Dec |
| 3 | 10 | Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 25 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 4 | 11 | Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 24 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 5 | 12 | Wed 23 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 23 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 6 | 13 | Tue 22 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 22 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 7 | 16 | Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 19 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 8 | 17 | Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 18 Dec to 3 Jan |
| 9 | 18 | Thu 17 to Fri 18 Dec, Mon 21 to Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec | 17 Dec to 3 Jan |
Your whole 2026 with four weeks' leave
Full-time workers get four weeks of paid annual leave under the National Employment Standards: 20 days for a five-day week. Planned around the ACT's public holidays, that's 58 days off across 11 breaks.
- Thu 1 Jan to Sun 4 Jan: 4 days off for 1 day
- Fri 23 Jan to Mon 26 Jan: 4 days off for 1 day
- Thu 12 Feb to Sun 15 Feb: 4 days off for 2 days
- Fri 6 Mar to Mon 9 Mar: 4 days off for 1 day
- Thu 2 Apr to Mon 6 Apr: 5 days off for 1 day
- Fri 24 Apr to Mon 27 Apr: 4 days off for 1 day
- Sat 30 May to Mon 8 Jun: 10 days off for 4 days
- Thu 25 Jun to Sun 28 Jun: 4 days off for 2 days
- Thu 16 Jul to Sun 19 Jul: 4 days off for 2 days
- Fri 2 Oct to Mon 5 Oct: 4 days off for 1 day
- Thu 24 Dec to Sun 3 Jan: 11 days off for 4 days
Questions
How many public holidays are there in ACT in 2026?
15: New Year's Day (Thu 1 Jan), Australia Day (Mon 26 Jan), Canberra Day (Mon 9 Mar), Good Friday (Fri 3 Apr), Easter Saturday - the day after Good Friday (Sat 4 Apr), Easter Sunday (Sun 5 Apr), Easter Monday (Mon 6 Apr), ANZAC Day (Sat 25 Apr), ANZAC Day (additional day) (Mon 27 Apr), Reconciliation Day (Mon 1 Jun), King's Birthday (Mon 8 Jun), Labour Day (Mon 5 Oct), Christmas Day (Fri 25 Dec), Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec) and Boxing Day (additional day) (Mon 28 Dec).
How do I get the most days off in 2026 in ACT?
Book the working days between a public holiday and a weekend. The best value is Easter: book Thu 2 Apr for 5 days off. The best long break is Christmas: book 3 days (Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec) for 10 days off.
Is a public holiday during my annual leave taken out of my leave?
No. Under the National Employment Standards a public holiday that falls during paid annual leave isn't counted as annual leave, so ten days off that include a Monday public holiday use nine days of leave. Fair Work Ombudsman.
Where the dates come from
Every date was checked by hand against these official pages on 26 October 2026. Holidays are never worked out from rules here.