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How Singapore HR Teams Can Plan Employee Leave Around the 2027 Holiday Calendar

Knowing the Singapore public holiday 2027 dates early makes it easier to plan travel, family time and team coverage. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced the 2027 public holidays on 18 June 2026, confirming 11 gazetted public holidays.

For employees, that is a head start on annual leave. For HR teams, it means earlier visibility of leave clashes, shift cover and payroll adjustments. This guide covers the full Singapore public holiday list 2027, the five long weekends, how Saturday holidays work, five leave-planning examples with exact dates, and what employers should know about public holiday pay.

Singapore Public Holiday 2027 Full List & Leave Plan

Complete Singapore Public Holiday List 2027

MOM confirms 11 Singapore gazetted public holidays for 2027. The table below follows MOM’s announcement.

HolidayDateDay
New Year’s Day1 January 2027Friday
Chinese New Year6 February 2027Saturday
Chinese New Year7 February 2027Sunday
Chinese New Year Public Holiday (in lieu)8 February 2027Monday
Hari Raya Puasa10 March 2027Wednesday
Good Friday26 March 2027Friday
Labour Day1 May 2027Saturday
Hari Raya Haji17 May 2027Monday
Vesak Day20 May 2027Thursday
National Day9 August 2027Monday
Deepavali28 October 2027Thursday
Christmas Day25 December 2027Saturday
Note: When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is treated as a public holiday.

Why the table has 12 rows but only 11 holidays: Chinese New Year’s second day falls on Sunday, 7 February, and MOM states that Monday, 8 February 2027 will be a public holiday. That Monday follows the Sunday holiday. It is not a 12th gazetted holiday. You can also view our 2027 holiday calendar for Singapore for a quick reference.

Five Long Weekends in Singapore in 2027

The examples below assume a normal Saturday–Sunday weekend. Employees who work shifts or follow other rest-day arrangements may have different schedules.

For the Chinese New Year break, the Monday public holiday on 8 February is what turns the weekend into a three-day break for employees whose rest day is Sunday.

#

Holiday

Long weekend

Days off

1

New Year’s Day

Fri 1 – Sun 3 January

3

2

Chinese New Year

Sat 6 – Mon 8 February

3

3

Good Friday

Fri 26 – Sun 28 March

3

4

Hari Raya Haji

Sat 15 – Mon 17 May

3

5

National Day

Sat 7 – Mon 9 August

3

Public Holidays Falling on Saturdays – What Employees Should Know

Three 2027 holidays land on a Saturday: Chinese New Year’s first day (6 February), Labour Day (1 May) and Christmas Day (25 December). Do not assume the following Monday becomes a public holiday for everyone. It does not.

MOM distinguishes between two kinds of days off. For an employee on a 5-day work week, Saturday is the non-working day and Sunday is the rest day. The treatment differs:

  • Public holiday on a rest day (Sunday): the next working day is a paid public holiday.
  • Public holiday on a non-working day (Saturday): employees covered by the Employment Act are entitled to another day off, or one extra day’s salary in lieu, at the gross rate of pay.

Employees not covered by the Employment Act follow the terms of their employment contract. HR teams should confirm the arrangement in the contract or company policy and communicate it before the year begins. See MOM’s overview of public holidays for more.

How to Plan Annual Leave Smartly in 2027

The trick is “bridge leave”: using annual leave on the working days between a public holiday and a weekend. These examples assume a Saturday–Sunday weekend and employer approval of the leave.

May: 3 leave days for 9 days off

Hari Raya Haji falls on Monday, 17 May and Vesak Day on Thursday, 20 May. Apply leave on 18, 19 and 21 May for a break from Saturday, 15 May to Sunday, 23 May. That is 9 consecutive days for 3 days of annual leave.

October: 1 leave day for 4 days off

Deepavali is on Thursday, 28 October. Apply leave on Friday, 29 October for a break from 28 to 31 October. That is 4 consecutive days for 1 day of annual leave.

March: 2 leave days for 5 days off

Hari Raya Puasa is on Wednesday, 10 March. Apply leave on Thursday, 11 and Friday, 12 March for a break from 10 to 14 March. That is 5 consecutive days for 2 days of annual leave.

February: 4 leave days for 9 days off

Chinese New Year runs from Saturday, 6 February to Monday, 8 February. Apply leave from Tuesday, 9 to Friday, 12 February for a break from 6 to 14 February. That is 9 consecutive days for 4 days of annual leave. The 8 February public holiday applies according to each employee’s rest-day arrangement, so check yours before booking.

August: 1 leave day for 4 days off

National Day is on Monday, 9 August. Apply leave on Tuesday, 10 August for a break from 7 to 10 August. That is 4 consecutive days for 1 day of annual leave.

If you manage a team, remember that everyone will target the same bridge days. Staggering approvals early avoids last-minute coverage gaps. A structured Singapore leave management system makes these overlaps visible before they become a problem.

What Singapore Employers and HR Teams Should Know About Public Holiday Pay

The rules below come from MOM’s public holiday entitlement and pay guidance and its 2027 announcement.

  • Entitlement: employees covered by the Employment Act are entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year. Employer and employee may mutually agree to substitute a public holiday for another working day.
  • Working on a public holiday: the employee should receive an extra day’s salary at the basic rate of pay, on top of the gross rate for that day. Overtime pay applies for hours beyond normal working hours.
  • Time off in lieu: employers may grant time off in lieu, based on a mutually agreed number of hours, to workmen earning more than $4,500 a month, non-workmen earning more than $2,600 a month, and all managers and executives.
  • Holiday pay conditions: an employee who is absent without consent or reasonable excuse on the working day immediately before or after a holiday may not be entitled to holiday pay. Approved unpaid leave on the holiday itself also means no holiday pay.

Rules differ by employee type and work arrangement, so verify edge cases with MOM before processing payroll.

How HRMS Software Helps Manage Leave and Payroll

Public holidays touch several HR processes at once: leave balances, rosters, attendance and pay. Managing these in separate spreadsheets invites errors, especially when a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday and different employees have different entitlements.

A good HRMS keeps the holiday calendar, leave requests and approvals in one place, so managers see who is off before they approve. When it connects with payroll, extra-day pay or leave adjustments can be reviewed in the same system rather than re-keyed. Payroll software in Singapore that handles CPF, IRAS and MOM requirements also reduces rework at month-end.

How Adaptive Pay Supports HR and Leave Management

Adaptive Pay is a Singapore HRMS covering employee records, leave balances and approvals, attendance and roster management, claims, payroll, CPF and IRAS submissions. For holiday planning, this lets HR teams:

  • track leave requests and balances against the 2027 calendar;
  • review attendance and shifts around public holidays;
  • keep employee data consistent through employee management software; and
  • carry leave and attendance information through to payroll.

To see how it fits your business, explore Adaptive Pay’s leave management features or speak to the team.

Conclusion

The Singapore public holiday 2027 calendar gives you five clean long weekends, three Saturday holidays that need clear handling, and several bridge-leave opportunities. Employees can stretch 3 leave days into a 9-day May break. Employers can prepare early by confirming rest-day arrangements, pay rules and leave approvals. Bookmark the official MOM announcement and plan ahead.

FAQs

1. How many public holidays are there in Singapore in 2027?
An ESS portal lets employees manage HR tasks such as leave, payslips, claims and personal details without relying on HR for every request.

2. How many long weekends are there in Singapore in 2027?
Five, for employees with a Saturday–Sunday weekend: New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Good Friday, Hari Raya Haji and National Day.

3. Does the following Monday become a public holiday when a holiday falls on Saturday?
Not automatically. For Labour Day and Christmas Day, employees covered by the Employment Act whose Saturday is a non-working day are entitled to another day off or an extra day’s salary in lieu. Others follow their employment contract.

4. What is the difference between a rest day and a non-working day?
For an employee on a 5-day week, Saturday is the non-working day and Sunday is the rest day. A holiday on a rest day moves to the next working day. A holiday on a non-working day gives a day off or salary in lieu.

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