People Management

Keeping track of public holidays is an important part of managing manpower planning and payroll in Singapore because it lets you prepare for busy periods and adjust your staffing needs as required. You can also plan company-wide schedules more effectively. Need a quick list? We’ve gathered the full list of Singapore’s public holidays for 2026 — along with upcoming long weekends — so that you can align leave policies with shift planning. Singapore public holidays in 2026 Date Day Public holiday Notes 01-Jan-26 Thursday New Year’s Day Start of the new year; you and your employees can enjoy a 4-day break by taking Friday, 2 Jan, off. 17-Feb-26 Tuesday Chinese New Year First day of Chinese New Year. 18-Feb-26 Wednesday Chinese New Year Second day of Chinese New Year. 21-Mar-26 Saturday Hari Raya Puasa Muslim festival. The final date depends on moon-sighting confirmation. 03-Apr-26 Friday Good Friday Creates a 3-day long weekend (Friday to Sunday). 01-May-26 Friday Labour Day 3-day long weekend (Friday to Sun). 27-May-26 Wednesday Hari Raya Haji Muslim festival. The date may change depending on moon-sighting. 31-May-26 Sunday Vesak Day The following Monday is a public holiday. 01-Jun-26 Monday Vesak Day Holiday In-lieu holiday for Vesak Day falling on a Sunday; results in a 3-day long weekend (Saturday to Monday). 09-Aug-26 Sunday National Day The following Monday is a public holiday. 10-Aug-26 Monday National Day Holiday In-lieu holiday; 3-day long weekend (Saturday to Monday). 08-Nov-26 Sunday Deepavali The following Monday is a public holiday. 09-Nov-26 Monday Deepavali Holiday In-lieu holiday; 3-day long weekend (Saturday to Monday). 25-Dec-26 Friday Christmas Day 3-day long weekend (Friday to Sunday). What are the long weekends in Singapore in 2026? Good Friday – 3 to 5 April 2026 (Friday to Sunday) Labour Day – 1 to 3 May 2026 (Friday to Sunday) Vesak Day – 30 May to 1 June 2026 (Saturday to Monday, with Monday as an in-lieu holiday) National Day – 8 to 10 August 2026 (Saturday to Monday, with Monday as an in-lieu holiday) Deepavali – 7 to 9 November 2026 (Saturday to Monday, with Monday as an in-lieu holiday) Christmas Day – 25 to 27 December 2026 (Friday to Sunday) Employer and payroll notes (MOM-aligned) Keep these key points in mind when managing staffing and payroll in Singapore: Employees covered under the Employment Act are entitled to 11 paid public holidays each year. If an employee works on a public holiday, you must either: – Pay one additional day of basic salary on top of their regular pay, or – Grant time off in lieu, especially for managers, executives, and higher-earning staff (if mutually agreed). When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday. This affects in-lieu days — such as National Day and Deepavali in 2026 — and should be factored into scheduling. These rules impact: Monthly payroll cut-off dates Overtime and public holiday pay calculations Shift planning and business operating hours What are my employees entitled to if they work on a public holiday? When your employees are protected by the Employment Act, and they work on a public holiday, you need to provide them with: Their gross pay for the day, and One extra day of basic pay, or time off in lieu if both parties agree (commonly applied to managers, executives, and higher-earning staff) Manage holidays with ease Singapore’s 2026 public holiday calendar is confirmed, so you must ensure that your HR and payroll processes are aligned. Instead of updating calendars manually or calculating public holiday pay on your own, you can automate everything with Adaptive Pay. With our all-in-one cloud HRMS, you can sync leave and attendance with your payroll processes in Singapore seamlessly, keeping your organisation accurate and compliant. Sign up for a demo today to experience how our platform can help ease your organisation’s HR woes.

Singapore’s retirement age is rising to 64 — and re-employment age to 69 — starting July of next year. You will need a comprehensive HR software in Singapore that lets you track eligibility and manage transitions properly. Why is Singapore increasing its retirement age? Singapore is progressively raising both the retirement age and re-employment age to support longer life expectancies. Here’s are the changes you need to note: Date Retirement age Re-employment age Current (since July 2022) 63 68 Starting 1 July 2026 64 (born on or after 1 July 1963) 69 (born after 1 July 1958) By 2030 65 70 These adjustments help your organisation keep experienced employees longer and improve financial stability for seniors. Using HR software in Singapore will make it easier to ensure fair pay and compensation for everyone. Retirement and re-employment framework from MOM To comply with MOM guidelines, your HR teams must understand how retirement age differs from the re-employment age, and how each affects workforce management. The retirement age is the earliest point at which you may end employment based solely on age. You’re not allowed to dismiss an employee for age-related reasons before they reach this statutory minimum. Meanwhile, the re-employment age sets the upper limit for how long eligible employees can continue working if they wish to do so. Employers must offer re-employment to those who meet MOM’s criteria — including satisfactory performance, medical fitness, and at least three years of service — allowing them to stay on beyond the retirement age, up to the re-employment ceiling. Senior Employment Credit (SEC) Through the Senior Employment Credit, you can get support that offsets wages when you hire or retain older Singaporean workers. The support is greater when your employees are in older age groups, allowing your business to adapt to the rising retirement and re-employment ages. SEC eligibility You may qualify for SEC payouts (for wages from 2023 to 2026) if you hire: Singapore Citizens aged 60 and above Employees for whom mandatory CPF contributions are made on time Employees earning below S$4,000 per month For wages paid between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2026, you can receive up to 7% wage offsets depending on the employee’s age and salary. The 2025 Budget extends SEC support into 2026, and you’ll need to adjust your payroll settings accordingly. Employees turning 69 in 2026 now qualify for the highest support tier (up from 68 last year). Does retirement age affect CPF contributions? CPF contribution rates are based on age bands and not the statutory retirement age. However, you need to consider both when managing older employees. If someone remains employed past the retirement age, you must apply the CPF rate that matches their age group — including reduced rates for employees above 55, 60, 65, and 70 — to remain compliant. What happens to CPF at age 55? Turning 55 is a key milestone for CPF members. At this point, CPF restructures savings to prepare for retirement and opens up limited withdrawal options. Once your employee turns 55, CPF automatically sets up a Retirement Account (RA) and begins moving savings into it. Funds from the Special Account (SA) and/or Ordinary Account (OA) are transferred into the RA, up to the Full Retirement Sum (FRS). The RA earns the same long-term interest rate that previously applied to the SA. Employees can start withdrawing some of their CPF savings from age 55, depending on how much savings they’ve built up. Between ages 55 and 65, any new CPF contributions go into the RA until the FRS is fully met. After that, contributions are directed to the OA, which the employee can access for withdrawals. If FRS is not met, employees may still withdraw up to S$5,000 from their OA. Any remaining balance stays in the RA to support retirement payouts. The Enhanced Retirement Sum has been raised to twice the FRS in January 2025. Employees aged 55 and above can now top up more voluntarily to increase future payouts. CPF contribution rate changes after 55 Once employees turn 55, CPF contribution rates are gradually reduced. Contributions are split between the RA, MediSave Account (MA), and OA according to CPF’s age-based tiering system. Accurate tracking is essential to avoid underpayment or compliance errors. Streamline retirement management in your organisation Rising retirement and re-employment ages combined with regular CPF updates can place a significant compliance load on your HR teams. Adaptive Pay helps reduce this burden by providing a reliable HR software solution for your Singapore business. Our all-in-one cloud HRMS is continuously updated to reflect MOM and CPF changes, making payroll management for senior employees more accurate and stress-free. Contact us for a demo and discover how our HR software in Singapore can support your organisation.

Any organisation, no matter where in the world, is bound to encounter uncertainty – be it a global health crisis, economic crisis, or natural calamity. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt businesses, employees will also feel the looming insecurity brought about by the instability their company faces. As managers, you may hear questions from your employees such as: “Is my job secure?” “What will happen to my benefits?” “Is the company stable enough to continue its operations this year?” “What if I get laid off?” These uncertainties may result in employee disengagement, which is a problem as the last thing businesses want is key players to lose their motivation during difficult times. In fact, the opposite is true — businesses need their employees’ commitment more than ever so that the business can keep operating. To avoid these, it is important that managers and HR leaders be at the frontline to reassure as well as motivate employees. How exactly can you encourage and strengthen your team’s morale? Below are some recommendations to boost optimism and focus during these trying times. Be Open and Transparent with Communication As a leader, this should be a matter of great importance. Do not keep your employees in the dark. Be transparent with them on any updates as it helps build trust and respect, for both you and for the organisation itself. This doesn’t mean you have to tell them every single thing about your organisation’s situation. Instead, share what you can and explain why you can’t share other details. Explain how the situation will impact the business, what changes are to be expected, what plans are put in place to adapt to the changing times, and how it will impact them as an employee altogether. It is important to cover the points your employees are most concerned about. You should also be sure to reach out and communicate often. You can do this by sending your team emails letting them know you understand how stressful the situation is, and that the business is ready to offer support. It is also helpful to have one-on-one check-ins with employees to discuss their most pressing issues and how you, as a manager, can help. If there’s a concern you’re not able to address, it’s certainly okay to admit that you don’t know everything, or what the future might hold. But keeping your doors open for your employees shows that you value them enough to keep them updated, and are available to speak with them whenever necessary. Most importantly, don’t communicate with a message of “this is how we’re going to survive this” but more on the message of “here’s what we’re going to do as a team to come out strong”. Empower and Motivate Employees As you determine steps you and your team will take to overcome these challenges, it is important to circle back to your team’s baseline goals. Not only will these drive your business decisions as a team, it helps your team to have a clear direction in mind as well. When goals are aligned, the team is more likely to achieve success, which increases employee morale and job satisfaction. Moreover, know that your words are powerful. You can empower your team by making them feel that their efforts matter, most especially during this time. When employees feel that they are doing something bigger than themselves, they will continue to stay motivated, productive, and efficient! So find reasons to celebrate, it doesn’t matter how big or small the achievement is. You can also reward good work and challenge them to be innovative. Make sure that the recognition is visible across team members or your organisation. Another way to empower them is by allowing them to have flexible work schedules. It’s okay to discontinue methods or policies like working 9-5 or they do not really work during the pandemic. This will give your employees more control over their own schedules. Being able to create their own work-life balance makes employees happier, ultimately boosting their productivity at work. Just be sure to acquire a tool that allows employees to perform tasks remotely. For example, Adaptive Pay has online modules for leave application or claims submissions. This allows your employees to submit the necessary requests from wherever they are, without having to go into the office! Leverage on Technology Many companies have created work-from-home policies and implemented systems or softwares to help their employees work remotely. Thus, it is imperative to use tech tools to help maintain productivity, engagement, and compliance. According to a study, a mobile-first strategy saw a boost in employee engagement, specifically in productivity, creativity, and loyalty. Having a mobile-first mindset will ensure that you are addressing the needs of your employees as they work remotely. This includes ensuring that employees are equipped with the right tools and information outside of the office. It also allows for 1-on-1 check-ins digitally. If you’re not sure how to digitise your business processes, start with HR tasks that every employee needs. Adaptive Pay provides a fully integrated HR workflow, so your team can approve leaves and claims easily, do payroll processing faster, and track attendance online! Contact us for a free demo today!