China Releases Official 2026 Public Holiday Schedule

Reading time: 5 minutesChina Releases Official 2026 Pu

Reading time: 5 minutes

China Releases Official 2026 Public Holiday Schedule

China has released its 2026 public holiday schedule. In 2026, all employees in China will be entitled to a total of 13 days off, when adjusted for weekends and additional weekend work days. According to the official notice, the Spring Festival holiday will last nine days, making it the longest in history, while the Labor Day holiday will last five days and the National Day holiday seven days.

11月25日，国务院办公厅发布了关于2026年部分节假日安排的通知。和往年一样，2026年节假日依旧为11天，与周末调休后，共13天。其中，春节休9天，为史上最长春节假期，劳动节休5天，国庆节休7天。

Qian Zhou

Manager, China Briefing

Shanghai Office

Arendse Huld

Associate Editor

Shanghai Office

On November 4, 20205, the General Office of the State Council released the official public holiday calendar for 2026.

The first holiday of the year will be New Year's Day, observed from Thursday, January 1, 2026, to Saturday, January 3, 2026. The following day, Sunday, January 4, 2026, will be a work day.

This year will feature the longest Spring Festival holiday in history, lasting a total of nine days starting mid-February.

When accounting for weekends and adjusted work days, employees in China will be entitled to a total of 13 days off in 2026, the same number as in 2025 and two additional days compared to 2024.

The 2026 public holiday schedule largely follows the same structure as in 2025.

In general, if a one-day public holiday falls on a Wednesday, only that day will be a day off. If a one-day public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, either Monday or Friday will be given as a day off to bridge the holiday with the weekend, and an additional workday will be added on either a Saturday or Sunday. If the holiday falls on a weekend, a day will be given on either the preceding Friday or the following Monday. If the holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, no additional days off or work days will be given.

Additionally, if the National Day holiday (which starts on October 1 each year) coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival (which changes each year based on the lunar calendar), the holidays will be combined for a total of eight days off.

This year, no one-day public holiday falls on a Wednesday, meaning all holidays last at least three days, while the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays are separate. 

Here are the key updates:

• The Spring Festival holiday will last nine days in total, making it the longest in history, starting from Lunar New Year's Eve as is customary.

• The Labor Day holiday will last five days as in 2025. 

• The National Day holiday will last seven days from October 1, with the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday taking place before. The first adjusted work day for the National Day holiday will take place before the start of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

• The New Year's Day, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays will each last three days.

As is customary, China's 2026 public holiday schedule will feature two major week-long breaks: Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year) and the National Day holiday (often called "Golden Week").

Foreign human resource managers should note that Saturdays and Sundays are often marked as additional official work days in China to compensate for long holiday breaks. For example, February 14 (Saturday) and February 28 (Saturday) are designated as workdays to partially offset the nine days off for Spring Festival.

Private companies in China, however, have the right to determine their own schedules – that is, provide employees with additional days off – so long as the official holiday calendar is maintained.

China 2026 public holiday schedule: Official calendar

New Year's Day:

• January 1 to January 3, 2026 (three rest days, in connection with the weekend)

• Adjusted working days: January 4, 2026 (Sunday)

Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)

• February 15 to February 23, 2026 (nine rest days in total)

• Adjusted working days: February 14, 2026 (Saturday) and February 28, 2026 (Saturday)

Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qing Ming Festival)

• April 4 to April 6, 2026 (three rest days in total, in connection with the weekend)

Labor Day

• May 1 to May 5, 2026 (five rest days in total)

• Adjusted working days: May 9, 2026 (Saturday)

Dragon Boat Festival

• June 19 to June 21, 2026 (three rest days in total, in connection with the weekend)

Mid-Autumn Festival 

• September 25 to September 29, 2026 (three rest days, in connection with the weekend)

National Day

• October 1 to October 7, 2026 (seven rest days in total)

• Adjusted working days: September 20, 2026 (Sunday) and October 10, 2026 (Saturday)

Overtime payment for hours worked on a holiday

Depending on the type of rest days and the working hour system implemented, overtime payment rates differ:

• Under the standard working hour system, for work on an official public holiday, not less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid; for work on an adjusted rest day, and where such rest days cannot be postponed and taken at another time, not less than 200 percent of the normal wage shall be paid.

• Under the comprehensive working hour system, for work performed on public holidays, not less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid. However, no rest day is outlined under this system, so that for work performed on those adjusted working days and weekends, no overtime payments are available.

• Under the non-fixed work hour system, there are differences in overtime regulations across different regions. For instance, in Beijing, employees under the non-fixed work hour system are not entitled to overtime pay for hours worked on public holidays. However, in Shanghai, these hours are considered overtime, and employers are required to pay compensation of up to 300 percent of the normal wage.

• For adjusted working days on weekends, no overtime payment is due.