China Public Holidays 2026: Pay Rules & Compliance

If you hire in China, public holidays affect more than time off. They shape staffing plans, approval workflows, attendance tracking, payroll timing, and premium-pay calculations.

China has a set of statutory public holidays each year, plus longer holiday breaks created by shifting certain weekends into official workdays. Under the 2026 holiday schedule issued by the State Council, statutory holidays are paid days off. If someone works on a statutory holiday, you generally owe premium pay.

Public holidays in China for 2026

Some things to note:

• Observed days off can include weekend days that are folded into the official break.
• Official make-up working days are treated as normal scheduled workdays for attendance and payroll.
• Dates can shift year to year, especially for lunar-calendar holidays such as Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival.

Make-up days

China sometimes designates a Saturday or Sunday as an official workday so employees can get a longer continuous break around a holiday. That is how a holiday period can stretch across several days even though the underlying number of statutory holiday days stays limited.

For payroll, the day type matters the most. A statutory holiday is still a statutory holiday. A make-up Saturday is a scheduled workday. A normal Sunday that is not part of the official holiday adjustment is usually a rest day under the employee’s regular schedule.

That distinction matters for time tracking, manager approvals, and payroll coding. Your HRIS and payroll system should clearly label statutory holidays, observed break days, make-up working days, and regular rest days so payroll does not default to the wrong premium.

Paid time off rules for public holidays in China

The baseline rule is straightforward. Employees should receive normal wages for statutory public holidays even when they do not work. That is consistent with China’s labor law framework on wages during legal holidays and premium pay for holiday work.

Your policy can always be more generous than the legal minimum. It cannot be less protective.

This is where internal policy still matters. If your team includes shift workers, support teams, part-time staff, or nonstandard working patterns, you need a clear written approach that fits how those employees are actually scheduled. It should spell out what counts as a statutory holiday, a rest day, a substitute rest day, and a normal workday under your model.

If you are comparing leave policies across markets, Pebl’s guide to paid vacation days by country can help you benchmark how public holidays and annual leave fit together globally.

Premium pay for statutory holiday work in China

There are a number of different premiums depending on the situation.

Statutory holiday work and the 300% rule

If an employee works on a statutory holiday, you typically owe at least 300% of the employee’s normal wage for that day.

For example, if someone works on October 1, which is one of the statutory National Day holiday dates, you generally owe statutory holiday premium pay for that day. Time off later does not replace the 300% premium requirement for statutory holiday work.

Rest day work and substitute time off

If an employee works on a rest day, the usual rule is different. You may provide a substitute rest day. If you cannot, rest-day premium pay usually applies.

For example, If an employee works on a regular Sunday that is not an official make-up workday, you may be able to arrange another day off instead. If you do not provide that substitute day, the rest-day premium rule usually applies.

Normal workday overtime and the 150% rule

If an employee works beyond standard hours on a normal scheduled workday, the usual overtime rate is typically 150% of the normal wage.

Example: If your payroll team stays late on a regular Tuesday to close payroll, those extra hours are generally treated as normal workday overtime rather than holiday work.

Make-up working days are not automatic weekend overtime

Official make-up working days should be treated as scheduled workdays first, not as weekend overtime by default.

Example: If your employee works on Saturday, May 9, 2026, that date is part of the official Labour Day adjustment calendar. You would usually treat it as a normal scheduled workday first. Overtime rules then apply only if the employee works beyond the normal limits for that day.

The core overtime rates are 150% for extended hours on normal workdays, 200% for rest days without substitute leave, and 300% for statutory holidays.

Holiday pay tips

A few practical rules help keep payroll clean.

• Use the employee’s normal wage as the basis for the multiplier.
• Calculate by hour or by day based on the rule that applies, your payroll setup, and the employee’s working hours system.
• Check the employment contract, local practice, and approved working hours arrangement before you finalize the premium.
• Make sure payroll and timekeeping code the day correctly before you apply any multiplier.

Do not assume a single formula fits every employee in China. The answer can depend on whether the employee is on a standard working-hours system or another approved arrangement.

China holiday payroll compliance checklist for HR and finance

Holidays can be easy to handle if you have a good system.

• Confirm the official holiday notice for the year and publish an internal calendar early.
• Separate statutory holidays, observed break days, and adjusted workdays in your HRIS and payroll system.
• Set clear approval rules for holiday work, rest-day work, and substitute rest days.
• Document how premium pay is calculated and keep supporting records.
• Align payroll cutoffs so holiday premiums land in the correct pay period.
• Check whether holiday weeks affect bank processing, approvals, or funding timelines.

Common China payroll scenarios during holiday periods

Here are a few real-world examples and how to handle them:

• The employee works one day during Spring Festival. If that day is one of the statutory holiday dates, statutory holiday premium pay generally applies. If it falls inside the observed break but is not a statutory holiday, the answer depends on whether it is a rest day or a make-up working day.
• Employee works on National Day. If they work on October 1, 2, or 3, you generally treat that as statutory holiday work and apply the holiday premium.
• Employee works on a make-up Saturday. Treat it as a scheduled workday first, not automatic weekend overtime.
• Employee works on a Sunday that is not a make-up day. Treat it as rest-day work, then decide whether you will provide a substitute day off or pay the applicable rest-day premium.

How an Employer of Record (EOR) can help

Holiday weeks in China can affect onboarding timing, payroll approvals, handoffs with local vendors, and employee availability. They can also create mismatches between headquarters expectations and local operating reality.

That becomes especially important when your HQ sits outside China. Your finance team may assume a Saturday is a rest day when it is actually a scheduled make-up workday. Or your local team may be in an official holiday period while headquarters expects contract signatures, onboarding steps, or payroll approvals to keep moving.

To get expert local support and simplify the process, many businesses turn to a trusted employer of record.

An employer of record is a third party that legally employs your team member in China on your behalf. This allows you to hire without establishing a local entity, avoiding the hidden costs of entity establishment.

The EOR handles salary offers, employment contracts, payroll, tax withholding, statutory benefits, and all ongoing compliance. You manage the day-to-day work normally while the EOR takes care of just about everything else.

For employers testing the market or those who need to scale quickly, an EOR is usually the right choice. You get to reduce risk, move faster, and know all local laws and regulations will be followed.

Pebl perfects payroll in China

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve got your sights set on China. Maybe you’ve even found the perfect talent. There’s a lot that needs to be taken care of before you can start hiring—researching taxes, finding experts in local labor law, finding a payroll processor, and more. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be great if there were an easier way?

With Pebl, there is.

Our EOR platform allows you to hire, pay, and manage employees in 185+ countries around the world without setting up your own local entity. That means your new talent starts in days, not months. We handle it all: onboarding, benefits, salary benchmarking, payroll, and compliance with all local regulations. Every public holiday, overtime or double time pay the law requires, we make sure it happens. All you have to do is stay focused on leading your team.

When you’re ready to do things the easy way, let us know.

This information does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal or tax advice and is for general informational purposes only. The intent of this document is solely to provide general and preliminary information for private use. Do not rely on it as an alternative to legal, financial, taxation, or accountancy advice from an appropriately qualified professional. The content in this guide is provided “as is,” and no representations are made that the content is error-free.

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