Accepting a shift that falls on a public holiday is not just a question of one day's pay. What you're owed depends on where you work, the instrument that covers your job, and whether that day has been swapped for another one. Getting those three things right before you say yes is far easier than trying to sort out an underpayment afterwards.
This guide is built to stay useful. Public holiday dates move, and some are declared or observed differently from one year or jurisdiction to the next, so the point here is not to hand you a list that expires. It is to show you which checks to run, in what order, and where each answer officially comes from.
Start with the state or territory, not the calendar
Fact: The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a full list of public holidays for each state and territory, and points to that list in its public holidays fact sheet.
In practice: "Public holiday" is not a single national list. The day you're being asked to work may be a public holiday in one state and an ordinary working day across the border, and some holidays are observed on a different date than the date they commemorate. If you work across state lines, are employed in one state but rostered in another, or are comparing a new job to an old one, the location of the work is the starting point rather than the date on the calendar.
Verify: Which state or territory list applies to your workplace, and whether the specific date on the roster appears on that list for this year.
The minimum the National Employment Standards set
Fact: According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, full-time and part-time employees are entitled to be paid their base pay rate for their ordinary hours if they are absent from work because of a public holiday. This sits under the National Employment Standards.
In practice: This is the floor, not the whole picture. It describes what happens when a full-time or part-time employee is away from work because of the public holiday — the entitlement is to base pay for ordinary hours. It does not describe any additional amounts that may apply when you actually work the day, and it does not describe the position for casual employees, whose hours are not guaranteed in the same way.
Verify: Whether your hours on that day count as ordinary hours, and what your award, registered agreement or employment terms say about casual employees working or not working on a public holiday.
Awards and registered agreements can add their own terms
Fact: The Fair Work Ombudsman notes that public holidays interact with awards and registered agreements, and that an award or registered agreement may include provisions allowing an employer and an employee to agree to substitute a public holiday for another day.
In practice: Treat your entitlements as two layers. The National Employment Standards are the base layer. Above that sits whatever your award or registered agreement says about public holiday work, penalty arrangements, minimum engagement, time off and substitution. The second layer is where most shift-by-shift surprises come from, and it is also the layer most easily missed, because it varies between industries, employers and roles.
If you don't know which instrument covers you, that's the single most valuable thing to find out before you accept the shift. Ask your employer directly, and check any documentation you were given when you started.
Verify: The name of the award or registered agreement that covers your role, and the clauses in it dealing with public holidays.
Substitution: the detail that catches people out
Fact: Substitution is possible where an award or registered agreement includes provisions for it, and it requires agreement between the employer and the employee.
In practice: If a public holiday has been substituted for another day, the "public holiday" for your purposes may not be the date you assumed. That changes which shift attracts which treatment, and it can affect a day you had planned around. This is the check most worth doing in writing: a verbal arrangement made in passing is hard to reconstruct later, particularly if the roster changes or a manager moves on.
Verify: Whether any day has been substituted at your workplace, which day replaced which, and whether you actually agreed to it.
Checklist before you accept the shift
| Check | What you're confirming | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| State or territory list | The date is a public holiday where you work | Fair Work Ombudsman public holidays list for your state or territory |
| Employment type | Whether you are full-time, part-time or casual, and what follows from that | Your contract or letter of engagement |
| Covering instrument | Which award or registered agreement applies | Your employer; your onboarding documents |
| Substitution | Whether the holiday has been swapped for another day | Your employer, in writing |
| Ordinary hours | Whether the rostered hours are ordinary hours for you | Your roster and the award or agreement |
| Records | That the shift and any agreement are documented | Your own notes or messages |
Questions worth asking before you say yes
- Which state or territory public holiday list applies to this workplace?
- Which award or registered agreement covers this role, and where can I read it?
- Has any public holiday been substituted for another day this year?
- Are these hours ordinary hours for me, and how is that decided?
- What will this shift be paid at, and how does that compare with not working?
- If I'm rostered off on the public holiday, what does that mean for my pay?
Ask these in an email or message rather than only in person. Written answers are easier to rely on later, and a clear question usually produces a clear answer.
Why these checks hold up year after year
Public holiday dates shift between years, and individual days are sometimes observed on a date that isn't the one you'd expect. Anything you memorised last year, or a list someone screenshotted, can be wrong this year. The checks above don't depend on a particular date: identify the right jurisdiction, identify the right instrument, confirm whether substitution has happened, then confirm the treatment of the specific hours. Run them each time you're offered a public holiday shift, and again whenever you change employer, state or role.
If something doesn't line up — a roster that treats a listed public holiday as an ordinary day, a substitution you don't recall agreeing to, or pay that doesn't match what your award or agreement provides — raise it early with your employer and keep a record of what was said. Unresolved questions can be taken to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Next steps
- Look up the public holiday list for the state or territory where you work on the Fair Work Ombudsman site.
- Find out the name of the award or registered agreement covering your role, and read the public holiday clauses.
- Confirm in writing whether any day has been substituted, and whether you have agreed to that substitution.
- Note the hours you're offered and whether they are ordinary hours for you.
- Keep your roster, any written agreement and your payslips together.
General information only
This article is general information about Australian workplace entitlements, not legal, tax or financial advice, and not a substitute for advice on your own circumstances. Entitlements depend on your employment type, your award or registered agreement and the state or territory where you work. Amounts, dates and arrangements change over time, so confirm current details with the Fair Work Ombudsman or your employer before relying on them. Australian Today is not a regulator, a government body, an employer or a legal service, and nothing here creates an employment or advisory relationship.