Christmas public holiday rostering in hospitality 2026: Boxing Day and the 28 December substitute day

Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday and Boxing Day on a Saturday, which means venues in NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT get a substitute public holiday on Monday 28 December as well. If you're doing your Christmas public holiday rostering for a hospitality venue in 2026, that's three public holidays in four days, and it's worth planning the whole week as one block rather than copying a normal week across.

In NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT, the public holidays are Friday 25 December, Saturday 26 December and Monday 28 December, then Friday 1 January 2027. Under the Hospitality Award pay guide from 1 July 2026, the public holiday rate for full-time and part-time staff works out to 225% of base, and for casuals 250% of base.

I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice. Public holidays are set by each state and territory, and pay comes from your award, so confirm the details for your own venue and staff with the Fair Work Ombudsman before you finalise the roster.

Which days are public holidays over Christmas 2026?

Here's what the state and territory governments list for the four places I could confirm on their own pages.

• NSW has Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December, and an additional day for Boxing Day on Monday 28 December. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027, with no additional day. Source: NSW Government public holidays.
• Queensland has Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December, and Monday 28 December as the additional holiday because Boxing Day falls on a weekend. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January. Queensland also has a part-day public holiday on the evening of Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December. Check the exact hours on the Queensland Government public holidays page.
• Western Australia has Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December, with Monday 28 December as the substitute public holiday. New Year's Day is Friday 1 January 2027. Source: WA Government public holidays.
• The ACT lists Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, Boxing Day on Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December, and New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027. Source: ACT Government public holidays.

If your venue is in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia or the Northern Territory, check your state or territory government's public holiday page before you roster. I couldn't confirm those dates on the official pages this year, so check the same page for any part-day or local holidays too. I'd rather send you to the source than give you a date I haven't checked.

Is 28 December a public holiday as well as Boxing Day?

In NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT, yes. Saturday 26 December is Boxing Day and Monday 28 December is the extra day because Boxing Day lands on a weekend. Both are on the government lists above, so a venue trading across that weekend is rostering two public holidays, with an ordinary Sunday in between.

So don't assume the Monday replaces the Saturday, or cost Saturday at normal Saturday rates and save the holiday rate for Monday. In the four places above, both days are listed. Look at it day by day on the roster: Friday holiday, Saturday holiday, Sunday not a holiday, Monday holiday.

Christmas Day itself is on a Friday this year. The Hospitality Award pay guide has a separate column for Christmas Day falling on a Saturday or Sunday when it isn't declared a public holiday, but that situation doesn't come up in 2026.

What do I pay hospitality staff on Christmas Day and Boxing Day?

These figures come from the Fair Work Ombudsman's pay guide for the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, which applies from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. They're hourly rates for adults.

• A full-time or part-time employee at the introductory level has an ordinary hourly rate of $25.74 and a public holiday rate of $57.92.
• A full-time or part-time employee at Level 2 (food and beverage attendant grade 2) has an ordinary hourly rate of $27.08 and a public holiday rate of $60.93.
• A casual at the introductory level has a casual hourly rate of $32.18 (base plus the casual loading) and a public holiday rate of $64.35.
• A casual at Level 2 has a casual hourly rate of $33.85 and a public holiday rate of $67.70.

The guide lists dollars, not percentages. Divide the public holiday figure by the base rate and full-time and part-time works out to 225%, while casual works out to 250% of the base rate (not of the casual rate with loading already added). Other levels have their own figures in the same guide, so look up the level each person is actually classified at. The guide also says that if its information is inconsistent with the award, the award applies.

The pay guide also lists a separate public holiday column for an additional day off or annual leave. The award has provisions for this, including substituting a public holiday by agreement (clause 35.2), so check the award or ask the Fair Work Ombudsman before you rely on it.

If your venue is a restaurant or café under the Restaurant Industry Award instead, the rates and rules are in a different award with its own pay guide. My earlier post on rostering casual, part-time and full-time staff covers which award usually applies to which kind of venue.

What that looks like on a real roster

Say you run a pub in Sydney that does Christmas Day lunch, opens for Boxing Day, trades as normal on Sunday and opens again on Monday 28 December. A Level 2 casual on a 6-hour shift costs $203.10 on an ordinary Monday to Friday at the casual rate ($33.85 an hour), and $243.72 on an ordinary Saturday at the Saturday casual rate ($40.62 an hour). The same 6 hours on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Monday 28 December costs $406.20 ($67.70 an hour). Put that casual on all three holiday days and those 18 hours cost $1,218.60, against $649.92 for the same shifts on a normal Friday, Saturday and Monday.

Now scale that across a floor team, a kitchen and a bottle shop. That one casual's three shifts cost roughly $570 more than the same shifts on a normal Friday, Saturday and Monday, which is why a budget built from last December or from a normal week will come in short.

Can I roster staff on a public holiday, and can they say no?

The National Employment Standards have rules on asking staff to work a public holiday and when they can refuse. Read the Fair Work Ombudsman's guidance rather than relying on a summary from me.

In practice, the venues that have the easiest Christmas are the ones that ask early. Asking in October or early November gives staff time to tell you about family plans, and gives you time to fill gaps. It's also kinder than a message on 20 December, and if you're asking by text after hours, my post on the right to disconnect is worth a read first.

Christmas public holiday rostering in hospitality: building the week

Here's the order I'd work in.

1. Mark the holidays first. Before you place a single shift, write the public holidays for your state across the top of the week: 25, 26 and 28 December, plus 1 January 2027, and anything extra your state has.
2. Decide your trading hours. Many venues run shorter hours on Christmas Day or close altogether. Set those hours first, because they decide how many shifts you need.
3. Collect leave and availability. Ask the team who's away, who wants extra hours and who'd rather not work the holidays. Get it in writing so you're not working from memory.
4. Roster the holiday days at holiday cost. Cost each shift on 25, 26 and 28 December at the public holiday rate for that person's level and employment type, not the normal rate.
5. Check the Sunday separately. Sunday 27 December isn't one of the listed public holidays in the four places above, so it's paid as a normal Sunday under the award.
6. Don't copy last week across. A copied roster carries normal-week costs and normal-week shifts into a week that's neither. Build it fresh or check every day.
7. Publish early. Give staff the roster as far ahead as you can. People plan Christmas around it.

If you want a starting point, our free roster template lays shifts out by section, which makes it easier to see a holiday day that's overstaffed or a section that's empty.

What a rostering tool won't do for you here

Kaslu Work lets you set trading hours for each venue, and staff can request leave that a manager approves, which then shows on the roster. That helps with steps 2 and 3. Its wage estimate uses base rates only, though. It doesn't know which days are public holidays and doesn't apply holiday rates, so on Christmas week the estimate will come in well under what you'll actually pay. Worked hours export to CSV for any date range, so your bookkeeper or payroll system can apply the right rates afterwards.

I'd rather be straight about that than have someone trust a number that's out by hundreds of dollars per casual on the holiday shifts.

Frequently asked questions

Is Christmas Eve a public holiday in 2026?

Queensland has a part-day public holiday on the evening of Thursday 24 December, and its government page has the exact hours. Christmas Eve isn't among the 2026 holidays I've listed for NSW, WA or the ACT. In Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory, check your state or territory government's public holiday page.

Do I pay the public holiday rate on both Saturday 26 and Monday 28 December?

In NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT, both days are listed public holidays for 2026, so work on either day is work on a public holiday. Check your award for any substitution arrangement you've agreed with an individual employee, and confirm with the Fair Work Ombudsman if you're unsure.

What is the public holiday rate for casuals under the Hospitality Award?

From 1 July 2026, the pay guide lists $64.35 an hour for an introductory-level casual and $67.70 for Level 2. That works out to 250% of the base rate. Other levels have their own figures in the pay guide.

Is New Year's Day 2027 a public holiday?

Yes, on Friday 1 January 2027 in NSW, Queensland, WA and the ACT. NSW lists no additional day for it. For other states and territories, check the government page.

Do staff who don't work on Christmas Day still get paid?

Check the Fair Work Ombudsman's public holiday guidance before you finalise pay for the week.

We're building Kaslu Work for venues that want rosters, leave and worked hours in one place, without pretending to do the award maths for you. Early access is opening a few hospitality groups at a time. Join the early access waitlist.