Saturday public holidays in 2027: the day off or pay you're owed

That’s up to three extra days off, or three extra days’ pay, in 2027 for anyone on a Monday-to-Friday week, so it’s worth knowing how your company handles them.

The 2027 holidays that land on a weekend

Only the Sunday holiday gets an automatic day in lieu: Chinese New Year’s second day is a Sunday, so Monday 8 February is a public holiday for everyone. The three Saturday holidays work differently, and what you get depends on your work week.

What the Employment Act says

These are the rules for employees covered by the Employment Act, which is most people working in Singapore, managers and executives included. Civil servants, domestic workers and seafarers have their own terms. If you’re not covered, your contract decides.

• If Saturday is your non-working day (the usual five-day week): you get either a full day off on another working day, or one extra day’s salary at your gross rate of pay. Which one is usually set by company policy, so check your contract or HR handbook.
• If Saturday is a normal working day for you: it’s simply a paid public holiday. If you’re asked to work it, you’re owed an extra day’s salary at your basic rate on top of your normal pay for the day.
• If the holiday falls on your rest day (often Sunday): the next working day becomes the paid public holiday.
• You can lose the holiday pay if you’re absent without your employer’s consent or a reasonable excuse on the working day just before or just after the holiday. Approved leave on those days is fine.

The source is MOM’s page on public holiday entitlement and pay, checked on 17 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

Make the replacement days count

If your company gives replacement days and lets you choose when to take them, treat them like extra leave: they’re worth the most next to a long weekend. Three Saturday holidays could cover the whole Hari Raya Haji & Vesak Day trade on their own, which turns three spare days into nine days off in a row:

Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday too. If your replacement day can go on Friday 24 or Monday 27 December, that’s a three-day Christmas weekend you wouldn’t otherwise get.

To see what the days are worth across the year, add them to your leave count in the planner:

Keep the dates in your calendar

Our public holiday calendar marks every 2027 holiday, including the Saturdays, so you can spot them early and ask HR how they’re handled:

Questions