For restaurants, retailers and other shift-based businesses, a public holiday is not simply a date to add to the calendar. Managers must forecast demand, confirm availability, apply the correct rest-day and substituted-holiday rules, and send accurate hours to payroll.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Its Employment Act discussion is primarily relevant to Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. Employers in Sabah and Sarawak should also check the applicable Labour Ordinance and current local labour-department guidance. Recheck religious dates marked subject to change before finalising rosters.
Malaysia federal public holidays from February to May 2027
These dates appear in the official federal schedule. Applicability can differ by state, and dates marked by the government as subject to change must be rechecked.
Chinese New Year
Saturday, 6 February and Sunday, 7 February 2027. The second day is not a federal holiday in Kelantan or Terengganu.Hari Raya Puasa
Wednesday, 10 March and Thursday, 11 March 2027. The official schedule marks these dates as subject to change.Workers' Day
Saturday, 1 May 2027.Hari Raya Qurban
Monday, 17 May 2027. Tuesday, 18 May is the second day and a federal holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu only. The dates are subject to change.Wesak Day
Thursday, 20 May 2027.Malaysia federal public holidays from June to December 2027
Use the official state matrix as well as this federal list when building each outlet calendar.
Awal Muharam
Sunday, 6 June 2027.Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Monday, 7 June 2027.Birthday of Prophet Muhammad
Sunday, 15 August 2027.National Day
Tuesday, 31 August 2027.Malaysia Day
Thursday, 16 September 2027.Deepavali
Thursday, 28 October 2027. The date is subject to change and it is not observed as a federal holiday in Sarawak.Christmas Day
Saturday, 25 December 2027.Which public holidays apply in each state?
State holidays vary, so a business with outlets in more than one state should not use one calendar everywhere. The official six-page schedule includes a state-by-state matrix.
Federal Territories
Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya have Federal Territory Day in addition to applicable federal holidays.State celebrations
Thaipusam applies in specified states, while ruler or governor birthdays vary by state. Check the exact matrix for Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Selangor and Terengganu.Sabah and Sarawak
Examples include Kaamatan in Sabah and Gawai Dayak in Sarawak. These states also have their own Labour Ordinances, so use current local labour-department guidance for employment entitlements and pay.Paid-holiday entitlement and replacement days
Section 60D of the Employment Act 1955 sets the framework for covered employees in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan.
At least 11 paid gazetted holidays
Five are compulsory: National Day, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's birthday, the relevant ruler or governor's birthday or Federal Territory Day, Workers' Day and Malaysia Day. The employer selects six more and should display the list before the year begins.Specially declared holidays
A day appointed as a public holiday under section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951 can create an additional obligation. Monitor official announcements throughout the year.When a holiday falls on a rest day
For employees covered by section 60D, when a paid public holiday falls on a rest day or another paid public holiday, the following working day becomes the substituted paid holiday. Do not assume Monday is automatically the replacement for every employee; check the actual roster and applicable calendar.How public-holiday pay is calculated
Confirm the employee is eligible for the statutory premium-pay provisions before applying a multiplier. Contract terms or company policy may provide more generous benefits.
Normal hours on a paid public holiday
For an employee eligible under section 60D(3), work during normal hours attracts two additional days of wages at the ordinary rate of pay, on top of holiday pay. For a monthly-rated employee, the holiday pay is generally already included if no deduction is made.Hours beyond normal working hours
Overtime beyond normal hours on that paid public holiday is paid at not less than three times the hourly rate of pay.RM1,700 worked example
For an eligible monthly-rated employee working eight normal hours plus two overtime hours: RM1,700 ÷ 26 gives an ordinary rate of RM65.38; two additional ordinary-rate days are approximately RM130.77. Carrying full precision through (RM1,700 ÷ 26 ÷ 8) × 3 × 2 gives approximately RM49.04 for the two overtime hours.Employees earning more than RM4,000
The First Schedule generally excludes employees above RM4,000 monthly from subsections 60D(3) and 60D(4), unless they fall within a category covered regardless of wage level, including manual labour and certain listed roles. Obtain advice for the employee classification and contract.2027 public-holiday roster checklist
Build each outlet plan early, then keep a clear record from roster to payroll:
- Confirm the federal and state holiday applicable to every work location.
- Forecast demand, critical roles and minimum staffing about three months ahead.
- Publish proposed rosters early and identify employees likely to attract holiday or overtime pay.
- Check actual rest days and any substituted paid holiday before communicating the schedule.
- Estimate labour cost before approving extra hours or shift changes.
- Record clock-ins, breaks, approved swaps and overtime consistently.
- Separate normal public-holiday hours from hours beyond normal working time.
- Approve timesheets and retain an audit trail before sending data to payroll.
The official schedule is the source of truth for dates. Legal eligibility and pay treatment must be confirmed for the employee, location, holiday and current law.
Prepare rosters before holiday demand peaks
StaffAny connects scheduling, time attendance and smart timesheets, helping managers compare planned shifts with actual hours and review exceptions before payroll. Add the applicable holidays to each outlet calendar, estimate labour costs and publish shifts early.