Public Holiday
Also known as: bank holiday, statutory holiday, national holiday
A public holiday is a nationally or regionally observed day off, such as a bank holiday, that is typically separate from an employee's annual-leave allowance.
A public holiday (also bank holiday, statutory holiday, or national holiday) is a day designated by law or custom on which most businesses close and employees are usually entitled to paid time off. Public holidays vary by country and often by region within a country.
Public holidays are normally granted on top of annual leave, though some employers fold them into a total allowance. Because dates differ by location, multi-country teams need to apply the right holiday calendar to each office.
Managing holidays across offices
A team with offices in different countries must track a separate public-holiday calendar per location, so leave is calculated correctly and people aren't asked to work a day that's a holiday where they are. Absenca ships public-holiday calendars for 190+ countries that you can import per office.
Frequently asked questions
- Do public holidays count as annual leave?
- Usually no — most employers grant public holidays in addition to the annual-leave allowance. Some combine them into a single total, so always check the specific policy and local law.
Related terms
Stop calculating leave by hand
Absenca handles accrual, carry-over, pro-rata, and public holidays automatically — so every balance is right without a spreadsheet. Free for up to 15 people.