Payroll Compliance

Public Holiday Pay on Payslip Australia: Complete 2026 Guide

How public holiday pay should appear on your payslip · penalty rates by industry & state · casual vs permanent rules · common underpayment errors · free pay calculator

Written by Sarah Brennan

Senior Payroll Compliance Analyst · OfficeDraft

Reviewed by David Ngo

Registered Industrial Relations Adviser · 14 years Fair Work compliance

Published: Jan 2026

Last reviewed: 30 May 2026

All major Awards coveredHospitality · Retail · RestaurantCasual & permanent rules8 states & territoriesFree pay calculatorUnderpayment checker

How Public Holiday Pay Appears on a Payslip in Australia

Understanding public holiday pay on your payslip in Australia is one of the most common compliance questions workers ask — and one of the most frequently answered incorrectly by employers. Public holiday pay does not look the same as ordinary pay, and knowing what to look for on your payslip is the first step in confirming whether you have been paid correctly.

Under the Fair Work Act 2009, public holiday entitlements are part of the National Employment Standards (NES) — they apply to all national system employees regardless of Award or contract. For most workers, public holiday pay falls into two categories:

Permanent employees — did not work

Full-time and part-time employees who do not work on a public holiday are entitled to be paid their ordinary hours for that day at their ordinary rate. This appears on the payslip as a separate public holiday line item — not ordinary pay.

Any employee — worked on the holiday

Employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to penalty rates under their Award or Enterprise Agreement. This must appear as a separate line item showing the penalty rate applied — typically 225% (double time and a quarter) in most Awards.

Key rule: Public holiday pay must appear as a separate line item on your payslip — it cannot be bundled into ordinary hours. If your payslip for a period containing a public holiday shows no distinct public holiday entry, this is a payslip compliance issue under the Fair Work Regulations 2009.

225%

Standard penalty rate

Hospitality, Retail & Restaurant Awards

18+

National public holidays

Including state-specific days

$93,900

Max penalty per breach

Individual; $469,500 for body corporate

Payslip Line Item Anatomy — What Each Public Holiday Entry Means

Different payroll systems use different codes for public holiday pay lines. Below is an explanation of the most common line item types and what each one should show, using standard payroll coding conventions:

OT — Public HolidayMust appear if applicable

Hours worked at penalty rate

What it represents

The number of hours you actually worked on the public holiday

Rate applied

Your applicable Award penalty rate (e.g. 225% for hospitality)

Gross calculation

Hours × (ordinary hourly rate × penalty multiplier)

Example

4 hrs × ($25.00 × 2.25) = $225.00

⚠ Error to look for:This line missing when you worked on the public holiday — means you were paid at ordinary rate only
PH — Public Holiday (not worked)Must appear if applicable

Entitlement pay — did not work

What it represents

Ordinary hours you would have worked, paid without working

Rate applied

100% of ordinary rate (no penalty — this is your entitlement)

Gross calculation

Ordinary hours for that day × ordinary hourly rate

Example

7.6 hrs × $25.00 = $190.00

⚠ Error to look for:Line missing for permanent employees on a rostered day — means the day was treated as unpaid leave incorrectly
PHCL — Public Holiday Casual Loading

Casual loading on top of penalty rate

What it represents

The 25% casual loading component on top of the base rate (casual employees only)

Rate applied

Already embedded in most payslips — may appear separately

Gross calculation

Included in total — may not be broken out

Example

See total casual PH line = Varies

⚠ Error to look for:Some payrolls include the casual loading without showing it separately — confirm your total rate equals base × penalty × 1.25
PHO — Public Holiday OT (overtime on PH)

Overtime hours worked on a public holiday

What it represents

Hours worked beyond your ordinary span on a public holiday

Rate applied

Check your Award — some provide double time and a half for overtime on PH

Gross calculation

Overtime hours × higher penalty rate

Example

2 hrs × ($25.00 × 2.5) = $125.00

⚠ Error to look for:Overtime hours on public holidays coded as standard PH hours — check your Award OT provisions
PHSUB — Substitute Public Holiday

Agreed substitute day observed in lieu

What it represents

A public holiday observed on a different day by agreement

Rate applied

Same penalty rates as the original public holiday

Gross calculation

Same calculation as standard public holiday line

Example

Same as PH lines above = Varies

⚠ Error to look for:If a substitution was agreed but this line shows ordinary time — the agreed public holiday entitlement was not honoured

Sample Payslip Extract — Public Holiday Week

Hospitality worker, 38 hrs/week, 8 hrs on public holiday, Award rate: 225%

DescriptionHrsRateMultiplierGross
Ordinary Hours30.0$25.001.0×$750.00
OT — Public HolidayPENALTY8.0$25.002.25×$450.00
PAYG Tax Withheld———−$216.00
Superannuation (11.5%———$138.00
Net Pay (take-home)$984.00

* The public holiday line item (OT — Public Holiday) is clearly separated from ordinary hours. The 2.25× multiplier reflects the Hospitality Industry Award penalty rate. PAYG and super are calculated on total gross earnings including the penalty pay. This is the correct format.

What a wrong payslip looks like: If the above example showed only 38.0 ordinary hours at $25.00 = $950.00 gross, the worker would be underpaid $450.00 — the entire public holiday penalty. This is the most common form of underpayment in the hospitality and retail sectors.

Public Holiday Penalty Rates by Award — 2026

Penalty rates for public holidays in Australia are set in individual Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements. Below are the rates for the most commonly applicable Awards, referencing the Fair Work Ombudsman's penalty rate guidance. Always verify your specific Award classification at fairwork.gov.au, as rates can vary by employee classification level within the same Award.

Hospitality Industry (General) Award

Fair Work ↗
Employee typeRateNotes
Full-time & part-timeMost common225%Double time and a quarter of ordinary rate
Casual employees225% + 25% loadingEffectively 250% of base ordinary rate
Shiftworkers225%Same as day workers — no additional loading
Applies to hotels, motels, resorts, cafes, catering, clubs, and restaurants operating under this Award
An employee may refuse to work on a public holiday on reasonable personal grounds under s.65 of the Fair Work Act
If the public holiday falls on a rostered day off, a substitute day off must be provided
Award clause 39 governs public holidays — check your current Award version at fairwork.gov.au

General Retail Industry Award

Fair Work ↗
Employee typeRateNotes
Full-time & part-timeMost common225%Double time and a quarter
Casual employees225% + 25% loadingTotal effective rate approx. 250% of base rate
Christmas Day (if Sunday)225% + substitute day offAdditional substitute day entitlement may apply
Covers retail stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, and general merchandise retail
Separate provisions apply for employees who are required to work on Christmas Day falling on a Sunday
Employers must display public holiday roster in advance wherever practicable
Award clause 34 governs public holidays — applies to all states except where an Enterprise Agreement is in place

Restaurant Industry Award

Fair Work ↗
Employee typeRateNotes
Full-time & part-timeMost common225%Standard public holiday penalty
Casual employees250%Includes 25% casual loading applied to penalty rate base
Kitchen staff (level 3+)225%Same rate regardless of classification level
Applies to standalone restaurants, cafes (not operating as hotels), and takeaway food outlets
Note: many hospitality venues operate under the Hospitality Award, not the Restaurant Award — check your employer's registered Award
Public holiday rates apply from midnight to midnight on the public holiday date
Award clause 35 governs public holidays

Clerks—Private Sector Award

Fair Work ↗
Employee typeRateNotes
Full-time & part-time225%Standard rate for all classifications
Casual employees225%Casual loading already factored into base rate assessment
Applies to administrative, clerical, and office support roles across private sector industries
Most office workers do not work on public holidays — the entitlement is to be paid ordinary hours without working
If required to work, 225% is the minimum — employer must request in writing and employee can reasonably refuse

Building and Construction General On-Site Award

Fair Work ↗
Employee typeRateNotes
All employees (worked)Double time + day off in lieuEffectively 200% plus substitute day
Permanent (not worked)Ordinary day's payPaid for ordinary hours without working
Construction workers who work on a public holiday receive double time AND an additional day off in lieu
This is one of the most generous public holiday provisions in any Australian Award
Applies to on-site construction work — project agreements may differ significantly
Enterprise Agreements: If your employer has a registered Enterprise Agreement, the public holiday penalty rates in the Agreement apply — not the Award rates. Enterprise Agreement rates must be equal to or better than the Award as the "better off overall test" (BOOT) is applied on approval. If you are unsure which applies, check with the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Casual Employee Public Holiday Entitlements

Casual employees have different public holiday entitlements from permanent employees. The key distinction is the worked vs not worked divide:

Casual Employee — Public Holiday Decision Matrix

Worked on public holiday

Paid at penalty rate
Entitled to public holiday penalty rate under Award (e.g. 225% of base rate). Casual loading is factored into the base rate calculation under most Awards.

Payslip check:

Should see a public holiday penalty line — not ordinary casual rate

Rostered but employer cancels shift (short notice)

Award-dependent
Check your Award — some Awards require minimum payment if cancelled with less than specified notice. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool clarifies this by Award.

Payslip check:

May be entitled to minimum engagement period pay depending on Award

Not rostered — public holiday falls on regular day

Generally no entitlement
Unlike permanent employees, casuals are not entitled to payment for public holidays they do not work. Casuals do not have a guaranteed ordinary hours entitlement.

Payslip check:

No entry expected or required on payslip for this scenario

Not rostered — public holiday is an unusual day

No entitlement
Casual employees are engaged as needed — no entitlement to payment for days not worked, regardless of whether it is a public holiday.

Payslip check:

No entry expected
Casual loading and penalty rates: When a casual employee works on a public holiday, the interaction between the 25% casual loading and the penalty rate multiplier depends on the Award. Under most Awards (including Hospitality, Retail, and Restaurant), the penalty rate base for casuals is the same as for permanents — so the total effective rate for a casual on a public holiday is approximately 250% of the ordinary base rate (225% penalty × ordinary base, with casual loading embedded in or added to the base). Always verify your specific Award clause.
Generate casual payslips with public holiday rates →

Public Holidays by State — What Appears on Your Payslip

Australia's public holiday landscape is a combination of national holidays (applying in all states) and state-specific gazetted holidays. Your payslip penalty pay entitlement depends on the public holidays for the state where you work, not where your employer is headquartered. Below is a breakdown of the unique public holidays and payroll considerations for the most populous states:

New South Wales (NSW)

NSW Payslip Generator ↗

State-specific public holidays

Bank HolidayFirst Monday in August

Applies to banking and finance industry specifically

Easter SaturdaySaturday before Easter Sunday

Additional to national Easter entitlements

National holidays also observed

New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday (June), Christmas Day, Boxing Day

NSW hospitality and retail penalty rates align with national Award rates. Some Enterprise Agreements in NSW set higher rates.

Victoria (VIC)

VIC Payslip Generator ↗

State-specific public holidays

AFL Grand Final FridayFriday before AFL Grand Final

Melbourne metro only — regional VIC observes differently

Melbourne Cup DayFirst Tuesday in November

Metropolitan Melbourne only; regional areas may substitute

Easter SaturdaySaturday before Easter Sunday

National holidays also observed

New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday (June), Christmas Day, Boxing Day

VIC has specific gazetted substitution rules for Melbourne Cup Day outside metro Melbourne. Check Fair Work for your location.

Queensland (QLD)

QLD Payslip Generator ↗

State-specific public holidays

Royal Queensland Show (Ekka)Wednesday of Show Week

Brisbane metro only — regional areas observe on different local show dates

Easter SaturdaySaturday before Easter Sunday

National holidays also observed

New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday (October in QLD), Christmas Day, Boxing Day

QLD observes King's Birthday in October, not June — this affects payroll scheduling for any employer with QLD and interstate staff.

Western Australia (WA)

WA Payslip Generator ↗

State-specific public holidays

Foundation Day (WA Day)First Monday in June

Unique to WA — not observed in other states

Easter SaturdaySaturday before Easter Sunday

National holidays also observed

New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday (September in WA), Christmas Day, Boxing Day

WA observes King's Birthday in September. Some WA-specific Awards and Enterprise Agreements apply different penalty rate structures — check WA Industrial Relations Commission gazettes for state system employees.

South Australia (SA)

SA Payslip Generator ↗

State-specific public holidays

Adelaide CupSecond Monday in May

Metropolitan Adelaide — replaced Royal Adelaide Show public holiday

Proclamation Day26 December

SA observes Proclamation Day on 26 December instead of Boxing Day by name

National holidays also observed

New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday (June), Christmas Day

SA has a unique Christmas cluster — Proclamation Day replaces Boxing Day in SA legislation. Functionally the same for payroll, but the gazettal name differs.

Tasmania (TAS)

TAS Payslip Generator ↗

State-specific public holidays

Eight Hours DaySecond Monday in March

Celebrates the 8-hour working day movement — unique to TAS

National holidays also observed

New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, King's Birthday (June), Christmas Day, Boxing Day

Tasmania applies national Award penalty rates. TAS also has regional show holidays that are not universal — check your local gazette.
ACT and NT note: The Australian Capital Territory observes Family & Community Day and Reconciliation Day as additional public holidays. The Northern Territory observes Picnic Day (first Monday in August). These are legally gazetted and carry the same penalty rate entitlements as national public holidays for workers in those territories.

Public Holiday Pay Calculator — 2026

Enter your hourly rate, hours worked, and industry to calculate what your public holiday pay should be — and compare it against your payslip.

Public Holiday Pay Calculator

Calculate your correct penalty pay and compare against your payslip

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Common Public Holiday Payslip Errors — And How to Fix Them

The Fair Work Ombudsman regularly identifies public holiday underpayment as one of the most common payroll compliance failures in Australian workplaces — particularly in hospitality, retail, and food services. Here are the most common errors and what to do if you find them:

Public holiday paid at ordinary time only

High severity

You worked on a public holiday but your payslip shows only your standard hourly rate — no penalty multiplier applied. This is the most common and most costly underpayment error.

How to check:

Compare your gross pay for the public holiday period against: ordinary hours worked × your Award penalty rate (e.g. × 2.25). If the payslip figure is just hours × base rate, you have been underpaid.

Example underpayment:

4 hrs underpaid @ $25/hr on a 225% penalty = $100 underpaid per day

What to do:

Raise in writing with your employer, citing your Award clause number. Use our payslip error guide below.

Payslip Error Guide →

Public holiday pay missing entirely

High severity

The public holiday date falls within the pay period but there is no public holiday line item on the payslip at all — either for time worked or the entitlement payment for not working.

How to check:

Cross-reference your payslip period against the official public holiday calendar for your state. If a public holiday falls in that period, at minimum there should be a line item.

Example underpayment:

Permanent employee not paid for a day they did not work = full day ordinary rate underpaid

What to do:

For permanent employees, not receiving an entitlement payment on a public holiday you did not work is a breach of the NES. Lodge a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman if the employer does not rectify.

Payslip Error Guide →

Wrong penalty rate applied

Medium severity

The payslip shows a public holiday line item, but the rate applied does not match your Award. Common examples: 200% applied when Award specifies 225%; or flat 150% applied when the Award requires double time.

How to check:

Find your Award at fairwork.gov.au, locate the public holiday clause, confirm the exact multiplier for your classification, and recalculate what you should have been paid. Even a 25% difference compounds significantly over multiple public holidays per year.

Example underpayment:

8 hrs @ $30/hr: 200% = $480 vs correct 225% = $540. Underpaid $60 per public holiday worked.

What to do:

Request your employer correct the rate and back-pay any shortfall. Keep a log of all public holidays worked and the underpayment for each.

Casual employee incorrectly denied pay

Medium severity

A casual employee who worked on a public holiday was paid at ordinary casual rates (base + 25% loading) instead of the public holiday penalty rate. This treats the public holiday shift as an ordinary shift.

How to check:

If you are casual and worked on a public holiday, your gross hourly rate for those hours should reflect the penalty multiplier — typically 225% of the ordinary base rate, with casual loading already included in the calculation (most Awards embed the loading into the penalty rate calculation).

Example underpayment:

Casual at $28/hr (including loading): public holiday at 225% of base $22.40 = $50.40/hr vs incorrect $28/hr

What to do:

The Award specifies whether the casual loading is applied on top of or absorbed into the penalty rate. Most Awards embed it — confirm the exact calculation method in your Award.

Casual Payslip Generator →

State public holiday treated as ordinary day

Medium severity

A state-specific public holiday (e.g. Melbourne Cup Day in VIC, Royal Queensland Show in QLD, Foundation Day in WA) is not recognised by the employer, who pays ordinary rates for that day.

How to check:

Check the official public holiday gazette for your state. State holidays are legally prescribed — they are not optional for employers. If you worked in VIC on Melbourne Cup Day and received no penalty pay, you were likely underpaid.

Example underpayment:

One missed state public holiday per year = one day at ordinary rate instead of penalty rate or entitlement pay

What to do:

Print the official state gazette listing and raise the error in writing with your payroll department. State public holidays carry the same legal weight as national holidays.

Substitute day entitlement not honoured

Low severity

An agreement to substitute a public holiday for another day was verbally made but not reflected on the payslip — the original holiday was processed as ordinary, and the substitute day was not rostered or paid.

How to check:

If you agreed to work on the public holiday in exchange for a substitute day off, both the penalty rate for the day worked AND the substitute day off should be recorded. The payslip should show the penalty rate for the worked day.

Example underpayment:

Working PH at ordinary rate instead of penalty rate: same as error #1 above

What to do:

Put all substitute holiday agreements in writing. If the employer is not honouring a documented substitution agreement, this is a breach of the Fair Work Act.

How to Check If You Were Paid Correctly for a Public Holiday

A five-step process to verify your public holiday pay against your Award entitlement:

1

Confirm the date was a public holiday

Visit your state government website or the Fair Work Ombudsman's public holiday calendar to confirm the date was officially gazetted as a public holiday in your state. Not all "holiday periods" are gazetted public holidays.

2

Identify your applicable Award

Use the Fair Work Ombudsman's "Find my Award" tool at fairwork.gov.au. Enter your industry and job type. If you have an Enterprise Agreement, check the Fair Work Commission's agreement database instead.

Fair Work Award Finder ↗
3

Locate the penalty rate in your Award

Open your Award PDF (available at fairwork.gov.au) and search for the "public holidays" clause. Find the rate for your employment classification and type (full-time, part-time, or casual). Note the exact multiplier.

4

Calculate what you should have been paid

If you worked: hours worked × (ordinary hourly rate × penalty multiplier) = expected public holiday gross. If you did not work (permanent employees): ordinary hours for that day × ordinary rate = expected entitlement pay.

5

Compare against your payslip

Find the public holiday line item on your payslip. If there is no such line and you worked that day, or if there is no entitlement line and you are a permanent employee who did not work — you have likely been underpaid. Use our calculator above to confirm the exact shortfall.

If you have been underpaid: Gather evidence — keep your payslips, roster, and timesheet records. Lodge a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman online. The FWO provides free assistance and can require employers to back-pay entitlements plus penalties. There is a 6-year time limit on recovering unpaid entitlements under the Fair Work Act.

Frequently Asked Questions — Public Holiday Pay on Payslip Australia

How should public holiday pay appear on my payslip?
Public holiday pay must appear as a separate line item on your payslip, distinct from your ordinary hours. The line item should show the hours worked (or the ordinary hours you were rostered and did not work), the applicable rate (e.g. double time = 200% of your base rate), and the gross dollar amount for that line. If you worked on the public holiday, you should see two entries: one for the public holiday hours at the penalty rate, and your ordinary pay for the week. If you did not work and were a permanent employee, you should see a 'public holiday' or 'holiday entitlement' line for the ordinary hours paid. Casual employees who do not work on a public holiday are generally not entitled to payment.
What is the penalty rate for working on a public holiday in Australia?
Penalty rates for public holidays vary by Award and Enterprise Agreement. Under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, the rate is typically 225% (double time and a quarter) of the ordinary hourly rate. Under the General Retail Industry Award, the standard rate is 225% for most employees. Under the Restaurant Industry Award, full-time and part-time employees receive 225%. Some Awards provide double time (200%) as the public holiday rate. Enterprise Agreements may set different rates, but they cannot be less than the minimum Award entitlement. The National Employment Standards (NES) under the Fair Work Act 2009 set the baseline: employees can refuse unreasonable requests to work on public holidays, and if they do work, they are entitled to payment in accordance with their applicable Award or Agreement.
Am I entitled to public holiday pay as a casual employee?
Casual employees in Australia are generally not entitled to be paid for a public holiday they do not work. Unlike permanent employees, casuals do not have an entitlement to an 'ordinary day's pay' on a public holiday they are absent from. However, if a casual employee is rostered to work on a public holiday and does work, they are entitled to the applicable penalty rate under their Award or Enterprise Agreement — which is typically 225% of their ordinary casual rate (which itself already includes a 25% casual loading). If a casual employee's regular shift falls on a public holiday and the employer cancels it, most Awards require the employer to provide reasonable notice. The Fair Work Ombudsman website provides Award-specific guidance.
What if my payslip shows the wrong public holiday rate?
If your payslip shows an incorrect public holiday rate, you are likely being underpaid — which is a breach of your Award or Enterprise Agreement entitlement. First, identify your applicable Award using the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool at fairwork.gov.au. Check the public holiday penalty rate in the Award for your classification. Calculate the difference between what you were paid and what you should have been paid. Raise the issue in writing with your employer or payroll department, citing the specific Award clause. If the employer does not correct the underpayment, you can lodge a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman at no cost. Underpayment of penalty rates is a civil contraventionunder the Fair Work Act 2009, and employers can be ordered to back-pay and penalised.
Do all states have the same public holidays in Australia?
No. Australia has national public holidays that apply in all states and territories — New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the King's Birthday (date varies), Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. However, each state and territory also has its own additional public holidays. For example: NSW observes a Bank Holiday in August; Victoria observes the Melbourne Cup Day (metro Melbourne); Queensland has Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane); WA has a Foundation Day; ACT observes Family & Community Day and Reconciliation Day; SA observes Adelaide Cup and Proclamation Day; TAS has Eight Hours Day; NT observes Picnic Day. Employees' entitlements are determined by the public holidays gazetted in the state or territory where they work.
Can my employer refuse to pay the public holiday penalty rate?
No. If you worked on a public holiday, your employer cannot lawfully pay you at your ordinary rate if your Award or Enterprise Agreement specifies a higher penalty rate. Failure to pay the applicable penalty rate is a breach of the National Employment Standards and your Award — both of which are enforceable under the Fair Work Act 2009. If your employer refuses to correct the underpayment, you can lodge a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman. The FWO can investigate, issue compliance notices, and pursue the employer in the Federal Court. Maximum civil penalties for underpayment of Award entitlements are significant — up to $93,900 per contravention for an individual and $469,500 for a body corporate (as of 2026).
What does "substitute public holiday" mean on my payslip?
A substitute public holiday occurs when an employer and employee agree (or when a government gazette substitutes) to observe a public holiday on a different day from the actual public holiday date. Under the Fair Work Act 2009, employees and employers can agree to substitute a public holiday for another day. If a substitution is agreed, the penalty rates and entitlements apply on the substituted day, not the original public holiday. On your payslip, this may appear as 'Substitute Public Holiday' or 'Public Holiday in Lieu'. The entitlement is the same as a regular public holiday: permanent employees who do not work on the substituted day are paid their ordinary hours; those who do work receive the applicable penalty rate.
How is public holiday pay calculated for part-time employees?
Part-time employees are entitled to public holiday pay on the same basis as full-time employees, but only for the ordinary hours they would have been rostered to work on that day. For example: if a part-time employee normally works 6 hours on a Monday, and the public holiday falls on a Monday, they are entitled to 6 hours at their ordinary rate if they don't work, or 6 hours at the penalty rate if they do work. A part-time employee who does not normally work on the day a public holiday falls has no entitlement to public holiday pay for that day. This is sometimes called the 'would have worked' test. Your payslip should reflect only the hours you would ordinarily have worked on that day.

Know Your Public Holiday Rights

Public holiday pay on your payslip must appear as a separate line item with the correct penalty rate applied — typically 225% in hospitality, retail, and restaurant industries. If you worked on a public holiday and your payslip shows no penalty line, or if the rate is wrong, you are likely being underpaid. Use the calculator above to confirm, and OfficeDraft to generate a compliant payslip with all required fields.

AwardPH Rate (worked)PH Entitlement (not worked)
Hospitality225%Ordinary day's pay
Retail225%Ordinary day's pay
Restaurant225%Ordinary day's pay
Clerical225%Ordinary day's pay
Construction200% + day offOrdinary day's pay
Generate Payslip Free →Payslip Error Guide →

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About This Guide

Authors: This guide was written by Sarah Brennan (Senior Payroll Compliance Analyst, OfficeDraft) and reviewed for accuracy by David Ngo (Registered Industrial Relations Adviser with 14 years of experience advising Australian businesses on Fair Work compliance, Award interpretation, and payroll obligations). Both authors have direct experience with Australian public holiday pay disputes and compliance processes.

Sources: Public holiday entitlements from the Fair Work Ombudsman — Public Holidays; payslip requirements from the Fair Work Ombudsman — Pay Slips; penalty rate guidance from fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/penalty-rates-and-allowances; Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) from legislation.gov.au.

Update schedule: This guide is reviewed quarterly. Award penalty rates are updated annually by the Fair Work Commission. Information reflects published Award rates and FWO guidance as of May 2026.

Disclaimer: This content is general information only and does not constitute legal or industrial relations advice. Award conditions and penalty rates vary by classification and Enterprise Agreement. Always verify entitlements with the Fair Work Ombudsman or a registered industrial relations adviser for advice specific to your situation.

Last updated: 30 May 2026 · Reviewed by: David Ngo, Registered IR Adviser