For hospitality, tourism, and retail businesses the Easter holiday period is one of the busiest times of year. It also often coincides with school holidays in many states, so you’ll need all hands-on deck.
A long weekend such as Easter means a time of relaxation and leisure for families, which leads to an influx of consumers. This is good news for business owners and employers who have been battling the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, increased wages, and rising operating costs.
If your business is open over the Easter public holidays you need to know
- What to pay your employees and their entitlements,
- Do they get additional time off?
- Can you even ask employees to work on public holidays?
Easter holidays 2026
If your business is opening over the Easter holidays, you should be aware of the rules around employer obligations and restricted trading days.
| Easter Dates | Day |
|---|---|
| Good Friday | 3 April is a public holiday in all states and territories |
| Easter Saturday | 4 April is a public holiday in the ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, and the NT. It is not a public holiday in WA or TAS |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April is a public holiday in the ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, the NT, and WA. It is not a public holiday in TAS |
| Easter Monday | 6 April is a public holiday in all states and territories |
| Easter Tuesday | 7 April is a unique public holiday exclusive to certain Tasmanian public services, awards or agreements |
ANZAC Day 2026
ANZAC Day (25 April) this year falls on a Saturday. If an employee would normally work on a Saturday, they are entitled to public holiday rates for that day if they work.
- Monday 27 April is an additional public holiday for ANZAC Day for the ACT and Western Australia only
Asking employees to work on public holidays
An employee can be made to work if the public holiday is observed on a day the employee would normally work and their employment agreement says they have to work on the public holiday.
If the employee is made to work, there is a public holiday rate of pay which is time and a half and the employee will also get another paid day off later, otherwise known as a day in lieu. If an employee works a public holiday which is not a usual day they would work, the employee is entitled to time and a half.
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Employees don’t have to agree to work on Good Friday, Easter Monday or ANZAC Day, unless:
- these are days that the employee would have normally worked
- their employment contract says they have to work on the public holidays
Easter trading rules
Easter trading laws govern that shops cannot open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday or before 1:00pm on ANZAC Day (25 April). However, there are some exceptions to Easter trading hours:
- Certain shops including service stations, take-away food businesses, restaurants, cafes and souvenir stores can open with conditions limiting the goods they can sell according to the type of store they are. Garden centres can only open on Easter Sunday. Pharmacies can open with no restrictions.
- Some shops have an area exemption, for example, tourist resorts.
- Some shops are covered by a city and district council Easter Sunday trading policy.
- These rules only apply to businesses that are shops as covered by the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990. Other businesses can open during the Easter and ANZAC holidays.
Easter public holiday pay
For public holidays, there are a number of things to work out:
- which day the public holiday will be observed for each employee if it’s a public holiday that might be Mondayised (or Tuesdayised). That is an additional day off for when a public holdiday occurs on a weekend
- whether or not the day is an otherwise working day for the employee
- whether or not the employee will be working on the day
- how much the employee will be paid for the day
- whether the employee is entitled to an alternative holiday
Public holiday rate of pay is time and a half.
If the employee is made to work, there is a public holiday rate of pay which is time and a half for each hour worked. In certain circumstances, the employee will also get another paid day off later, otherwise known as a day in lieu or an alternative holiday.
Misconception: ‘I already pay above minimum wage, so I’m covered for public holiday rates right?’
It’s great you pay above the minimum wage, but it doesn’t automatically exempt you from paying public holiday rates. You still have to pay the appropriate public holiday rate for an employee who is working a public holiday. You may be able to pay the employee a higher rate of pay to off-set a certain amount of public holidays, depending on the provisions in the applicable collective agreement and their employment contract.
Easter weekend: What to pay?
There is an added dimension to working on public holidays which can be best illustrated in the case of Easter and when employees work over this period. The public holidays for Easter are Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Easter Sunday is different again as it is not a public holiday in all states. So if it's not a public holiday in your state, and your employee works, they are only entitled to their usual rate of Sunday pay. If the employee does not work on Easter Sunday, they are not entitled to a paid day.
Keep in mind there are separate rules for shop employees. Employers of shop employees who want their employees to work on Easter Sunday must give them notice and the employee is allowed to refuse work.
Ensuring you pay your employees correctly for working on public holidays can be confusing. To have your wage rate questions answered, contact the expert HR team at Peninsula.
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute as business or legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. It does not take into consideration your specific business, industry or circumstances. You should seek legal or other professional advice regarding matters as they relate to you or your business. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Peninsula Group disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions contained in this information or any failure to update or correct this information. It is your responsibility to assess and verify the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of the information in this article.
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