Public holidays in Luxembourg in 2026 and 2027: the list and your rights
Skimming?
We've prepared the shortcut for you.
This is for you if
- You are an employee or apprentice in a private company in Luxembourg.
- You are a cross-border worker and don't know whether your country's holidays count.
- You work part-time and want to know how many holiday hours you are owed.
- Your employer asks you to work on a public holiday.
Not for you if you are a civil servant of the State or a commune: your rules come from your status, not from the Labour Code.
Legal public holidays in 2026 and 2027
| Public holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April | Monday 29 March |
| Labour Day | Friday 1 May | Saturday 1 May |
| Europe Day | Saturday 9 May | Sunday 9 May |
| Ascension Day | Thursday 14 May | Thursday 6 May |
| Whit Monday | Monday 25 May | Monday 17 May |
| National Day | Tuesday 23 June | Wednesday 23 June |
| Assumption Day | Saturday 15 August | Sunday 15 August |
| All Saints' Day | Sunday 1 November | Monday 1 November |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December |
| St Stephen's Day | Saturday 26 December | Sunday 26 December |
In bold, the holidays that fall on a weekend: they give you a compensatory day off if you don't work that day. Europe Day has been a public holiday since 2019; Luxembourg is the only country in the European Union to have made it a public holiday.
These 11 days come on top of your 26 days of annual leave: a public holiday is never deducted from your leave.
Key figures
| Item | Value | Year or date |
|---|---|---|
| Legal public holidays | 11 per year | 2026 and 2027 |
| Deadline for the compensatory day off | 3 months from the day after the holiday | Rule in force in 2026 |
| Deadline if the company can't manage it | end of the year; end of March of the following year for a November or December holiday | Rule in force in 2026 |
| Premium if you work on a holiday | 100% of the hours worked | Rule in force in 2026 |
| Extra premium if the holiday is a Sunday | 70% | Rule in force in 2026 |
| Holiday hours for full-time (40 h) | 88 hours per year | Rule in force in 2026 |
Customary days off are not public holidays
Many people think they have the day off on Carnival Monday, Good Friday, 2 November or Kermesse Monday in Luxembourg City. These are customary holidays, not legal public holidays. According to the Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (ITM), your private employer doesn't have to give them to you, unless a collective agreement says so.
Banks, for example, close on Good Friday and on the afternoon of 24 December: this is set by their collective agreement, not by law. Your employer can also replace a legal public holiday with a local or professional holiday, provided you keep 11 days.
The holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday
You don't work that day (Sunday, or Saturday if you work Monday to Friday)? You are entitled to 1 compensatory day off, on top of your annual leave.
- When to take it: in principle within the 3 months following the day after the holiday.
- If the company can't manage it: before the end of the year, or until March of the following year for a November or December holiday.
- No money instead: according to the ITM, this day is taken as leave, it is not paid out.
Your employer can set a common date for all staff, after consulting the staff representatives.
The holiday falls on a day you normally work? You stay at home, paid as usual. If you would have worked 4 hours or less that day, you also get half a compensatory day off.
You work on a public holiday
Your employer can make you work on a public holiday, but it pays more:
- Holiday on a day you normally work: your normal salary, plus the pay for the hours worked, plus a 100% premium. In total, 300%.
- Holiday on a day you don't normally work: the hours worked, plus 100%, plus 1 compensatory day off.
- Holiday on a Sunday: the hours worked, plus 100% (holiday), plus 70% (Sunday), plus 1 compensatory day off.
Your hourly wage is calculated as follows: monthly salary ÷ 173. According to Guichet.lu, the premiums are exempt from income tax. They remain subject to social security contributions, long-term care included. You'll find them on your payslip.
Hotels, restaurants and seasonal businesses: extra rest or leave, instead of the premium.
A worked example
Take Inès, 27, a receptionist at a firm in Luxembourg City, paid €3,500 gross per month, Monday to Friday.
- Her hourly wage: 3,500 ÷ 173 = €20.23.
- She works 8 hours on Tuesday 23 June 2026, National Day.
- Pay for the hours worked: 8 × 20.23 = €161.84.
- 100% premium: €161.84.
- So she receives €323.68 gross on top of her normal monthly salary.
In 2026, Inès is also entitled to 4 compensatory days off: 9 May, 15 August and 26 December fall on a Saturday, 1 November on a Sunday.
You work part-time
You are entitled to public holidays in proportion to your hours. A 40-hour full-time job has 88 holiday hours per year (11 × 8 h). At 20 hours a week, you therefore have 44 hours.
If the holiday falls on a day you would have worked, you are paid according to your schedule for that day. If it falls on a weekday you don't work, the ITM applies "smoothing": your weekly hours divided by 5. ITM example: at 12 hours a week, a holiday on a non-working day gives you 2.40 hours of compensatory leave, to be taken within 3 months.
You're a cross-border worker
You work in Luxembourg: you follow your employer's Luxembourg calendar, not your country's. In practice, 8 May (a holiday in France) and Good Friday (a holiday in Alsace-Moselle) are not holidays for you. In return, you get 9 May and 23 June, which are not holidays in France.
Your contract or collective agreement may provide more. Also brush up on the basics of labour law in Luxembourg.
Schools have their own holiday calendar, published by the Ministry of Education: see the official school holidays (ouvre dans un nouvel onglet).
Common mistakes
- Thinking a holiday on a Saturday or Sunday is lost: you are entitled to a compensatory day off.
- Missing the deadline: the compensatory day is in principle taken within 3 months, and it is not paid out.
- Counting on Carnival Monday or Good Friday: without a collective agreement, they are working days.
- Cross-border worker: taking 8 May off as a holiday, when it is a working day in Luxembourg.
Frequently asked questions
No. It's a customary holiday. Your private employer doesn't have to give it to you, unless your collective agreement provides for it.
No. You work in Luxembourg, so you follow Luxembourg public holidays. 8 May is a normal working day.
On a day you normally work: your normal salary, plus your hours worked, plus a 100% premium, i.e. 300% in total. On a Sunday holiday: your hours worked, plus 100% and 70% premiums, plus 1 compensatory day off.
If the holiday falls on a day you would have worked, it is included in your sickness benefit. If it falls on a non-working day, you are entitled to a compensatory day within 3 months. See also our guide on incapacity for work.