What Are The Public Holidays in Algeria in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Algeria (2026)

Algeria’s public holidays combine fixed civil dates with Islamic religious holidays that follow the lunar calendar. Below is an indicative list for 2026, but you should always confirm the final dates of Islamic holidays closer to the time, as official announcements may shift by one day.

*Islamic holidays are based on the lunar Hijri calendar and the official dates in Algeria are confirmed by religious authorities. They may shift by one day from the estimates above.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Algerian labour law generally requires employers to treat official public holidays as paid days off when they fall on an employee’s normal working day. In practice, your company should pay employees their regular wage for these days without requiring them to use annual leave.

Where operations must continue on a public holiday, employees who work are typically entitled to both their normal pay for the day and additional compensation, often in the form of a premium rate or compensatory rest. Collective agreements or company policies may set higher standards, so you should review any sectoral agreements that apply to your workforce.

For part-time employees, the safest approach is to provide paid time off or equivalent compensation when a public holiday falls on a day they are normally scheduled to work. If the holiday falls on a non-working day for that employee, there is usually no statutory requirement to grant an extra day off, but many employers adopt a consistent internal policy to avoid perceived inequities.

Algeria’s public holidays are national rather than regional, so the same list applies across the country. When a holiday falls on a weekend, it is typically observed on that calendar date and is not automatically moved to a weekday, although some employers may voluntarily grant an alternative rest day as a matter of policy.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday entitlements can expose your company to labour inspections, back-pay claims, and administrative fines. Labour inspectors in Algeria have authority to review payroll records, working time schedules, and internal policies to verify that employees received paid public holidays or appropriate compensation when required to work.

If inspectors find non-compliance, they can order corrective measures, including payment of outstanding wages and holiday premiums, and may impose monetary penalties under the labour code. Employees can also bring individual claims before the competent labour courts, which may award back pay, damages, and interest. Repeated or intentional violations increase the risk of higher penalties and reputational damage, particularly for multinational employers.

Common mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to pay a premium when employees work on a holiday, and inconsistent treatment of part-time or shift workers. To reduce risk, document your public holiday policy clearly, align it with Algerian law and any collective agreements, and ensure your local payroll provider applies the correct rules.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Algeria, public holidays are generally treated as rest days, and work performed on those days is usually considered exceptional. While the labour code sets standard daily and weekly working time limits, work on a public holiday is often compensated at a higher rate than ordinary overtime, reflecting its special status.

In practice, if an employee works on a public holiday, you should treat those hours as both holiday work and overtime where they exceed normal daily or weekly limits. This typically means paying a premium rate on top of the base wage, and in some cases granting compensatory rest. The exact premium can depend on sectoral agreements or company policy, so you should confirm applicable rates in any collective bargaining agreement or internal regulations.

Because Islamic holidays can shift, it is important to monitor official announcements and adjust schedules in advance. Clear planning helps you avoid unintentional overtime, particularly for shift-based teams, and ensures that any required premium pay is budgeted and correctly processed through payroll.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Navigating Algeria’s mix of fixed and lunar-based public holidays can be challenging, especially if you are coordinating teams across multiple countries. Playroll helps you stay ahead of changing holiday dates, local labour rules, and pay requirements so your Algerian workforce is always treated fairly and compliantly.

With Playroll, you can centralise your global employment operations while relying on local expertise for Algeria. Our platform keeps track of official public holidays, flags upcoming changes, and ensures that paid leave, holiday premiums, and overtime are calculated correctly in line with Algerian practice.

Whether you are hiring your first employee in Algiers or scaling a larger team across the country, Playroll can act as your local employer-of-record partner, handling:

• Employment contracts drafted to reflect Algerian labour law and public holiday rules
• Accurate payroll calculations, including public holiday pay and overtime premiums
• Statutory benefits and leave administration aligned with local requirements
• Ongoing compliance monitoring as laws and official holiday dates evolve
• Secure, on-time salary payments in local currency

This lets your HR and finance teams focus on strategy while Playroll manages the complexity of Algerian employment compliance in the background. If you are planning headcount or budgeting for 2026, building these 12 public holidays into your workforce planning with Playroll’s support will help you avoid surprises and keep your team engaged and protected.