What Are The Public Holidays in Bangladesh in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Bangladesh (2026)

Bangladesh has a mix of fixed national days and religious holidays that follow the Islamic lunar calendar, so some dates are approximate and may shift by a day depending on official moon sighting. Always confirm final dates with the government gazette for 2026 before locking in your company holiday calendar.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, under Bangladeshi labour law, employers generally have to provide paid leave on official public holidays to eligible workers, subject to the specific rules in the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 (as amended) and any sectoral regulations. Employees covered by the Labour Act are typically entitled to a minimum number of festival holidays with full wages each year, which employers align with the national and religious holidays notified by the government.

Where a public holiday falls on a weekly holiday (for example, Friday in many workplaces) or during an employee’s approved leave, common practice is to provide a substitute holiday on another working day, but you should check the latest government circulars and any collective agreements that apply to your workforce. Public sector and many private sector employers follow the official gazetted list and any announced “observed” or substitute days.

Part-time and casual employees are usually entitled to paid public holidays on a pro-rata basis if the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. If your company requires an employee to work on a public holiday, they are generally entitled to their normal daily wage for the holiday plus additional compensation, often in the form of premium pay and/or a substituted day off, depending on the Labour Act provisions and any contract or policy that is more generous.

Because religious holidays such as Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi are based on lunar sightings, the government may confirm or slightly adjust dates shortly before the holiday. You should communicate clearly with your Bangladesh team that dates are subject to official confirmation and update your internal holiday calendar as soon as the gazette is published.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

If your company fails to provide the required paid public holidays or does not pay the correct wages for work performed on those days, you risk penalties under the Bangladesh Labour Act and related rules. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) is the main enforcement authority and can conduct inspections, investigate complaints and initiate proceedings for non-compliance.

Sanctions can include administrative fines, orders to pay back wages and benefits, and, in more serious or repeated cases, prosecution that may lead to higher fines or other legal consequences. Non-compliance can also create significant reputational risk, particularly for multinational employers and export-oriented businesses that are subject to social compliance audits.

Common employer mistakes include treating all public holidays as discretionary, failing to keep accurate attendance and wage records for holiday work, not granting substitute holidays when employees are required to work on a gazetted holiday, and applying different rules to categories of workers without a lawful basis. To reduce risk, you should maintain clear written policies, align them with the Labour Act and official gazettes, and ensure that HR and line managers apply them consistently.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Bangladesh, work performed on a public holiday is generally treated more protectively than ordinary working days. If an employee works on a gazetted public holiday, they are usually entitled to premium pay for those hours, often at a rate higher than standard overtime, and in many cases a compensatory day off as well. The exact entitlements depend on the Bangladesh Labour Act, any sector-specific rules and the employee’s contract or collective agreement.

Overtime thresholds are typically calculated on the basis of normal working hours in a week. Hours worked on a public holiday can count toward weekly overtime limits and must be paid at the applicable overtime or holiday premium rate, whichever is higher, subject to statutory caps on total overtime hours. For shift-based operations, you should pay particular attention to shifts that start on a normal day and end on a holiday (or vice versa) and clearly define in your policy how hours are allocated.

Because enforcement authorities and auditors often scrutinise holiday and overtime records, your company should keep detailed timesheets, payroll records and approvals for any holiday work. When in doubt, applying the more generous interpretation of overtime and holiday pay is usually the safer approach from a compliance and employee relations perspective.

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