What Are The Public Holidays in Chile in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Chile (2026)

Chile has a mix of fixed and movable public holidays, including religious, civic, and special observance days. The table below lists the main nationwide public holidays expected in 2026 so you can plan staffing and leave for your Chile-based team.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Chilean labor law generally requires employers to provide paid leave on official public holidays for employees who normally work on the day of the week on which the holiday falls. If the employee’s regular schedule does not include that weekday, there is no additional paid day off required. When a holiday is moved to a different calendar date by law, the observed date is what matters for pay and time off.

Most employees are entitled to a full paid day off without any reduction in their monthly salary. For hourly or part-time staff, you must pay for the hours they would normally have worked on that day. If your business is allowed to operate on a public holiday and an employee works, you must provide compensatory rest and, in many cases, premium pay according to the Chilean Labour Code and any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Some holidays, such as September 18 and 19 and May 1, are considered “irrenunciable” retail holidays, meaning most commerce workers cannot be required to work except in limited exempt sectors like health, hospitality, and essential services. Always check whether your industry has specific exceptions or stricter rules.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rights in Chile can lead to inspections and fines from the Labour Directorate (Dirección del Trabajo). Penalties typically scale with company size and the seriousness of the breach, and may be applied per affected worker or per infringement.

Common issues include not paying employees for a holiday they were entitled to, misclassifying staff as exempt from holiday rules, requiring retail staff to work on “irrenunciable” holidays, or failing to grant compensatory rest when employees work on a holiday. Repeated or serious non-compliance can result in higher fines, orders to correct payroll, and, in extreme cases, temporary closure orders for certain establishments.

Because enforcement practice can evolve and collective agreements may add obligations, your safest approach is to document holiday schedules clearly, keep accurate time and attendance records, and obtain local legal or payroll advice when in doubt.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Chile, public holidays are treated as paid rest days for eligible employees and do not count as working time when calculating weekly hours for overtime thresholds. If an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are generally considered extraordinary and must be compensated with overtime premiums or compensatory rest, in line with the Labour Code and any applicable collective agreement.

Standard overtime in Chile is usually paid at a 50% premium over the regular hourly rate, and this is commonly applied to hours worked on holidays as well, unless a more favorable rate is set by contract or collective bargaining. You should track holiday work separately in your payroll system so you can correctly apply premium rates and ensure that weekly maximum working hours are not exceeded.

Because some holidays are “irrenunciable” for retail and similar sectors, you should confirm whether your business is legally allowed to operate on those days before scheduling staff, even if you are prepared to pay overtime.

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Managing Chile's public holidays and leave rules doesn’t have to be complex. Playroll keeps you 100% compliant by automatically tracking local holidays, observed days, and pay requirements –  so your team is paid correctly and on time, every time.

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a growing team, Playroll lets you employ talent without setting up a local entity. We handle compliant contracts, benefits, and payroll in one platform, so you can reduce compliance risk and focus on growing your business while we take care of the heavy-lifting in the background. Book a chat with our team to get started.