What Are The Public Holidays in Cuba in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Cuba (2026)

Cuba’s public holidays are set at the national level and apply across the country. Use the table below to plan staffing, leave approvals, and payroll for your Cuban team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Cuban labor rules generally treat the official public holidays as paid non‑working days for employees, unless the nature of the work requires continuous operations. In practice, most full‑time employees are entitled to their normal basic pay for these days without having to use annual leave. Part‑time employees should receive paid public holidays on a pro‑rated basis that reflects their usual working schedule.

When employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to either premium pay, compensatory time off, or a combination, as set out in their employment contract or collective agreement. Where a holiday falls on a Sunday, Cuban practice is that the holiday is usually observed on the following Monday, so your company should treat that Monday as the paid rest day for scheduling and payroll purposes.

Because detailed entitlements can be shaped by sectoral rules and collective bargaining, you should confirm the exact treatment of public holidays in your local Cuban employment contracts and any applicable union agreements, and keep written records of how holiday pay and compensatory rest are calculated.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rights in Cuba can expose your company to administrative inspections, orders to remedy non‑compliance, and financial penalties under Cuban labor and social security regulations. Labor authorities can review payroll records, schedules, and contracts to verify that employees received the correct pay or compensatory rest for each public holiday.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, not granting a substitute rest day when staff work on a holiday, or mis‑calculating premium pay for shift workers. These issues can lead to back‑pay orders, fines, and in serious or repeated cases, additional sanctions affecting your ability to operate. To reduce risk, keep clear written policies on public holiday work, obtain employee consent where required, and ensure payroll systems correctly flag and calculate holiday pay.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Cuba, public holidays interact with working‑time limits and overtime rules rather than creating a separate overtime system. Hours worked on a public holiday generally count toward weekly working‑time limits, and work beyond the standard daily or weekly schedule is usually treated as overtime, which should attract a higher rate of pay or compensatory rest in line with the Labor Code and any collective agreement.

Many employers in Cuba apply a premium rate for hours worked on public holidays that is higher than the standard overtime rate, reflecting the special status of these days. Where employees are on rotating shifts or continuous‑process operations, you should carefully track hours to ensure that both holiday premiums and overtime supplements are correctly applied. Documenting the agreed rates in employment contracts and ensuring your time‑tracking system clearly distinguishes normal, overtime, and holiday hours is essential for compliance.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Cuban public holidays from abroad can be tricky, especially when you are juggling different time zones, local customs, and evolving labor rules. Playroll helps you stay compliant by handling local employment requirements end‑to‑end, so your team in Cuba gets the right pay and time off every time.

With Playroll, you can hire employees in Cuba without setting up a local entity, while we take care of compliant employment contracts, onboarding, and payroll. Our platform tracks Cuba’s national public holidays, applies the correct holiday pay rules, and syncs this with your team’s working patterns, so you do not have to manually adjust salaries or leave balances.

We work with local experts to monitor changes in Cuban labor law and common practice, including how public holidays, overtime, and compensatory rest should be treated. That means your company can focus on building a great team, while Playroll handles the complexity of:

• Issuing locally compliant Cuban employment contracts at transparent, all‑in costs
• Calculating salaries, public holiday pay, and overtime in line with local rules
• Managing statutory benefits and social security contributions
• Keeping accurate records for inspections and audits
• Offboarding employees compliantly when contracts end

If you are planning to hire or already employ staff in Cuba, Playroll gives you a single, easy‑to‑use platform to stay on top of public holidays, leave, and payroll compliance, without needing in‑house Cuban legal expertise.