What Are The Public Holidays in Ecuador in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Ecuador (2026)

Ecuador recognizes a mix of fixed and movable national public holidays, many of which follow specific observance rules when they fall on a weekend. Use this 2026 holiday list to plan staffing, leave approvals, and payroll for your Ecuador-based team.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Ecuadorian labor law generally requires employers to provide paid leave on national public holidays for employees who normally work on those days. If a public holiday falls on a day that an employee would not usually work, there is no additional paid day off unless a collective agreement or company policy grants more generous benefits.

When a holiday falls on a weekend, Ecuador often applies “observed day” rules that move the day off to a nearby weekday to support tourism and predictability. The specific shift can vary by year and by government decree, so you should always confirm the official calendar published by Ecuador’s Ministry of Labor for 2026 and update your internal holiday schedule accordingly.

Part-time and shift workers are entitled to paid public holidays on a pro‑rata basis when the holiday falls on a day they would normally be scheduled to work. If your operations require staff to work on a public holiday, those hours are treated as work on a rest day and must be compensated with premium pay under the Labor Code, in addition to the employee’s regular holiday entitlement.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rights in Ecuador can trigger administrative sanctions from the Ministry of Labor. Inspectors can review time records, payroll, and internal policies to verify that employees received paid holidays or the correct premium pay when they worked on those days.

Penalties typically include fines calculated per affected worker and per infringement, and repeated non‑compliance can increase the amounts and lead to closer monitoring of your company. In serious or persistent cases, authorities may also order back payment of wages, surcharges, and social security contributions, and can refer matters for judicial action.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to apply premium rates when employees work on a holiday, and not updating the company calendar when the government shifts observance to a different weekday. Keeping clear attendance and payroll records and aligning your policies with the official government holiday calendar are essential to reduce compliance risk.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Ecuador, work performed on a public holiday is generally treated as work on a mandatory rest day and is paid at a higher rate than ordinary overtime. While the exact percentages can change and may be interpreted differently in practice, the safest approach is to treat holiday work as premium time on top of the employee’s regular daily or weekly schedule and to pay the highest applicable rate when multiple rules overlap.

If an employee exceeds their normal working hours on a public holiday, those extra hours are both overtime and holiday work. In these cases, you should apply the most favorable rate to the employee and document the calculation clearly in payroll. Night work on a holiday can also attract additional premiums, so you should check the latest guidance from the Ministry of Labor or local counsel before finalizing your pay rules.

Because Ecuador’s overtime and holiday pay rules are detailed and may be updated by regulation or case law, many international employers choose to adopt a conservative policy that pays at or above the highest statutory premium for any hours worked on a public holiday. This approach reduces the risk of underpayment claims and simplifies communication with your team.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Ecuador’s public holidays, shifting observance rules, and premium pay requirements can be challenging when you are coordinating teams across multiple countries. Playroll helps you centralize and automate this complexity so your company stays compliant without slowing down hiring or operations.

With Playroll, you can rely on locally informed employment contracts that reflect Ecuadorian holiday and leave rules, accurate payroll calculations that factor in public holidays and premium pay, and automated updates when the government adjusts the official holiday calendar. Your managers get clear visibility into who is off and when, while your finance team can trust that pay and benefits are aligned with Ecuadorian law.

Whether you are onboarding your first employee in Quito or scaling a larger team across Ecuador, Playroll gives you a single, compliant framework for handling holidays, leave, and overtime. That means fewer manual checks, less legal guesswork, and more time to focus on building a great employee experience for your Ecuadorian workforce.