What Are The Public Holidays in Kuwait in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Kuwait (2026)

Kuwait’s public holidays combine fixed national dates and Islamic holidays based on the lunar calendar, so some 2026 dates may shift slightly once officially confirmed. Use this table as a planning guide and always check final government announcements closer to each holiday.

*Islamic holiday dates are based on the Hijri calendar and may change by one or more days depending on official moon‑sighting decisions in Kuwait.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, under Kuwaiti labour law, employees are generally entitled to full pay on official public holidays, and your company should treat these days as paid rest days unless the employee is required to work. The core public holiday calendar is national rather than regional, so you can apply a single policy across your Kuwait workforce, while staying alert to official circulars that may add or move holidays in a given year.

When a public holiday falls on a weekly rest day (typically Friday, and in many cases Friday–Saturday), the government often announces an alternative observed day. In practice, many employers follow these government decisions and grant the substitute day as a paid holiday to maintain compliance and alignment with market practice.

Part‑time and hourly employees are usually entitled to holiday pay on a pro‑rata basis if the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. If your part‑time staff do not usually work on the holiday date, they are generally not owed an additional paid day, but you should confirm this against the specific terms of their employment contracts and any applicable internal policy.

If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, Kuwaiti labour law typically requires that you either provide an alternative paid rest day or pay a premium rate on top of the employee’s normal wage. Many employers choose to combine both a premium rate and a substitute rest day as a best‑practice approach, but you should verify the exact statutory minimums in the latest version of the Labour Law in the Private Sector and any implementing regulations.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday entitlements can expose your company to complaints, inspections, and financial penalties. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and related authorities are responsible for enforcing labour standards in Kuwait, and they can investigate if employees report that they were denied paid holidays or correct compensation for work performed on those days.

Sanctions may include administrative fines, orders to pay back wages and holiday pay, and, in more serious or repeated cases, suspension of certain business services or difficulties renewing work permits. Courts can also award additional compensation to employees if they bring civil claims for unpaid holiday entitlements.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to provide a substitute rest day when staff work on a holiday, or assuming that part‑time or probationary employees are excluded from holiday pay. Another frequent issue is not updating internal calendars when the government announces an extra day off or shifts a holiday that falls on a weekend. To reduce risk, document your holiday policy clearly, communicate it to employees, and keep records of schedules, attendance, and any premium payments for holiday work.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Kuwait, public holidays interact with working‑time and overtime rules by changing how you calculate hours and pay for those specific days. Hours worked on an official public holiday are generally treated differently from ordinary working days, and employees are usually entitled to a premium rate for holiday work in addition to their normal wage. The exact multiplier can vary depending on the latest legal provisions and any contractual improvements you offer, so you should confirm the current statutory minimum before finalising your policy.

Holiday hours typically do not count as ordinary hours for the purpose of weekly overtime thresholds. Instead, they are compensated separately at the applicable holiday rate, and any additional hours beyond the normal daily or weekly limits may also trigger overtime premiums. For example, if an employee’s standard workweek is already at the legal maximum, any work you require on a public holiday is likely to be treated as premium‑rate work regardless of weekly totals.

Night work, work on weekly rest days, and work on public holidays can each attract different premium rates under Kuwaiti law. When these situations overlap, you may need to apply the highest applicable rate or follow specific statutory rules on how to combine premiums. Because enforcement practice can change, it is safest to adopt a conservative approach that favours the employee and to keep written evidence of how you calculated holiday and overtime pay.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Kuwait’s mix of fixed‑date and lunar‑based holidays can be challenging, especially if you are coordinating teams across multiple countries. Dates for Eid and other Islamic holidays shift every year, government announcements can add observed days, and you still need to make sure pay, overtime, and substitute rest days are handled correctly for every employee type.

Playroll helps you stay ahead of these moving parts by combining local expertise with automated compliance. Our platform tracks official holiday calendars and common practice in Kuwait, updates changes centrally, and applies the right rules to each employee’s pay calculation so you do not have to chase last‑minute circulars or manually adjust payroll.

With Playroll, you can:

Role‑based cost controls – See the impact of Kuwait public holidays on labour costs before you approve schedules or new hires.
Accurate holiday pay – Apply Kuwaiti rules for paid public holidays, substitute rest days, and premium rates when staff work on a holiday.
Consistent policies – Standardise your holiday and leave rules across full‑time, part‑time, and remote employees in Kuwait while staying compliant with local law.
Real‑time updates – Rely on Playroll to reflect official changes to holiday dates and observed days so your payroll stays accurate.
Global visibility – View Kuwait alongside every other country where you employ people, with a single source of truth for public holidays and leave.

If you are hiring or already employing people in Kuwait, Playroll gives you the tools and local insight to manage public holidays confidently, pay your team correctly, and minimise compliance risk without adding extra admin to your plate.