What Are The Public Holidays in Lesotho in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Lesotho (2026)

Lesotho recognises a set of national public holidays that apply across the entire country, with Christian religious holidays following the Western calendar. Use the table below to plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your Lesotho team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Lesotho labour law generally requires that public holidays be treated as paid days off for employees who would normally be scheduled to work on those days. In practice, if a public holiday falls on a day that is part of an employee's regular working week, the day is paid at the employee's normal rate, provided they are otherwise entitled to wages for that period.

Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it is commonly observed on the following Monday so that employees still receive a full holiday. Your company should check any applicable collective agreements or contracts, as they may provide more generous terms than the statutory baseline.

Part‑time employees are usually entitled to paid public holidays on a pro‑rata basis when the holiday falls on a day they would ordinarily work. If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to premium pay or an alternative paid day off, depending on the contract or sectoral practice. Because specific rates and entitlements can vary by industry and agreement, you should confirm the exact obligations with local legal counsel or your employer of record.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to honour public holiday entitlements in Lesotho can expose your company to labour inspections, orders to pay arrears, and administrative penalties. The labour authorities and labour courts can require employers to compensate employees for unpaid public holiday wages, including any underpaid premium rates, and may impose fines for non‑compliance with the Labour Code.

Common mistakes by foreign employers include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, not applying the correct pay when employees work on a holiday, and failing to recognise the observed Monday when a holiday falls on a Sunday. To reduce risk, keep clear records of work schedules, holiday calendars, and payroll calculations, and ensure your local HR or payroll partner is tracking statutory changes.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Lesotho interact with overtime in two main ways: they are generally not counted as ordinary working days for weekly hour calculations, and work performed on a public holiday is usually paid at a premium rate or offset with additional paid time off. While the Labour Code sets general limits on normal working hours and overtime, specific multipliers for holiday work can be set by contract, company policy, or collective agreements.

In practice, many employers treat hours worked on a public holiday as overtime from the first hour, applying a higher‑than‑normal rate. If a holiday falls within an employee's regular workweek and they do not work, the day is paid at the normal rate and does not reduce their overtime threshold. Because rules and practices can differ by sector, the safest approach is to define holiday‑work premiums clearly in your employment contracts and align them with local legal advice.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Lesotho's public holidays from abroad can be tricky, especially when you are juggling different calendars, observed days, and local pay practices. Playroll helps you handle all of this in one place so your team gets the right entitlements and you stay compliant without extra admin.

With Playroll, you can onboard employees in Lesotho, apply the correct public holiday calendar automatically, and ensure that paid leave and premium pay are calculated in line with local expectations. Our in‑country experts monitor changes to labour rules and public holidays, so if the law or practice shifts, your contracts and payroll settings can be updated quickly.

Instead of building your own local HR and payroll infrastructure, you can rely on Playroll to manage employment contracts, payslips, statutory contributions, and leave tracking for your Lesotho hires. That means fewer compliance surprises, happier employees who are paid correctly for public holidays, and more time for your team to focus on growth rather than regulations.