What Are The Public Holidays in Mali in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Mali (2026)

Below is an overview of the main national public holidays in Mali for 2026 so you can plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your Malian team with confidence.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes – under Malian labour practice, public holidays that fall on an employee's normal working day are generally treated as paid days off. Employees keep their usual basic pay for the day, and you should not reduce monthly or weekly wages because of a public holiday. Where a holiday falls on a non-working day, such as a weekend, there is no single nationwide rule requiring you to grant an additional weekday off, but many employers follow collective agreements or internal policies to provide a substitute day, especially for major national holidays.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to compensatory rest and/or premium pay, often set out in collective bargaining agreements, company policies, or individual contracts. Part-time staff should receive public holiday pay on a pro‑rata basis when the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. Where your operations span different regions or include both Muslim and Christian staff, it is common to align paid holidays with the official national calendar and then grant additional religious observance days by agreement or internal policy.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rules in Mali can expose your company to labour inspections, administrative fines, and potential back‑pay orders. The labour inspectorate is responsible for monitoring compliance with working time and holiday rules, and can require you to correct non‑compliant practices, pay outstanding wages, and adjust internal policies.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, not applying premium pay or compensatory rest when staff work on a holiday, and inconsistently applying rules between local and expatriate employees. Disputes can be raised by employees before the labour inspector or the competent courts, which may award unpaid wages, damages, and interest. Because enforcement practice and penalty levels can change, you should work with local counsel or a trusted employer‑of‑record partner to confirm the latest requirements before setting your holiday policy.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Mali generally do not count as normal working days when calculating standard working time. If an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are usually treated as exceptional and may attract a higher pay rate than ordinary overtime, depending on the applicable collective agreement or contract. In practice, many employers either pay a premium rate for holiday work or grant equivalent time off in lieu so that total weekly working time remains within legal limits.

When a holiday falls during a week in which an employee otherwise works their usual schedule, you should not use the non‑worked holiday hours to argue that the employee has not reached the overtime threshold. Instead, calculate overtime based on the normal weekly working hours that would have applied if the holiday had been a regular workday, and then apply any agreed premium for hours actually worked on the holiday itself. Because specific percentages and thresholds can vary by sector and agreement, always check the rules that apply to your industry in Mali.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Navigating Mali's mix of national and religious holidays, shifting lunar‑based dates, and sector‑specific rules can be challenging if you are managing a distributed team from abroad. Playroll helps you stay compliant by combining local legal expertise with automated workflows that keep your holiday and leave policies aligned with Malian requirements.

When you hire through Playroll in Mali, we act as the legal employer of record, making sure your contracts, working time rules, and public holiday practices follow local law and common practice. Our platform keeps track of official Malian public holidays, updates for changing Islamic holiday dates, and regional observances so your payroll, scheduling, and leave approvals stay accurate without manual tracking.

You can configure company‑wide policies for substitute days, premium pay for holiday work, and additional religious observance days, while we handle the local compliance checks in the background. That means fewer disputes about pay, fewer surprises during labour inspections, and a smoother experience for your Malian employees.

If you are planning to expand or scale your team in Mali, Playroll gives you a single, easy‑to‑use system to manage hiring, contracts, payroll, and time off – all while staying aligned with Malian labour standards on public holidays and leave.