What Are The Public Holidays in Malta in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Malta (2026)

Malta has a single, nationwide list of public holidays that applies to all regions and sectors. Use the table below to plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your Maltese team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Maltese law requires that public holidays are treated as paid days of rest for employees, and your company must either grant paid time off on these days or provide equivalent compensation. The national list of public holidays applies across all of Malta, with no regional variations, so every employee in Malta is covered by the same calendar.

For full-time employees, public holidays are generally paid at the normal basic rate when the employee is not required to work. If a public holiday falls on a day when the employee would normally work, they are entitled to a paid day off. When a public holiday falls on a weekend or on a day when the employee is not normally scheduled to work, Maltese rules and practice typically grant an equivalent day of paid vacation or an addition to the employee's annual leave entitlement, so that employees do not lose out on their holiday benefit.

Part-time employees are also entitled to public holiday benefits on a pro rata basis, usually calculated according to their average weekly hours. If your part-time staff would normally work on a day that is a public holiday, they should receive paid leave for the hours they would have worked, or equivalent compensation in line with Maltese employment law and any applicable collective agreements.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are usually entitled to their normal pay for the hours worked plus additional compensation, such as a premium rate or time off in lieu. The exact arrangement can depend on the sector, the individual employment contract, and any collective agreement, but you should ensure that working on a public holiday is clearly documented and compensated fairly and transparently.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failing to respect public holiday rights in Malta can expose your company to administrative fines and enforcement action. Employment standards in Malta are primarily enforced by the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER), which can investigate complaints, audit records, and order corrective measures when employers do not comply with holiday and leave rules.

Penalties can include financial fines per infringement, back payment of wages and holiday entitlements, and, in more serious or repeated cases, prosecution. Employees can also bring claims before the Industrial Tribunal or the courts for unpaid holiday pay or unlawful deductions, which can lead to awards of arrears, interest, and in some cases additional compensation.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid days off, failing to credit employees with equivalent leave when holidays fall on weekends, not applying pro rata entitlements for part-time staff, and not paying the correct rate when employees work on a public holiday. Keeping accurate time and pay records, and documenting how you handle public holidays in contracts and policies, is essential to demonstrate compliance if you are audited or challenged.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Malta can affect how you calculate working time and overtime, particularly when employees work on a holiday or when a holiday falls within a week of heavy workloads. When an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are generally treated as work performed on a day that should have been a paid day of rest, so they are often compensated at a premium rate or combined with time off in lieu, in addition to any overtime that might be due under Maltese working time rules.

Overtime thresholds in Malta are usually based on weekly working hours and the employee's normal schedule. If a public holiday falls on a normal working day and the employee does not work, it is treated as paid rest and does not count as working time. If the employee does work on that day, the hours worked count toward the weekly total and may trigger overtime if they exceed the standard working hours set out in the contract or in law, on top of any holiday premium that applies.

Because sectoral rules and collective agreements can set different overtime and premium pay arrangements, you should always check the specific terms that apply to your Maltese workforce. The safest approach is to ensure that hours worked on public holidays are clearly tracked and that any premium pay or time off in lieu is applied consistently and documented in payslips and internal records.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Malta's public holidays and leave rules doesn’t have to be complex. Playroll keeps you 100% compliant by automatically tracking local holidays, observed days, and pay requirements –  so your team is paid correctly and on time, every time.

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a growing team, Playroll lets you employ talent without setting up a local entity. We handle compliant contracts, benefits, and payroll in one platform, so you can reduce compliance risk and focus on growing your business while we take care of the heavy-lifting in the background. Book a chat with our team to get started.