What Are The Public Holidays in Myanmar in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Myanmar (2026)

Myanmar’s public holiday calendar combines fixed national days with multi‑day Buddhist and traditional festivals. Below is an indicative list of the main nationwide public holidays in 2026 that your company should plan around when scheduling work and leave.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, under Myanmar labour practice, public holidays are generally treated as paid days off for employees, and you should not deduct them from annual leave. Where a holiday falls on a Sunday, the government typically declares the following Monday as an additional paid day off, and you should treat that observed day as a public holiday for pay and scheduling purposes.

If your employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are usually entitled to premium pay on top of their normal wages. The exact rate and calculation can depend on the applicable labour law framework, any sector‑specific rules, and the employment contract, so you should confirm the current statutory rate locally and reflect it clearly in your Myanmar contracts and payroll settings.

Part‑time employees and those on irregular schedules are generally entitled to public holiday benefits on a pro‑rata basis, aligned with their normal working pattern. For example, if a part‑time employee is not normally scheduled on the day a holiday falls, there may be no additional entitlement, but if they are scheduled, they should receive the same public holiday protections as full‑time staff.

Because Myanmar’s labour regulations and official holiday notifications can change, especially around multi‑day Buddhist festivals, you should always check the latest government gazette or consult a local advisor each year to confirm the final list of paid public holidays and any special observance rules.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Myanmar’s labour authorities can impose administrative penalties if employers fail to comply with public holiday and wage requirements. This can include fines for not granting paid public holidays, underpaying staff who work on holidays, or failing to follow an official notification about observed days when holidays fall on Sundays.

Enforcement is typically handled by labour inspectors and relevant departments under the Ministry of Labour. They can investigate complaints from employees, review time‑and‑pay records, and order corrective payments where underpayments are found. In serious or repeated cases, non‑compliance can also expose your company to reputational risk, disputes, and potential litigation.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as part of annual leave, not updating payroll when the government extends Thingyan or other festival holidays, and failing to apply premium pay when staff work on a declared holiday. To reduce risk, keep clear written policies, maintain accurate attendance and payroll records, and ensure your local managers understand which days are official public holidays each year.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Myanmar, work performed on a public holiday is generally treated differently from ordinary working days. Employees who work on a public holiday are usually entitled to premium pay, which is calculated separately from standard overtime on regular days. In practice, this means you should track hours worked on public holidays distinctly in your timekeeping system so that payroll can apply the correct multiplier.

Public holiday work can also interact with weekly working‑time limits. If an employee works on a public holiday in addition to their normal weekly hours, some or all of those hours may count as overtime and attract both overtime and holiday premiums, depending on the applicable rules and any collective or contractual arrangements. Because the precise calculations can be technical and are subject to local regulations, you should confirm the current overtime and holiday‑pay rules with a Myanmar labour specialist and configure your payroll system accordingly.

Where practice is unclear or guidance is evolving, the safest approach is to apply the more generous interpretation in favour of the employee, document your methodology, and ensure it is applied consistently across your Myanmar workforce.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Myanmar’s mix of fixed‑date holidays and multi‑day religious festivals can be challenging, especially when you are coordinating teams across several countries. Playroll helps you stay ahead of changing public holiday notifications, premium pay rules, and observed days so your company remains compliant without adding extra admin to your HR team.

With Playroll, you can hire and pay employees in Myanmar as easily as you do in your home country. Our platform and in‑country experts help you:

• Set up locally compliant employment contracts that reflect Myanmar public holiday and overtime rules
• Automatically apply paid public holidays and observed days in your payroll runs
• Configure premium pay for work on public holidays in line with current Myanmar practice
• Keep up to date with annual government announcements on Thingyan and other festival holidays
• Reduce the risk of fines and disputes by centralising records of hours, leave, and holiday pay

Playroll acts as your local compliance partner, so you can focus on building your Myanmar team while we handle the complexity of public holidays, leave, and payroll regulations in the background.