What Are The Public Holidays in Puerto Rico in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Puerto Rico (2026)

Puerto Rico observes a broad set of U.S. federal and Puerto Rico‑specific public holidays. Use this 2026 holiday list to plan staffing, leave approvals, and payroll for your Puerto Rico‑based team.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Puerto Rico law generally treats most statutory public holidays as paid rest days for eligible employees, but the exact entitlement depends on the type of employee, their schedule, and whether the business is covered by Puerto Rico’s special Sunday and holiday trading rules. Many office‑based employees receive the day off with regular pay when a public holiday falls on a scheduled workday. When employees are required to work on certain protected holidays, Puerto Rico law typically requires premium pay on top of the regular rate, often double pay for hours worked on designated legal holidays, subject to specific exemptions and industry rules.

Part‑time and hourly employees may also be entitled to holiday pay if they regularly work on the day of the week on which the holiday falls and meet minimum hours or tenure thresholds set by local law or collective agreements. If a holiday falls on a non‑working day, employers commonly follow local practice and internal policy to grant either no additional day or a substitute day off, but you should set this out clearly in your Puerto Rico handbook and employment contracts so employees understand how observed days work in your company.

Because Puerto Rico’s holiday and premium pay rules interact with U.S. federal law and local special laws on commercial establishments, you should confirm with local counsel or a payroll provider which holidays trigger mandatory paid rest or premium pay for your specific business type.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

If your company fails to provide required paid holiday rest or premium pay in Puerto Rico, you can face wage‑and‑hour claims, back‑pay orders, and monetary penalties. Claims are typically handled through Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor and Human Resources and the local courts, which can order payment of unpaid wages, premium differentials, and, in some cases, additional sums such as interest or statutory penalties.

Common employer mistakes include misclassifying employees as exempt from holiday rules, failing to pay the correct premium rate when staff work on protected holidays, and applying a U.S. mainland holiday policy without adapting it to Puerto Rico’s specific statutory holidays. Another frequent issue is inconsistent treatment of part‑time or temporary staff, which can lead to discrimination or equal‑treatment complaints if holiday benefits are not applied according to objective criteria.

To reduce risk, document your Puerto Rico holiday policy in writing, apply it consistently, and ensure your timekeeping and payroll systems can flag work performed on statutory holidays so the correct pay multipliers are applied.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Puerto Rico, overtime is primarily calculated based on hours worked, not on the mere occurrence of a holiday. U.S. federal Fair Labor Standards Act rules apply alongside Puerto Rico’s local wage‑and‑hour laws, which can be more protective. Hours worked on a public holiday count as hours worked for overtime purposes, and if an employee exceeds the daily or weekly overtime thresholds, those hours must be paid at the applicable overtime rate, regardless of whether the day is a holiday.

For certain designated holidays, Puerto Rico law may require a premium rate for all hours worked on that day, which is separate from and in addition to any overtime premium owed for exceeding daily or weekly limits. In practice, this can mean that an employee working long hours on a protected holiday is entitled both to holiday premium pay and to overtime pay, calculated according to the hierarchy of rates set out in local law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Because the interaction between holiday premiums and overtime can be complex, especially for shift‑based operations and retail establishments, you should configure your payroll system specifically for Puerto Rico and periodically audit holiday‑week payrolls to confirm that all multipliers are applied correctly.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Puerto Rico’s mix of U.S. federal and local public holidays on top of overtime, premium pay, and leave rules can quickly become a headache if you are coordinating everything from abroad. Playroll helps you simplify this by acting as your local compliance engine for Puerto Rico‑based employees.

With Playroll, you can onboard employees in Puerto Rico, apply the correct statutory holidays, and automate holiday pay calculations in line with local law and best practice. Our platform keeps track of which holidays are observed, which require premium pay when worked, and how they interact with overtime, so your team is paid accurately without manual spreadsheet work.

You stay in control of your headcount and budget while Playroll handles the complexity of Puerto Rico payroll, including:

• Applying Puerto Rico‑specific public holidays and observed days
• Calculating statutory holiday and overtime premiums where required
• Syncing time‑off requests with local holiday calendars
• Generating compliant payslips and records for audits
• Updating your settings when local rules or holiday practices change

If you are hiring or already employing people in Puerto Rico, Playroll gives you a straightforward way to stay compliant with holiday and leave regulations while offering a competitive, locally aligned benefits experience to your team.