What Are The Public Holidays in South Sudan in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in South Sudan (2026)

South Sudan’s official public holiday calendar is set by government notice and can change, so you should always confirm dates locally each year. The table below lists the core national holidays that are widely recognised for 2026, based on typical annual observance patterns.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in practice South Sudanese labour rules and common employment contracts treat official public holidays as paid days off when they fall on an employee’s normal working day. Where a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is typically observed on the following Monday, and employees who would normally work that Monday are generally entitled to a paid day off.

Because South Sudan’s labour framework is still developing and official guidance can be limited, many employers follow a conservative approach: treat all nationally declared public holidays as paid rest days for full‑time staff and pro‑rate entitlements for part‑time employees based on their usual work schedule. If your employees must work on a public holiday, best practice is to provide either premium pay for the hours worked or a paid day off in lieu, clearly documented in the employment contract or company policy.

Regional variations are limited, as most holidays are declared at national level, but Islamic holidays such as Eid al‑Fitr and Eid al‑Adha may be more widely observed in areas with larger Muslim populations. You should check each year’s government gazette or local authority notices to confirm which days are officially declared as public holidays and how they are to be observed.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

South Sudan’s labour legislation and enforcement institutions are still evolving, and detailed penalty schedules for public holiday violations are not always publicly available. However, failure to honour officially declared public holidays as paid rest days can expose your company to labour inspections, orders to compensate affected employees, and potential administrative fines under general labour‑law enforcement powers.

In practice, disputes are usually raised with the Ministry of Labour or through local labour offices, which can mediate complaints and require employers to pay outstanding wages or benefits. Courts may also award back pay, damages, and interest if employees prove that they were denied pay or rest on public holidays contrary to their contracts or statutory protections. Because the regulatory environment is fluid, the safest approach is to adopt a written holiday policy that meets or exceeds typical local practice and to keep clear records of attendance, pay, and any agreed time off in lieu.

Common mistakes by foreign employers include assuming that only a small subset of holidays are binding, failing to adjust for observed days when holidays fall on Sundays, and not documenting premium pay or compensatory rest for holiday work. Aligning your internal policies with official government announcements each year significantly reduces compliance risk.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

South Sudan does not yet have a widely publicised, detailed statutory framework on how public holidays interact with overtime thresholds, and official practice can vary. As a risk‑averse employer, you should treat hours worked on a public holiday as exceptional and compensate them at a higher rate than ordinary hours, even if the total weekly hours do not exceed your normal overtime trigger.

A common approach is to pay at least a premium rate for holiday work and, where possible, to offer a paid day off in lieu in addition to or instead of the premium. You should clearly define in your contracts and policies how you calculate overtime, how public holiday hours are treated, and what premium applies. This helps avoid disputes and demonstrates good‑faith compliance if your company is audited or if an employee raises a complaint.

Because the legal landscape is still developing, you should also monitor any new labour regulations or ministerial orders that clarify overtime and holiday pay, and update your policies promptly when changes occur.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing public holidays in South Sudan can be challenging when regulations are evolving and official announcements often come late in the year. Playroll helps your company stay ahead of these changes by centralising local holiday calendars, tracking government updates, and automatically reflecting new or shifted public holidays in your payroll and leave workflows.

With Playroll, you can configure South Sudan‑specific rules for paid public holidays, observed days when holidays fall on Sundays, and premium pay or time‑off‑in‑lieu for employees who work on those days. Your global HR team gets a single source of truth for who is off, who is working, and what they should be paid, without having to manually recalculate entitlements every time the government issues a new notice.

Our in‑country experts monitor legal developments and common practice in South Sudan so your contracts, policies, and payroll settings stay aligned with local expectations. That means fewer compliance surprises, smoother audits, and a better employee experience for your team on the ground. If you are hiring or scaling in South Sudan, Playroll gives you the tools and local insight you need to manage public holidays and leave with confidence.