What Are The Public Holidays in Sweden in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Sweden (2026)

Sweden has a mix of fixed and movable public holidays tied to both the calendar year and the Christian liturgical calendar. Use the table below to plan staffing, leave, and pay for your Swedish team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in practice Swedish employers generally have to treat public holidays as paid days off for employees who would normally work that day, but the details come from collective bargaining agreements and individual contracts rather than a single public holiday statute. If a public holiday falls on a day when an employee is regularly scheduled to work, they are usually entitled to keep their normal pay even though they do not work, provided they are otherwise entitled to salary for that period.

Sweden’s system is highly collective‑agreement driven. Sectoral and company‑level agreements typically specify which public holidays are non‑working days, how pay is handled, and whether additional “bridge days” are granted. For white‑collar salaried staff, public holidays that fall on a weekday are normally treated as paid non‑working days. For hourly and shift workers, the agreement may provide either paid time off, a guaranteed number of paid hours, or enhanced pay if they work on the holiday.

There are no regional public holiday differences – the list of public holidays is national. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is generally observed on that calendar day without an extra weekday in lieu, so you do not usually need to grant an additional day off. Part‑time employees are typically treated proportionally: if the holiday falls on a day they would otherwise have worked, they receive pay or time off in line with their normal schedule and the applicable collective agreement.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, collective agreements usually provide premium pay and/or compensatory time off. You should always check the specific agreement that covers your Swedish employees, because the exact entitlements, qualifying conditions, and treatment of holiday work can vary by industry.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Sweden does not have a single statute that directly fines employers for failing to provide paid public holidays, but you can still face legal and financial consequences if you ignore the rules set out in collective agreements and the Annual Leave Act. The Swedish Work Environment Authority and the Swedish National Mediation Office, together with the labour courts, play key roles in enforcing labour standards and resolving disputes.

If you are bound by a collective bargaining agreement and fail to provide the agreed public holiday benefits, the relevant trade union can bring a claim. The Labour Court can order you to pay the unpaid wages or benefits plus general damages and contractual penalties. Repeated or intentional breaches can significantly increase the amounts involved, especially for larger workforces.

Common employer mistakes include assuming that Swedish law works like other EU systems with automatic statutory public holiday pay, overlooking that a foreign parent company may still be bound by a Swedish collective agreement, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors to avoid holiday and leave obligations. Another frequent issue is treating part‑time or hourly staff less favourably than full‑time employees in ways that conflict with the applicable agreement or anti‑discrimination rules.

To reduce risk, you should map which collective agreements apply, ensure your payroll system correctly recognises public holidays, and document how holiday work and compensatory time are handled. When in doubt, seek local legal or HR advice before changing public holiday practices.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Sweden can affect overtime and premium pay, but again the details are largely governed by collective agreements rather than a single national overtime rule. Most agreements treat hours worked on a public holiday as “unsocial” or “inconvenient” hours that attract higher pay than ordinary weekday work.

Typically, overtime thresholds are based on the employee’s agreed weekly or daily working hours. If an employee works on a public holiday that would otherwise have been a non‑working day, those hours may be paid at a premium rate from the first hour, regardless of whether the employee has exceeded their normal weekly hours. Common structures include 50–100% pay premiums for holiday work, and sometimes even higher rates for night or weekend holiday shifts.

For salaried staff, overtime on public holidays may be compensated with both premium pay and additional time off, or in some cases only with compensatory leave, depending on the agreement and the employee’s position. Senior managers may be excluded from formal overtime rules but can still negotiate individual arrangements for holiday work.

Because the rules are agreement‑driven, your company should review the exact wording of the applicable collective agreement to understand: whether public holiday work always attracts a premium, how overtime is defined and calculated when a holiday falls within the workweek, and whether employees can choose between extra pay and time off in lieu. Aligning your scheduling and payroll systems with these rules is essential to avoid underpayment claims.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing Sweden'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.