What Are The Public Holidays in Guadeloupe in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Guadeloupe (2026)

Guadeloupe follows the French public holiday calendar, with public holidays observed on their calendar date even when they fall on a weekend. Use this list to plan staffing, leave approvals, and payroll for your Guadeloupe‑based team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in Guadeloupe, which follows French labour law as an overseas department, public holidays are generally treated as paid rest days for employees, with specific protections for May 1 (Labour Day). When a public holiday falls on a day the employee would normally work, employees who are eligible under French law are entitled to maintain their usual pay if they are given the day off. May 1 is a mandatory paid holiday, and work on that day is tightly restricted and usually allowed only in sectors where continuous activity is necessary, with enhanced compensation.

For other public holidays, whether your company must grant a paid day off can depend on the applicable collective bargaining agreement, company policy, and the employee’s length of service. Part‑time employees are generally treated proportionally: if the holiday falls on a scheduled working day, they are entitled to paid rest under the same conditions as comparable full‑time staff. If your operations require staff to work on a public holiday, you typically must provide either compensatory rest or premium pay in line with the relevant collective agreement or company‑level arrangements.

Public holidays are observed on the calendar date and are not automatically moved when they fall on a weekend. In practice, many employers in Guadeloupe align with French metropolitan standards and local collective agreements, so you should always check the specific convention collective that applies to your employees.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rules in Guadeloupe exposes your company to the same enforcement mechanisms that apply in mainland France. The French Labour Inspectorate can investigate complaints about unpaid public holidays, unlawful work on May 1, or failure to respect collective agreement provisions. If they find non‑compliance, they can issue formal warnings, require corrective action, and refer cases for administrative fines or, in serious or repeated cases, criminal penalties.

Employees can also bring individual claims before the labour courts to recover unpaid wages, premium pay, or compensatory rest linked to public holidays. Courts may award back pay, damages, and interest, and can scrutinise your time‑keeping and payroll records. Common employer mistakes include treating May 1 as an ordinary holiday without the special protections it carries, failing to apply the more generous terms of a sectoral collective agreement, and inconsistently granting paid holidays to different categories of staff, which can raise discrimination issues.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Guadeloupe, overtime thresholds and calculations follow French rules. Public holidays that are treated as paid rest days do not count as hours worked when assessing whether an employee has exceeded the standard weekly working time. If an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are counted as actual working time and may trigger overtime once the legal or contractual thresholds are exceeded.

Overtime worked on a public holiday is usually paid at a premium rate, with the exact uplift determined by the French Labour Code and any applicable collective agreement. Many agreements provide higher‑than‑standard premiums or compensatory rest when work is performed on public holidays, especially on May 1. Because these rules can vary by sector, the safest approach is to check the convention collective for your employees and configure your payroll system so that public holiday hours are flagged and costed correctly.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing public holidays and leave rules in Guadeloupe 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.