What Are The Public Holidays in Mali in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Mali (2026)

Below is an overview of the main national public holidays in Mali for 2026 so you can plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your Malian team with confidence.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes – under Malian labour practice, public holidays that fall on an employee's normal working day are generally treated as paid days off. Employees keep their usual basic pay for the day, and you should not reduce monthly or weekly wages because of a public holiday. Where a holiday falls on a non-working day, such as a weekend, there is no single nationwide rule requiring you to grant an additional weekday off, but many employers follow collective agreements or internal policies to provide a substitute day, especially for major national holidays.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to compensatory rest and/or premium pay, often set out in collective bargaining agreements, company policies, or individual contracts. Part-time staff should receive public holiday pay on a pro‑rata basis when the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. Where your operations span different regions or include both Muslim and Christian staff, it is common to align paid holidays with the official national calendar and then grant additional religious observance days by agreement or internal policy.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rules in Mali can expose your company to labour inspections, administrative fines, and potential back‑pay orders. The labour inspectorate is responsible for monitoring compliance with working time and holiday rules, and can require you to correct non‑compliant practices, pay outstanding wages, and adjust internal policies.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, not applying premium pay or compensatory rest when staff work on a holiday, and inconsistently applying rules between local and expatriate employees. Disputes can be raised by employees before the labour inspector or the competent courts, which may award unpaid wages, damages, and interest. Because enforcement practice and penalty levels can change, you should work with local counsel or a trusted employer‑of‑record partner to confirm the latest requirements before setting your holiday policy.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Mali generally do not count as normal working days when calculating standard working time. If an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are usually treated as exceptional and may attract a higher pay rate than ordinary overtime, depending on the applicable collective agreement or contract. In practice, many employers either pay a premium rate for holiday work or grant equivalent time off in lieu so that total weekly working time remains within legal limits.

When a holiday falls during a week in which an employee otherwise works their usual schedule, you should not use the non‑worked holiday hours to argue that the employee has not reached the overtime threshold. Instead, calculate overtime based on the normal weekly working hours that would have applied if the holiday had been a regular workday, and then apply any agreed premium for hours actually worked on the holiday itself. Because specific percentages and thresholds can vary by sector and agreement, always check the rules that apply to your industry in Mali.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing public holidays and leave rules in Mali 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.