What Are The Public Holidays in Sierra Leone in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Sierra Leone (2026)

Use this overview of Sierra Leone’s 2026 public holidays to plan staffing, leave approvals, and payroll for your team throughout the year.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in practice employers in Sierra Leone are generally expected to treat statutory public holidays as paid days off for employees who would normally work on those days. Public holidays are nationwide rather than regional, so the same core list applies across the country, although the exact dates of Islamic holidays are confirmed by government announcement closer to the time.

Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it is typically observed on the following Monday, and employees who normally work Monday are usually entitled to that observed day as a paid holiday. Part‑time employees should receive paid holiday leave on a pro‑rated basis if the holiday falls on a day they are regularly scheduled to work.

If employees are required to work on a public holiday, many employers provide either an alternative paid day off or premium pay under company policy or collective agreements. Because detailed statutory rules can change and may be interpreted differently, you should confirm specific entitlements in local contracts and, where needed, with a Sierra Leonean legal adviser.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rights can expose your company to claims for unpaid wages, breach of contract, and potential sanctions from Sierra Leone’s labour authorities. Employees may bring complaints to the Ministry of Labour or through the courts, which can order payment of arrears, interest, and in some cases additional compensation.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as normal working days without compensating staff, failing to pay employees who are not scheduled because the business is closed, and overlooking pro‑rated entitlements for part‑time or casual workers. Because enforcement practice and penalties can evolve, the safest approach is to document your holiday policy clearly, align it with current local law, and keep records of hours worked and holiday pay for all employees.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Sierra Leone do not automatically change the standard weekly working‑time thresholds, but they do affect how you calculate pay and overtime for affected weeks. If an employee does not work on a public holiday and receives full pay, those hours are treated as paid non‑working time and should not count as overtime.

When employees work on a public holiday, many employers apply a premium rate for those hours or grant a paid day off in lieu, based on internal policy or collective agreements. To stay on the safe side, you should treat holiday work as exceptional and compensate it more favourably than ordinary hours, while ensuring that total weekly hours still comply with any maximums set in contracts or sector rules. Because Sierra Leone’s labour framework is developing and detailed overtime rules can vary by contract, it is prudent to obtain local legal advice for complex scheduling or shift‑based operations.

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