Eggsplainer: your pay this Easter

It’s that time of the year when there seems to be public holidays happening every other week.

Make sure you know what days officially count as public holidays as well as what your rights are when it comes to working (or not working) public holidays.

When are Easter public holidays for 2026?

Easter is one of those public holidays that changes each year because it’s based on the lunar cycle. It also differs state-to-state in Australia.

The following are the official Easter public holiday dates for 2026, depending on which state you’re in.

How do public holidays work for casual employees?

Casual workers are entitled to penalty rates for working on public holidays – usually 250% of your base rate.

Penalty rates are extra payments that you receive on top of your regular wage. They are intended to compensate you for working at inconvenient times, like Easter.

Did you know: penalty rates were introduced in Australia after the union movement campaigned for them back in the 1940s!

What about part-time and full-time employees?

Most full-time employees get the day off on public holidays and are paid the ordinary rate of pay. For part-time employees, you only get paid for the day off if you would normally work that day.

There are instances when your employer can ask that you work the public holiday. If this happens, then their request has to be reasonable, and they also have to pay you penalty rates.

Always check you award or agreement for details specific to your work.

What about daylight saving ending too?

Easter isn’t the only thing happening this weekend: daylight saving ends on Sunday!

Not all of Australia observes daylight saving: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory do; Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not.

For those states and territories that do have daylight saving, the changes generally occur early on a Sunday morning, to minimise disruption to work, school and public transport.

Usually daylight saving ends on the first weekend in April – this is when the local time goes back an hour, at 3am.

This year, that’s this Sunday, 5 April 2026 – which means that after 2.59am, the clock jumps back to 2.00am, in all states and territories other than QLD, WA and NT.

If you’re rostered on when daylight saving ends (and your agreement or award does not have any terms about daylight saving), payment is generally made ‘by the clock’.

This means you work one hour more but are paid for the original rostered hours.

eg. if you’re working an 8 hour shift from 10pm on Saturday, when you finish your shift at 6am on Sunday, you’ll have actually work for 9 hours, but only be paid for 8 hours.

What about other public holidays this year?

Other public holidays during the year can also be different depending on the state or territory you work in, or where your employer is based.

Are you already a union member?

Always reach out to your union for specific information about your rights at work!

Not yet a member?

Joining your union is the most powerful decision you can make to protect your rights at work.