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South Africa working days calculator

South Africa, 2026: 250 working days and 2000 working hours at 8 hours a day. There are 13 national public holidays, 11 of them on working days.

South Africa 2026 at a glance

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Working days
250
Standard hours
2000
Free days
115
Calendar days
365
Holidays in period
13
Free days from holidays
11
Holidays on weekends
2

Today, Sunday 1 November, is not a working day. 209 working days of 2026 have passed and 41 are left.

Public holidays 2026

January

  • 1 Jan Thursday New Year's Day

March

  • 21 Mar Saturday Human Rights Day Weekend

April

  • 3 Apr Friday Good Friday
  • 6 Apr Monday Family Day
  • 27 Apr Monday Freedom Day

May

  • 1 May Friday Workers' Day

June

  • 16 Jun Tuesday Youth Day

August

  • 10 Aug Monday National Women's Day

September

  • 24 Sept Thursday Heritage Day

November

  • 4 Nov Wednesday Election Day Next

December

  • 16 Dec Wednesday Day of Reconciliation
  • 25 Dec Friday Christmas Day
  • 26 Dec Saturday St. Stephen's Day Weekend

Working days and hours by month 2026

Month Working days Hours
January 1 Jan New Year's Day 21 168
February 20 160
March 21 Mar Human Rights Day 22 176
April 3 Apr Good Friday, 6 Apr Family Day, 27 Apr Freedom Day 19 152
May 1 May Workers' Day 20 160
June 16 Jun Youth Day 21 168
July 23 184
August 10 Aug National Women's Day 20 160
September 24 Sep Heritage Day 21 168
October 22 176
November 4 Nov Election Day 20 160
December 16 Dec Day of Reconciliation, 25 Dec Christmas Day, 26 Dec St. Stephen's Day 21 168
Total 250 2000

How it works?

This calculator counts working days, public holidays, and shortened workdays for a selected country and period. A working day is any day outside the weekend (Saturday and Sunday; in Egypt Friday and Saturday) that is not a public holiday. Shortened workdays: in Estonia the working day immediately before New Year's Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas Eve is 3 hours shorter. In Latvia and Lithuania the working day immediately before every public holiday is 1 hour shorter (Latvian Labour Law § 135, Lithuanian Labour Code art. 112).

Holiday data comes from the Nager.Date public holiday database, updated annually.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a working day?

A working day is any day that is neither a weekend day nor a public holiday. In Estonia and most countries the weekend is Saturday and Sunday; in Egypt it is Friday and Saturday.

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What is a shortened workday?

Under § 53 of the Estonian Employment Contracts Act, the working day before New Year's Day, Independence Day (24 February), Victory Day (23 June) and Christmas Eve (24 December) is shortened by three hours. The day shortened is the one immediately before the holiday: if that day is a day off (for example a Sunday), no working day is shortened - the Friday before stays a full day. In Estonia the day before other public holidays is not shortened. In Latvia (Labour Law § 135) and Lithuania (Labour Code art. 112) the working day right before every public holiday is one hour shorter for full-time staff.

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Why don’t some public holidays reduce the working day count?

If a public holiday falls on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday), it does not reduce the working day count, since those days would not be working days regardless.

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How are annual working hours calculated?

Multiply the working days by 8 hours and subtract the shortening for each shortened day - 3 hours in Estonia, 1 hour in Latvia and Lithuania: working days × 8 − shortened days × 3 (or × 1). Monthly norm hours work the same way from that month's working days. For part-time staff, use the agreed daily hours instead of 8.

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Working days and public holidays in other countries