Is today a public holiday in Poland?

Labour Code, Statutory Rest Days & Financial Clearing Rails

In Poland, official public holidays are governed under the Act of 18 January 1951 on Non-Working Days (Ustawa o dniach wolnych od pracy), alongside provisions of the Labour Code (Kodeks pracy) enforced by the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy - PIP). Following parliamentary amendments, Poland recognizes 14 statutory non-working holidays per calendar year.

Under revised legislation, Christmas Eve (Wigilia Bożego Narodzenia, 24 December) is officially designated as a full statutory non-working day, joining New Year's Day (1 Jan), Epiphany (Trzech Króli, 6 Jan), Easter Sunday and Monday, Labour Day (1 May), Constitution Day (Święto Narodowe Trzeciego Maja, 3 May), Pentecost (Zielone Świątki), Corpus Christi (Boże Ciało), Assumption / Polish Army Day (15 August), All Saints' Day (1 November), Independence Day (11 November), and Christmas (25 and 26 December).

The Saturday Rule: Article 130 § 2 of the Labour Code

Unlike countries where weekend holidays are absorbed and lost, Polish employment law features a statutory mechanism for holidays falling on a Saturday. Under Article 130 § 2 of the Labour Code, "each holiday occurring in the settlement period and falling on a day other than Sunday reduces the working time dimension by 8 hours."

Because full-time employment schedules are based on an average 5-day working week (with Saturday designated as the standard non-working day), an employer must grant an additional paid day off for any statutory holiday that falls on a Saturday:

• Two Saturday Holidays in 2026: In 2026, Assumption Day (15 August 2026) and the Second Day of Christmas (26 December 2026) both fall on Saturdays. Polish employers are legally mandated to grant employees two compensatory days off within the applicable settlement period (okres rozliczeniowy).
• Sundays Excluded: Holidays that fall on a Sunday (such as Easter Sunday, Pentecost, or fixed dates falling on Sundays) do not reduce the working time dimension, and employers have no obligation to provide a substitute day off.

Holiday Work Permissions & The 100% Surcharge Rule

Under Article 151¹⁰ of the Labour Code, work on statutory public holidays is legally prohibited, except in designated essential activities (including emergency rescue, healthcare, utilities, continuous manufacturing, transport, hospitality, and civil protection).

Under Article 151¹¹, when an employee in an authorized sector is required to work on a statutory public holiday, the employer must provide a statutory remedy:

1. Grant an alternative day off within the settlement period (or within 21 days following the holiday if work was performed on a Sunday); or
2. If providing an alternative day off is not operationally feasible, pay the employee a statutory wage supplement of 100% (dodatek 100%) for every hour worked on the holiday, on top of their regular base pay.

Sunday & Holiday Trading Ban (Ustawa o ograniczeniu handlu)

Retail commerce in Poland is strictly restricted under the Act of 10 January 2018 on the Limitation of Trade on Sundays and Public Holidays:

• Mandatory Closures: All supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail stores, and commercial mall outlets are legally prohibited from trading on all 14 statutory holidays and on non-shopping Sundays.
• Authorized Exceptions: Stores may open only if the entrepreneur operates behind the counter personally (e.g., franchised convenience stores like Żabka), or if the business qualifies as a petrol station, pharmacy, floral shop, press kiosk, or transit hub outlet. Check our detailed guide on What Stays Open on Public Holidays.
• Shopping Sundays (Niedziele Handlowe): Limited to 7 or 8 designated Sundays per year (including Sundays preceding Easter and Christmas, and the last Sundays of January, April, June, and August).

Banking Clearing Rails: NBP SORBNET2 & KIR Elixir

Financial infrastructure in Poland is operated by the central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski (NBP), and the National Clearing House (Krajowa Izba Rozliczeniowa - KIR):

• Wholesale & Standard Retail Settlement: NBP's high-value RTGS system (SORBNET2) and KIR's standard batch clearing system (ELIXIR) operate three clearing sessions per business day, Monday through Friday. Both systems pause entirely on statutory non-working holidays. Payroll batches or commercial invoice payments submitted on a holiday execute on the morning of the next operational business day. Calculate business days with our Working Days Calculator.
• Instant Transfers (Express Elixir & BLIK): Operated by KIR and PSP (Polski Standard Płatności), Express Elixir and BLIK run 24/7/365. Instant account-to-account transfers and retail mobile payments clear within seconds regardless of public holidays or weekend branch closures.

Warsaw Stock Exchange (Giełda Papierów Wartościowych - GPW)

The Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW) halts equity, bond, and derivative trading on all 14 statutory non-working days. On Christmas Eve (24 December) and New Year's Eve (31 December), GPW trading sessions are either completely suspended or operate under shortened hours in accordance with the annual management board resolution.

Poland Payment Rails, Exchange Cutoffs & Statutory Pay Matrix (2026–2027)

When a statutory public holiday or in-lieu bank holiday occurs in Poland, commercial banking counters, central bank real-time gross settlement (RTGS) rails, and retail instant payment systems follow distinct operational rules:

Key 2026 vs. 2027 Holiday Date Shifts & Bridge-Day Planning in Poland

Because fixed calendar holidays shift one weekday forward between 2026 and 2027 (and movable lunar or liturgical holidays shift by 10 to 15 days), HR teams, payroll processors, and employees in Poland should account for the following 2026–2027 date comparisons and leave-bridge opportunities: