France Public Holidays 2026: Pay Rules & Employer Guide
France public holidays 2026: dates, pay rules & employer guide
Key takeaways
- France has 11 national public holidays (jours fériés légaux) in 2026 under Code du travail Article L3133-1.
- Only 1 May is legally mandated as a non-working day for all employees; the other 10 holidays are non-working only if a convention collective, branch agreement, company agreement, or employer decision provides for it.
- Working on 1 May is subject to mandatory double pay (doublement de salaire) under L3133-6 — this cannot be replaced by rest and no collective agreement can override it.
- Employees in Alsace-Moselle (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle) observe 13 public holidays. France does not automatically transfer weekend holidays to the following Monday.
Key facts at a glance
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| National public holidays | 11 (jours fériés légaux) |
| Alsace-Moselle | 13 (+ Good Friday + St Stephen's Day) |
| Year covered | 2026 |
| Governing law | Code du travail Articles L3133-1 to L3133-12 |
| Only mandatory non-working holiday | 1 May only — Code du travail L3133-4 |
| Working on 1 May | Mandatory double pay (doublement de salaire) — cannot be replaced by rest |
| Pay on non-working holidays | Full pay for employees with ≥3 months' seniority (L3133-3) |
| No Sunday transfer rule | France does NOT auto-transfer weekend holidays |
| Official source | service-public.gouv.fr |
Introduction
France has 11 national public holidays (jours fériés légaux) in 2026, established by Article L3133-1 of the Code du travail. Among these, only 1 May is obligatorily non-working for all employees across all companies and categories. The other public holidays are non-working only if so provided by a convention collective, a branch agreement, a company or establishment agreement, or — in the absence of any agreement — by the employer's own decision.
This layered structure makes France distinctly different from its neighbours. The employer has genuine discretion over 10 of the 11 holidays, subject to any applicable convention collective. For international employers hiring French staff, identifying which convention collective governs their sector is the essential starting point for compliance.
Public holidays in France 2026
National holidays — Mainland France (France métropolitaine) 11 Holidays
The following 11 holidays are established by Code du travail Article L3133-1 and confirmed by service-public.gouv.fr for 2026.
| Date | Day | Holiday (English) | French Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day | Jour de l'An | |
| 6 Apr | Monday | Easter Monday | Lundi de Pâques | |
| 1 May | Friday | Labour Day | Fête du Travail | Only mandatory holiday — double pay if worked |
| 8 May | Friday | Victory in Europe Day | Victoire 1945 | 4-day weekend opportunity |
| 14 May | Thursday | Ascension Day | Ascension | Pont opportunity on Friday 15 May |
| 25 May | Monday | Whit Monday | Lundi de Pentecôte | Often used as journée de solidarité |
| 14 Jul | Tuesday | Bastille Day / National Day | Fête nationale | |
| 15 Aug | Saturday | Assumption of the Virgin | Assomption | Saturday — no automatic transfer |
| 1 Nov | Sunday | All Saints' Day | Toussaint | Sunday — no automatic transfer |
| 11 Nov | Wednesday | Armistice Day | Armistice 1918 | |
| 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day | Noël |
No Saturday/Sunday transfer in France: The Assumption of Mary (15 August, Saturday) and All Saints' Day (1 November, Sunday) fall on non-working days in 2026. France does NOT automatically transfer these to the following Monday. Employees have no statutory right to a substitute day off. Only a convention collective or company agreement can create one.
Pont opportunities in 2026: Labour Day (1 May, Friday) and Victory in Europe Day (8 May, Friday) both create natural four-day weekends. Ascension Day (14 May, Thursday) typically generates a pont request for Friday 15 May. Plan staffing and payroll well in advance of this April–May cluster.
Alsace-Moselle (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle) 13 Holidays
The departments of Bas-Rhin (67), Haut-Rhin (68), and Moselle (57) observe two additional public holidays under the droit local of Alsace-Moselle — a historic legal regime derived from the period of German administration and retained upon return to France. Employers with staff in these departments must treat both days as full statutory public holidays.
| Date | Day | Holiday (English) | French Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | Vendredi Saint | Alsace-Moselle only Applies in communes with a Protestant temple or mixed church |
| 26 Dec | Saturday | St Stephen's Day | Saint-Étienne (2e jour de Noël) | Alsace-Moselle only Falls on Saturday in 2026 — no automatic transfer |
Overseas territories (DROM/COM) +1 Holiday
In addition to the 11 national holidays, the commemoration of the abolition of slavery is a public holiday in the Départements et Régions d'Outre-Mer (DROM) and certain overseas collectivities, on dates that vary by territory.
| Territory | Date | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Guadeloupe | 27 May | Abolition of Slavery |
| Martinique | 22 May | Abolition of Slavery |
| Guyane | 10 Jun | Abolition of Slavery |
| La Réunion | 20 Dec | Abolition of Slavery |
| Mayotte | 27 Apr | Abolition of Slavery |
| Saint-Barthélemy | 9 Oct | Abolition of Slavery |
| Saint-Martin | 27 May | Abolition of Slavery |
Employer & payroll obligations
The two distinct pay regimes for public holidays
1 May — Ordre public: Mandatory closure + double pay if worked
1 May must not be worked except by essential services (hospitals, transport). If an employee does work, the employer must pay their normal salary PLUS an equal indemnity — i.e. double pay. This cannot be replaced by compensatory rest, even by collective agreement. No seniority condition applies for the pay maintenance on 1 May.
Other 10 holidays — Convention collective governs: Non-working status depends on agreement
These holidays are non-working only if a convention collective, branch agreement, company agreement, or employer decision provides for it. If non-working: employees with 3+ months' seniority receive full pay. If worked: no statutory premium — any supplement depends on the convention collective.
3-month seniority condition (L3133-3): The right to full pay for a non-working public holiday only applies to employees with at least 3 months' seniority. Employees below this threshold have no statutory entitlement to holiday pay for non-1 May holidays, unless the convention collective is more favourable. This is a frequently missed compliance point for seasonal and new hires.
The journée de solidarité — France's unique unpaid working day
What it is: Under Code du travail Articles L3133-7 to L3133-12, every French employee must work one additional day per year (7 hours for full-time employees) without pay, intended to fund support for elderly and disabled persons.
How it works in 2026: The most common implementation is working on Whit Monday (25 May 2026) as a normal working day rather than treating it as a holiday. Alternatively, the employer may use an RTT day, a previously scheduled non-working Saturday, or any other arrangement totalling 7 additional hours.
Key employer rules: The conditions are set by convention collective or, in the absence of an agreement, by the employer after consulting the CSE (comité social et économique). In Alsace-Moselle, the journée de solidarité cannot fall on 25 or 26 December, nor on Good Friday. If an employee has already fulfilled their journée at a previous employer in the same year, any second day must be paid as overtime.
Payroll impact: Many HR systems incorrectly treat Whit Monday as a paid non-working day. Implement correctly or risk a CSE consultation obligation and potential labour inspectorate scrutiny.
The pont (bridge day) — employer obligations
A pont (bridge day) preceding or following a public holiday may be granted in the company. This practice is not governed by any specific regulation. It may be provided by a convention collective, a collective agreement, or a unilateral employer decision. Hours not worked due to a pont may be recovered within the 12 months preceding or following it, without any overtime premium. A pont day is not a public holiday and does not attract the same pay protection rules.
Annual leave interaction
France's statutory minimum annual leave is 5 weeks (25 working days based on a 5-day week), separate from public holidays, under Code du travail Article L3141-1. When a non-working public holiday falls during an employee's annual leave period, the leave is extended by one day (the employee returns one day later). If the holiday is treated as a working day in the company, it is counted as a normal leave day.
What this means for international employers
Only one truly mandatory non-working holiday: International employers often assume all 11 holidays are automatically non-working. They are not. Whether your French employees are off on Bastille Day or Armistice Day depends on your sector's convention collective. Identify yours before deploying any payroll or HR calendar.
Double pay on 1 May cannot be waived or replaced: No collective agreement, company policy, or individual contract can substitute rest for the statutory double-pay obligation on 1 May. It is an unwaivable ordre public rule under L3133-6. Payroll systems must flag and calculate this correctly.
No Sunday transfer: France does not automatically move a holiday falling on Sunday to the following Monday. In 2026, All Saints' Day (1 November, Sunday) and the Assumption (15 August, Saturday) both generate no automatic rest day. Only the convention collective can create one.
The journée de solidarité is a payroll line item: One day of work per year is unpaid for every French employee. Most commonly this is Whit Monday (25 May 2026). Payroll systems that automatically apply full pay for that day without deducting the unpaid hours are non-compliant.
Alsace-Moselle: Companies with employees in Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, or Moselle must apply the local law regime providing 13 holidays. Good Friday (3 April) and St Stephen's Day (26 December) must be treated as full public holidays for those employees.
Foreign employers without a French legal entity commonly use an Employer of Record (EOR) to ensure the correct convention collective is identified and applied, the journée de solidarité is properly implemented, 1 May double-pay is correctly calculated, and Alsace-Moselle employees receive their additional entitlements. Jackson & Frank provides EOR services and outsourced HR and payroll across France.
Sources
- service-public.gouv.fr: jours fériés et ponts dans le secteur privé (verified 1 January 2026)
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2405 - service-public.gouv.fr: dates des jours fériés 2026
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/actualites/A18558 - legifrance.gouv.fr: Code du travail Articles L3133-1 to L3133-3 (jours fériés, ordre public)
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGISCTA000033008129/ - legifrance.gouv.fr: Code du travail Articles L3133-4 to L3133-6 (1er mai, ordre public)
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGISCTA000033020887 - legifrance.gouv.fr: Code du travail Articles L3133-7 to L3133-12 (journée de solidarité)
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGISCTA000033008210/