Spain public holidays 2026: dates, pay rules & employer guide

Introduction

Spain uses a three-tier public holiday system: up to 14 paid public holidays per worker in 2026 under Article 37 of the Workers' Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores). That total comprises 9 nationwide dates common to all 17 autonomous communities, up to 3 additional regional holidays fixed by each community, and 2 local holidays per municipality. The 2026 calendar was published by the Directorate-General of Labor (Resolution of 17 October 2025, BOE-A-2025-21667).

For international employers, an employee in Barcelona and one in Madrid can lawfully have different holiday sets; payroll and HR systems must track the correct regional and local calendar for each worksite.

Key facts at a glance

How the calendar is built

The four layers

• National non-substitutable (7): Fixed by the state; communities cannot replace them.
• National substitutable (2 in 2026): Epiphany and Holy Thursday. In 2026 all communities retained them.
• Autonomous community (up to 3): Additional days set by each of the 17 communities.
• Local (2): Set by each municipality; not listed in national tables; verify locally.

Nationwide public holidays 2026 (all communities)

The following nine dates apply across Spain in 2026 per BOE-A-2025-21667.

Selected regional holidays by autonomous community (2026)

Examples from BOE-A-2025-21667 and community decrees. This list is not exhaustive; always verify local and municipal days.

Employer and payroll obligations

Are paid public holidays legally required?

Yes. ET Article 37.2 treats recognised public holidays as paid and non-recoverable (retribuidos y no recuperables) within the 14-day framework. Employers cannot routinely claw back hours for festivos, and must reflect them in the annual work calendar (calendario laboral anual) under Article 34.6.

This differs from purely contractual systems: once a date is part of the applicable calendar for that workplace, statutory pay protection applies alongside collective agreements (convenios colectivos), which may improve terms.

Weekend holidays and transfers

Spanish law does not create a single automatic national substitute day when a holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday; many communities transfer observance by decree (as with All Saints and Constitution Day in 2026 in most regions). Always read the formal regional publication.

Working on a public holiday

If work on a festivo is exceptionally required, Article 47 of RD 2001/1983 requires at least a 75% wage supplement on hours worked unless equivalent compensatory rest is agreed. Many convenios set higher rates or additional rest.

Annual leave and puentes

Statutory annual leave is 30 calendar days (often quoted as 22 working days), separate from public holidays. When a holiday falls on Tuesday or Thursday, employees often book the adjacent day to form a puente (long weekend). In 2026, plan around Epiphany (Tuesday 6 January), the Easter weekend, 12 October (Monday), and the December cluster.

What this means for international employers

Seventeen regional calendars plus municipal local days make Spain one of the more complex EU holiday regimes. Obligations attach to the employee's place of work, not the employer's registered office.

You must compile, display, and agree the annual work calendar per workplace. Since 2019, registro horario (daily time records) is mandatory. Misclassification of contractors (falso autónomo) can trigger back pay for holiday entitlements and social security. Many foreign companies use an EOR or outsourced payroll to manage convenio rules, calendars, and inspections risk.

Sources

• BOE-A-2025-21667, public holidays 2026: boe.es
• BOE-A-2025-23702, non-working days calendar 2026: boe.es
• administracion.gob.es, working hours and leave: administracion.gob.es
• Estatuto de los Trabajadores (RDL 2/2015) on boe.es
• Garrigues, Spain work calendar 2026 (summary from BOE): garrigues.com