Which days are public holidays, and when does the half-day eve start?

Public holidays affect both payroll and leave calculations. This guide summarises Law No. 2429 on National and General Holidays and the relevant provisions of Labour Law No. 4857, and lists religious holiday dates for 2026–2030 in one place.

Which days are public holidays?

Law No. 2429 defines two kinds of holiday:

• National holiday (Art. 1): 29 October, Republic Day. The holiday starts at 13:00 on 28 October and continues throughout 29 October.
• General holidays (Art. 2): the official holidays (23 April, 19 May, 30 August), the religious holidays (the Ramadan Feast and the Feast of Sacrifice), New Year's Day on 1 January, Labour and Solidarity Day on 1 May and Democracy and National Unity Day on 15 July.

The Ramadan Feast lasts 3.5 days and the Feast of Sacrifice 4.5 days, each counted from 13:00 on its eve, the arife (Art. 2/B). That makes 15.5 days of public holidays a year.

Fixed-date holidays in 2026–2027:

Eves and 28 October: when does the half day start?

The start time of half-day holidays is set by law: on 28 October and on the eves of the Ramadan Feast and the Feast of Sacrifice, the holiday starts at 13:00 (Law No. 2429, Art. 1 and Art. 2/B). This does not depend on your lunch break or your definition of "afternoon": even if lunch starts at 12:30, the time until 13:00 that day is working time.

The law has no explicit provision on how a half-day holiday counts when it falls within annual leave, and no Court of Cassation decision on the point was found. The reasonable interpretation used in practice is that the morning half is a leave day (0.5 day) and the afternoon is a holiday that is not counted. İzin360 uses this model; we recommend confirming your company's practice with your legal adviser.

Holidays sometimes overlap. On 19 May 2027 the fourth day of the Feast of Sacrifice coincides with 19 May; it is a single holiday and is not counted twice. On 23 April 2029 the eve of the Feast of Sacrifice falls on 23 April; because 23 April is a full-day holiday, that day is a full holiday rather than a half day.

Ramadan Feast and Feast of Sacrifice dates, 2026–2030

Religious holiday dates follow the calendar of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). On eves, the holiday starts at 13:00.

The 2027–2030 dates are Diyanet's calculated calendar data, and it is not known whether they will be revised. Plan with this table, but check it against Diyanet's calendar at the start of each year.

In 2026, the second and third days of the Ramadan Feast (21–22 March), the fourth day of the Feast of Sacrifice (30 May) and 30 August fall on a weekend.

Do holidays count as annual leave?

No. National holidays, weekly rest days and general holidays that fall within annual leave are not counted as leave days (Labour Law Art. 56/5). Pay for these days is also paid separately, on top of annual leave pay (Art. 57/6).

Example: annual leave in the week of the Feast of Sacrifice

An employee who works Monday to Friday asks for annual leave from 25 to 29 May 2026:

Whether Saturdays count as annual leave in a five-day week is a separate question and depends on your employment contracts. See do Saturdays count as annual leave? for details.

In the private sector there is no substitute day for a public holiday that falls on a weekend: neither Law No. 2429 nor the Labour Law provides one. The rule in Law No. 2429 that the Saturday after a holiday ending on Friday evening is also a holiday is written for public offices; no opinion was found on whether it applies to the private sector.

Working on a public holiday and pay

Whether work takes place on national and general holidays is decided by the collective agreement or the employment contract. If the contract says nothing, the employee's consent is needed to work on these days (Labour Law Art. 44).

Pay is set by Art. 47:

• An employee who does not work on the holiday is paid in full for that day.
• An employee who works on the holiday receives an additional day's pay for each such day.

Law No. 2429, Art. 2/D requires private workplaces to close on 29 October. No current opinion of the Ministry or the Court of Cassation was found on how this provision relates to Art. 44 of the Labour Law. If you plan work on 29 October, get your legal adviser's view.

Do administrative leave and bridge days apply to the private sector?

Administrative leave before or after a religious holiday is announced by a letter from the Presidency of the Republic, and each year its scope is limited to employees of "public institutions and organisations". It therefore does not bind private-sector employers; the Labour Law has no concept of "administrative leave".

In the private sector there are three ways to handle a bridge day:

1. Grant paid leave: leave granted by the employer cannot be offset against annual leave (Art. 55/j, Art. 56/4).
2. Let employees use annual leave at their own request.
3. Close the workplace and require make-up work: within four months, at most 3 hours a day and not on holidays (Art. 64). See time off in lieu for overtime for details.

Deducting a bridge day from annual leave without the employee's consent conflicts with the ban on the employer splitting annual leave unilaterally (Art. 56/1) and with Art. 56/4. No written opinion of the Ministry on this point was found; this conclusion rests on the scope of the administrative leave letters and on the Labour Law.

How İzin360 handles it

• Public holidays are built in. Public holidays are defined in the system according to Law No. 2429 and Diyanet's calendar and cannot be removed. The settings show each holiday's source and whether it is verified or calculated.
• Half days start at 13:00. Eves and 28 October are marked as half days; if they fall within leave, the day counts as 0.5.
• Company days. You add extra holidays you give your employees, such as a bridge day or the company's anniversary, as full or half days; they are not deducted from leave balances.
• Working week and Saturday setting. In the company settings you choose your working days and whether Saturdays count as annual leave in a five-day week; the default is the employee-friendly "not counted".
• Correct day counts in requests. Public holidays, company days and weekly rest days are not deducted from leave; before submitting, the employee sees the effect on their balance.
• Visible in the calendar. The team calendar shows public holidays, half-day eves and company days, and an iCal subscription lets you add them in Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar.