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The exact day — Friday (20 March) or Monday (23 March) — will depend on when Hari Raya Aidilfitri falls. If it falls Friday, 20 March, Monday, 23 March will be declared an additional public holiday. However, if the celebration falls on Saturday, 21 March, Friday, 20 March will be designated as the extra holiday.
Malaysia's Prime Minister announced an additional holiday will be given either on 20 March 2026 (Friday), or 23 March 2026 (Monday) in lieu of the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration falling on a weekend (21 March 2026, Saturday).
According to the Prime Minister's Facebook post, if Hari Raya Aidilfitri falls on 20 March (Friday), the Government will declare 23 March (Monday) as an additional public holiday. If it falls on 21 March (Saturday), the Government will declare 23 March (Monday) as an additional public holiday.
In both cases, Malaysians will be entitled to a three-day long weekend. PM Anwar said this move is intended to provide space for Malaysians to return to their hometowns and celebrate Aidilfitri with their families in a more comfortable manner.
In the same spirit, KESUMA has also encouraged employers to consider offering flexible leave arrangements as part of supportive employment practices that promote work-life balance.
This approach, KESUMA shared, is in line with efforts to "strengthen work-life balance and create a more inclusive and humane work environment."
"KESUMA is also confident that tolerance and concern between employers and employees will contribute to more harmonious industrial relations and increase the motivation and productivity of the country's workforce in the long term.
"The Ministry also encourages employers and employees to discuss well to ensure that the management of company operations can run smoothly, while providing space for employees to celebrate Aidilfitri meaningfully with their families," KESUMA added.
PM Anwar also announced that a Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme (SHMMP) will be implemented for a period of 15 days, between 14 to 28 March 2026, to ensure prices of essential goods across the country remain affordable and financially under control.
The price scheme will be closely monitored so that the price of goods remains affordable. Further, 95% of controlled goods will see a price drop during this period of time.
For those still unsure how public holidays are treated when they fall on a rest day, Malaysia HR Forum has shared a detailed explanation to help employers and employees better understand how the replacement holidays work:
As a refresher, under Malaysia's Employment Act (EA), employees working on a five-day workweek arrangement, are entitled to a paid holiday at their ordinary rate of pay on 13 nationwide public holidays (applicable for 2026) in any one calendar year, according to Section 60D of the Act.
In view of the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays, here's a recap of the EA requirements to note:
- Any public holiday that falls on an ordinary day need not be replaced.
- Any public holiday that falls on a rest day must be replaced.
- A rest day remains as rest day. Any public holiday that falls on a rest day must be replaced the following day or any other day.
- Any mandatory public holiday that falls on a rest day ( i.e., Johor Sultan’s Birthday) must be replaced the following working day (and not any other days).
- If there are two overlapping public holidays on the same day and if any one of them is the mandatory public holiday, ( i.e., the Sultan of Johor's birthday), Sultan’s Birthday), then the mandatory public holiday must be observed the next day and not any other day. The other non-mandatory day can be observed on other days.
- The non-mandatory holidays can be observed on any other days (if it is not on the next working day) but with the consent of the employees.
- All replacement public holiday must be observed in the same calendar year.
Of the 13 gazetted public holidays, three fall on a weekend. They are:
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri (21 & 22 March);
- Vesak Day (31 May), and
- Deepavali (8 November).
If any of the 13 gazetted public holidays for 2026 falls on a rest day, the working day following immediately thereafter shall be a paid holiday in lieu.
Keeping in mind that the holiday could fall on a rest day, the Malaysia HR Forum has shared some guidelines for HR teams to follow in updating employees on their entitlements to replacements for these days:
ALSO READ: Employee entitlements: What to do if a public holiday in Malaysia falls on a rest or non-working day
Lead image / PM Anwar Facebook
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