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October 02, 2026 · 4 min

26 December 2026 falls on a Saturday — you are entitled to an extra day off

A public holiday on a Saturday cuts working time by 8 hours. If you work Monday to Friday, your employer must give you another day off instead.

This year the second day of Christmas, 26 December, falls on a Saturday. For people who work Monday to Friday, this means an extra day off, which the employer must schedule on another date. We explain where this comes from, how many hours you will work in November and December 2026, and what to do if your schedule has no day off for the Saturday holiday.

Public holidays until the end of 2026

The Act on public holidays (ustawa o dniach wolnych od pracy) lists five holidays in the last two months of the year. In 2026 they fall as follows:

  • 1 November (All Saints’ Day) — Sunday,
  • 11 November (National Independence Day) — Wednesday,
  • 24 December (Christmas Eve) — Thursday; Christmas Eve has been a public holiday since 1 February 2025,
  • 25 December (Christmas Day) — Friday,
  • 26 December (second day of Christmas) — Saturday.

Why you get another day off for a Saturday

The Labour Code (Kodeks pracy) says that every public holiday falling on a day other than Sunday reduces working time by 8 hours (Art. 130 § 2). Working time (wymiar czasu pracy) is the number of hours you must work in a given settlement period (okres rozliczeniowy).

If you work Monday to Friday, Saturday is already your day off. Since working time drops by 8 hours, your employer must give you another day off — so that you do not work more hours than your working time allows. This day must fall within the same settlement period as the holiday.

A holiday on a Sunday does not reduce working time. That is why no extra day off is due for 1 November 2026.

How many hours you will work in November and December

For a full-time job, Monday to Friday, with a one-month settlement period:

  • November 2026 — 160 hours, i.e. 20 working days (21 weekdays minus 11 November),
  • December 2026 — 160 hours, i.e. 20 working days (23 weekdays minus 24 and 25 December, and minus one day for Saturday 26 December).

Working time is calculated under Art. 130 § 1 of the Labour Code: 40 hours times the number of full weeks, plus 8 hours for each remaining day from Monday to Friday, minus 8 hours for each holiday that does not fall on a Sunday.

When the employer sets the day off

The law does not name a specific date. The employer can choose any day within the settlement period — before or after the holiday. With a one-month settlement period, it must be a day in December 2026. With a longer period (e.g. 3 or 4 months) — any day in that period.

The day off should be shown in the work schedule (harmonogram, grafik) or in an announcement. Employers often choose Monday 28 December or Thursday 31 December, but it is their decision.

What this means for you

If you are an employee:

  • Check the December schedule or ask your supervisor which day will be off for 26 December.
  • If you work shifts and your schedule includes Saturdays, 26 December is simply a day off for you — working time is reduced by 8 hours anyway.
  • If you are a temporary worker, the day off is usually set in the schedule of the company where you work. Direct your questions to the coordinator of the temporary work agency that employs you under an employment contract (umowa o pracę).
  • Under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia), the Labour Code rules on working time and days off do not apply. Your working days are agreed in the contract with the principal.
  • If you work more hours than your working time in a settlement period, the excess may be overtime — paid with an overtime supplement or compensated with time off.

If you are an employer:

  • Set a day off for 26 December within the settlement period that includes this holiday and put it in the schedule.
  • Plan November and December schedules so as not to exceed 160 hours in each month (with a one-month settlement period and full-time employment).
  • Breaching working time rules is an offence punishable by a fine of PLN 2,000 to PLN 60,000 (Art. 281 § 1 point 5 of the Labour Code).

Legal basis: Act of 26 June 1974 — Labour Code (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 1245), Art. 129 § 1, 130 § 1 and 2, 281 § 1 point 5; Act of 18 January 1951 on public holidays (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 item 296), Art. 1, as amended by the Act of 6 December 2024 (Dz.U. 2024 item 1965). Legal status as of 2 October 2026.