Hong Kong Statutory Holidays 2026: All 15 Dates for Domestic Helpers

Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong are entitled to 15 statutory holidays in 2026. Below is every date, the weekday it falls on, and the two things employers most often get wrong: holidays that collide with the weekly rest day, and the gap between statutory holidays and the 17 gazetted general holidays.

The 15 statutory holiday dates in 2026

Holidays that fall on a Sunday in 2026

3 statutory holidays in 2026 fall on a Sunday. Where Sunday is also the helper's rest day, the two do not cancel out — the helper must be granted a holiday on the next day that is not already a rest day, statutory holiday, alternative holiday or substituted holiday.

• Ching Ming Festival — 5 Apr, Sunday
• Buddha’s Birthday — 24 May, Sunday
• Chung Yeung Festival — 18 Oct, Sunday

Statutory holidays vs general holidays in 2026

Hong Kong gazettes 17 general holidays — the days banks, schools and government offices close. Employees, including helpers, are entitled to 15 statutory holidays. The lists overlap but are not identical, and granting the wrong one leaves the obligation unmet.

In 2026 the general list includes 5 days your helper is not automatically entitled to, and the statutory list includes 3 days that is not a general holiday. A day off on a general holiday is a courtesy, not a substitute for the statutory day.

Rules that apply to these days

Holiday pay depends on 3 months of continuous employment, working on a holiday requires 48 hours' notice and an alternative day within 60 days, and payment in lieu of a statutory holiday is not permitted. Those rules are the same every year and are set out in Statutory holiday rules for foreign domestic helpers.