Looking forward to the next public holiday
Many employees flick through the calendar to find the dates of public holidays so they can request annual leave for some extra time off or to have an even longer, long weekend.
When it comes to public holidays, Northern Territorians get to enjoy 12 state wide days, two part-day holidays, and various regional public holidays. As an employer or business owner, there are certain obligations you must meet in relation to public holidays. These will depend on your business type and industry.
If you’re unsure of your public holiday obligations or employee wage rates, call and speak to a specialist adviser at Peninsula.
List of state wide public holidays in the Northern Territory for 2025
| Holiday | Date in 2025 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Wednesday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Monday 27 January |
| Good Friday | Friday 18 April |
| Day following Good Friday | Saturday 19 April |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 20 April |
| Easter Monday | Monday 21 April |
| ANZAC Day | Friday 25 April |
| May Day | Monday 5 May |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 9 June |
| Picnic Day | Monday 4 August |
| Christmas Eve* | Wednesday 24 December |
| Christmas Day | Thursday 25 December |
| Boxing Day | Friday 26 December |
| New Year’s Eve* | Wednesday 31 December |
*In the Northern Territory, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are part-day public holidays (7 pm - midnight).
List of regional public holidays in the Northern Territory for 2025
| Holiday | Date in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Alice Springs Show Day | Friday 4 July |
| Tennant Creek Show Da | Friday 11 July |
| Katherine Show Da | Friday 18 July |
| Darwin Show Day | Friday 25 July |
| Borroloola Show Day | Friday 15 August |
*As Australia Day falls on Sunday 26 January 2025, the holiday is moved to Monday 27 January 2025.
Employee entitlements on public holidays in the NT
All employees are entitled to public holidays under the National Employment Standards (NES). Full-time and part-time employees absent from work because of a public holiday must receive their base rate of pay for the hours they would have worked had it not been a public holiday.
Employees are not owed incentive-based payments, bonuses, overtime, penalty rates, loadings or monetary allowances. Employees are only entitled to payment if the public holiday falls on a day they normally work.
Casual employees only receive public holiday entitlements if they work on the public holiday.
Employing staff on public holidays in the NT
If you employ staff on a public holiday, the employee may be entitled to:
- Penalty rates for each hour worked that day.
- Time off in lieu (an extra day off).
- Equivalent time added to their annual leave for each hour worked that day.
Modern awards, enterprise agreements, and other registered agreements can provide entitlements for working public holidays, including:
- Extra pay.
- An extra day off or extra annual leave.
- Minimum shift lengths on public holidays.
- Agreeing to substitute a public holiday for another day.
You can request staff to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable.Whether the request is reasonable or not, will depend on the:
- Nature of the business.
- Employee’s personal circumstances, such as family responsibilities.
- Amount of notice you provide.
An employee can refuse the request if it isn’t reasonable, or if they have a reasonable reason to refuse.
Sit back and relax
The holiday season, public holidays, and long weekends mean enjoying good food and fun times with family and friends. If you’re a business owner or employer in the Northern Territory, you need to know all the public holidays and appropriate employee entitlements to ensure you meet your legal obligations.
Peninsula is committed to providing answers to your public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice.