2 More Days of Public Holiday! China 2025 Calendar is here

With the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and in accordance with the Regulation on Public Holidays for National Annual Festivals and Memorial Days (2024 revision), effective from January 1, 2025.

The number of holidays for all citizens will be increased by two days, of which one day will be added to the Chinese New Year and one day to Labor Day. The principle of holiday adjustment is further optimized and improved, except for some special cases.

Holiday Schedules

1. Spring Festival will have a holiday adjustment of 8 days since the Lunar New Year’s Eve;
2. National Day will have a holiday adjustment of 7 days from October 1;
3. Labor Day will have a holiday adjustment of 5 days;
4. New Year’s Day, Ching Ming, Dragon Boat, and Mid-Autumn festivals will have a holiday adjustment or a holiday adjustment of 3 days in a row (such as on Wednesdays, then the holiday will be taken only on the same day); and
5. National Day will have a holiday adjustment if it falls on the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Holidays are combined to have a holiday adjustment of 8 days.

In accordance with the above principles, the specific arrangements for the dates of New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, Ching Ming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day Holidays in 2025 are as follows.

During the holiday period, all regions and departments should make proper arrangements for duty and safety, security, epidemic prevention, and control, and in the event of any major emergencies, report them promptly and deal with them appropriately in accordance with the regulations, to ensure that the people spend the holiday vacation peacefully and safely.

Time in lieu Schedules

Foreign human resource managers should note that Saturdays and Sundays are often marked as additional official workdays in China to compensate for long holiday breaks. The arrangements for 2025 are as follows.

They are designated as workdays to offset the eight days off for the public holiday partially.

Companies in China, however, have the right to determine their own schedules—that is, allow for additional days off—so long as the official holiday calendar is maintained.

Overtime payment for hours worked on a holiday

Depending on the type of rest days and the working hour system implemented, the overtime payment rates are different:

• Under the standard working hour system,
  • for work on an official public holiday, not less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid;
  • for work on an adjusted rest day, and where such rest days cannot be postponed and taken at another time, not less than 200 percent of the normal wage shall be paid.
• Under the comprehensive working hour system,
  • for work performed on public holidays not less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid.
  • no rest day is outlined under this system so for work performed on those adjusted working days and weekends, no overtime payments are available.
• Under the non-fixed work hour system,
  • for work on public holidays, no less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid.
  • there are differences in overtime regulations across different regions. For example, in Shanghai, these hours are considered overtime, and employers are required to pay compensation of up to 300 percent of the normal wage.
• For adjusted working days on weekends, no overtime payment is due.

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