Public Holiday Calendar Guide for Russia
Russia's Labour Code establishes a nationwide core of non-working public holidays, including the New Year holiday period, Orthodox Christmas, major civic commemorations, and national celebrations.[1] The practical calendar is shaped further by statutory substitute-day rules and government transfers of days off, while regional authorities can establish additional non-working holidays within their powers.[2] Employers and travelers should therefore use the applicable official working calendar when exact days off matter.
The Federal Public-Holiday Calendar
The Labour Code defines the federal non-working holidays: the New Year holiday period, Orthodox Christmas, Defender of the Fatherland Day, International Women's Day, Spring and Labour Day, Victory Day, Russia Day, and National Unity Day.[1] These form the core holiday calendar used throughout the country.
The presence of a non-working public holiday in a calendar month does not reduce the salary of employees paid a fixed monthly salary. Employees who are not paid a fixed salary are entitled to additional remuneration for non-working public holidays on which they are not required to work, with the amount and payment procedure determined under the mechanisms specified by the Labour Code.[1]
Regional Holidays Can Supplement the Federal Calendar
The federal list is not necessarily the complete calendar for every location. Russian legal guidance recognizes that regional authorities may establish additional non-working public holidays, and religious holidays may also be declared additional non-working holidays under the applicable federal framework.[2]
This means that a calendar suitable for one federal subject may omit a locally recognized day off in another. Businesses operating across several regions should check the applicable regional calendar in addition to the federal list rather than assuming that every location has exactly the same set of non-working days.[2]
How Weekend and Holiday Transfers Work
When an ordinary weekly day off coincides with a non-working public holiday, the day off generally moves to the next working day after the holiday.[1] The New Year holiday period is subject to a special exception: instead of automatically moving every overlapping day off to the next working day, the government transfers specified days off to other points in the calendar.[1]
The Labour Code also permits days off to be moved by federal law or by a government regulatory act in order to make more rational use of weekly rest days and public holidays.[1] As a result, the exact pattern of working days and extended breaks can change between calendar cycles even though the underlying statutory holiday names remain stable.
Government Transfers Shape the Working Calendar
Government decisions on transferred days off are a normal part of Russia's working-calendar system. Official transfer decrees can move weekend rest days to other parts of the calendar, creating extended periods of consecutive time off around public holidays.[3]
For workforce planning, it is therefore not enough to look only at the statutory holiday list. Employers should use the applicable official production or working calendar, particularly when scheduling shifts, payroll, deliveries, deadlines, or operations around periods where transferred days off may alter the normal Monday-to-Friday pattern.
Pay for Working on a Public Holiday
Work performed on a non-working public holiday must generally be compensated at an increased rate. The Labour Code sets a minimum of double remuneration, with the precise calculation depending on whether the employee is paid by piece rate, hourly or daily tariff, or monthly salary.[4] Collective agreements, local employment rules, or employment contracts may establish specific rates that meet the statutory requirements.
At the employee's request, another day of rest can generally be provided instead of the enhanced holiday payment. In that case, the holiday work is paid at the ordinary rate and the replacement rest day is unpaid.[4] The legislation also provides rules for preserving or compensating unused replacement rest when employment ends.
Public Holidays and Annual Leave
Non-working public holidays that occur during an employee's annual basic or additional paid leave are not counted among the calendar days of that leave.[5] A statutory holiday occurring during a vacation period therefore does not simply consume one of the employee's paid annual-leave days.
This rule can affect the actual end of an employee's absence and is worth accounting for when planning leave around holiday periods. Employers and employees should distinguish statutory non-working holidays from ordinary weekends and from days off created through government transfers, because they do not necessarily have the same effect on annual-leave calculations.
Practical Planning for Businesses and Travelers
The safest approach is to separate three questions: whether a day is a federal statutory holiday, whether an additional regional holiday applies, and whether the government has transferred a weekly day off elsewhere in the applicable calendar.[1][2][3] This avoids treating the basic statutory list as a complete working-day schedule.
Holiday status also does not by itself establish the opening hours of every shop, transport service, bank branch, attraction, or other organization. Businesses that need to operate can use holiday staffing subject to labour-law requirements, including enhanced remuneration or replacement rest.[4] Confirm time-sensitive services directly with the provider.
Frequently Asked Questions about Holidays in Russia
Does every part of Russia have exactly the same public holidays?
The Labour Code establishes a common federal list, but regional authorities can establish additional non-working holidays within the applicable legal framework.[2] The local calendar should therefore be checked when planning for a particular federal subject.
What happens when a public holiday coincides with a weekly day off?
The weekly day off generally transfers to the next working day after the public holiday. Special rules apply to overlaps within the New Year holiday period, for which specified days off are transferred elsewhere in the calendar.[1]
Can the government move days off to create a different working calendar?
Yes. The Labour Code permits days off to be transferred by federal law or government regulatory act, and the government issues transfer decisions that determine the resulting working calendar.[1][3]
How is work on a public holiday paid?
Work on a non-working public holiday is generally paid at no less than double the applicable rate, with the calculation depending on the employee's remuneration system.[4] An employee can generally request another day of rest instead, in which case different payment rules apply.
Do public holidays reduce an employee's monthly salary?
For employees receiving a fixed monthly salary, the presence of non-working public holidays in the month is not a lawful reason to reduce that salary.[1]
Do public holidays count as days of annual paid leave?
Non-working public holidays falling within annual basic or additional paid leave are excluded from the number of calendar days of that leave.[5]
Sources
- ТК РФ Статья 112. Нерабочие праздничные дни- КонсультантПлюс
- Производственный календарь 2026 (рабочие дни, праздники и выходные дни)- КонсультантПлюс
- Постановление Правительства Российской Федерации от 17.09.2026 г. № 1187- Правительство России
- ТК РФ Статья 153. Оплата труда в выходные и нерабочие праздничные дни- КонсультантПлюс
- ТК РФ Статья 120. Исчисление продолжительности ежегодных оплачиваемых отпусков- КонсультантПлюс