Public Holiday Malaysia 2025: Full List, Paid Leave Rules & More

Planning around Malaysia’s public holidays in 2025 isn’t just about taking time off—it’s a strategic advantage for your business.

From scheduling projects to managing leave and boosting employee morale, these holidays offer opportunities to optimize operations.

As an employer or HR professional, knowing when and how these holidays apply—especially with Malaysia’s labor laws—is crucial for compliance, fairness, and productivity.

Let’s explore the full list of 2025 public holidays, employment rules, and smart planning tips.

Malaysia Public Holidays 2025: Complete List by Date & State

In Malaysia, public holidays aren't just days off; they are protected by labor laws ensuring employees receive full pay.

The Employment Act 1955 guarantees all employees 11 designated public holidays, including major national celebrations like Hari Merdeka and the King’s Birthday.

This legal protection promotes a balanced and fair working environment for everyone.

Here’s the comprehensive public holiday calendar for 2025, including national and state-specific observances:

Date	Day	Holiday	States
1 Jan	Wed	New Year's Day	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
14 Jan	Tue	YDPB Negeri Sembilan's Birthday	Negeri Sembilan
27 Jan	Mon	Israk and Mikraj	Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis & Terengganu
29 Jan	Wed	Chinese New Year	National
30 Jan	Thu	Chinese New Year Holiday	National
1 Feb	Sat	Federal Territory Day	Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya
11 Feb	Tue	Thaipusam	Johor, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya & Selangor
20 Feb	Thu	Independence Declaration Day	Melaka
1 Mar	Sat	Awal Ramadan	Johor, Kedah & Melaka
4 Mar	Tue	Installation of Sultan Terengganu	Terengganu
17 Mar	Mon	Nuzul Al-Quran	National except Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah & Sarawak
23 Mar	Sun	Sultan of Johor's Birthday	Johor
31 Mar	Mon	Hari Raya Aidilfitri	National
1 Apr	Tue	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	National
18 Apr	Fri	Good Friday	Sabah & Sarawak
26 Apr	Sat	Sultan of Terengganu's Birthday	Terengganu
27 Apr	Sun	Sultan of Terengganu's Birthday Holiday	Terengganu
1 May	Thu	Labour Day	National
12 May	Mon	Wesak Day	National
17 May	Sat	Raja Perlis's Birthday	Perlis
22 May	Thu	Hari Hol Pahang	Pahang
30 May	Fri	Harvest Festival	Labuan & Sabah
31 May	Sat	Harvest Festival Holiday	Labuan & Sabah
1 Jun	Sun	Hari Gawai	Sarawak
2 Jun	Mon	Hari Gawai Holiday	Sarawak
2 Jun	Mon	Agong's Birthday	National
3 Jun	Tue	Agong's Birthday Holiday	Sarawak
5 Jun	Thu	Arafat Day	Kelantan & Terengganu
6 Jun	Fri	Hari Raya Haji	National
7 Jun	Sat	Hari Raya Haji Holiday	Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
8 Jun	Sun	Hari Raya Haji Holiday	Kedah & Terengganu
15 Jun	Sun	Sultan of Kedah's Birthday	Kedah
27 Jun	Fri	Awal Muharram	National
29 Jun	Sun	Awal Muharram Holiday	Johor & Kedah
7 Jul	Mon	Georgetown World Heritage City Day	Penang
12 Jul	Sat	Penang Governor's Birthday	Penang
22 Jul	Tue	Sarawak Day	Sarawak
30 Jul	Wed	Sultan of Pahang's Birthday	Pahang
31 Jul	Thu	Hari Hol Almarhum Sultan Iskandar	Johor
24 Aug	Sun	Melaka Governor's Birthday	Melaka
25 Aug	Mon	Melaka Governor's Birthday Holiday	Melaka
31 Aug	Sun	Merdeka Day	National
1 Sep	Mon	Merdeka Day Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu
5 Sep	Fri	Prophet Muhammad's Birthday	National
7 Sep	Sun	Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Holiday	Johor & Kedah
15 Sep	Mon	Malaysia Day	National
16 Sep	Tue	Malaysia Day	National
29 Sep	Mon	Sultan of Kelantan's Birthday	Kelantan
30 Sep	Tue	Sultan of Kelantan's Birthday Holiday	Kelantan
4 Oct	Sat	Sabah Governor's Birthday	Sabah
11 Oct	Sat	Sarawak Governor's Birthday	Sarawak
20 Oct	Mon	Deepavali	National except for Sarawak
7 Nov	Fri	Sultan of Perak's Birthday	Perak
11 Dec	Thu	Sultan of Selangor's Birthday	Selangor
24 Dec	Wed	Christmas Eve	Sabah
25 Dec	Thu	Christmas Day	National

Public Holiday Entitlements Under Malaysian Labour Law

As per Section 60D of the Employment Act 1955, all employees covered under the Act are entitled to 11 paid public holidays, including:

National Day (Merdeka)
Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Ruler or Governor’s Birthday (or Federal Territory Day)
Labour Day
Malaysia Day

The other 6 holidays can be chosen by the employer—but must be declared in advance.

What’s the Pay Rate on Public Holidays?

If your employee works on a public holiday, you must compensate them as follows:

Type	Pay Rate
Work on public holiday	2x ordinary hourly rate
Overtime on public holiday	3x ordinary hourly rate

What If a Public Holiday Falls on a Rest Day or Off Day?

If a public holiday falls on:

A weekly rest day (e.g., Sunday): it will be carried forward to the next working day.
A non-working day: the employee should be given another day off or compensatory pay.

This ensures fairness and compliance with Malaysian labor regulations.

What If Employees Can’t Take a Declared Holiday?

In some urgent business cases where you require staff to work on a public holiday, you must:

Replace it with another day off,
Grant an extra day of annual leave, or
Pay public holiday overtime rates.

Planning HR & Operations Around 2025 Public Holidays

Here's how HR can use this calendar strategically:

Plan project sprints between long weekends to avoid disruptions.
Forecast manpower needs for key dates (e.g., Hari Raya, Chinese New Year).
Manage leave requests early to avoid last-minute conflicts.
Boost morale with optional leave bridging (cuti gantian).
Schedule job ads in low-competition windows.

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Malaysia Public Holidays FAQs

1. What is the public holiday pay rate?

Employees are entitled to enhanced compensation for work performed on public holidays, set at a premium rate:

Rate of Pay on Public Holidays = Ordinary Hourly Rate of Pay x 2
Overtime Rate of Pay per Hour on Public Holiday = Ordinary Hourly Rate of Pay x 3

2. How many paid public holidays in Malaysia?

There are only 11 paid public holidays, 5 days are mandatory including National Day, Birthday of Yang-Di Pertuan Agong, Birthday of the Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Federal Territory, Labour Day and Malaysia Day, while another 6 days can be chosen by the employer.

3. What happens if a public holiday falls on an off day?

If a public holiday lands on a day off or another holiday, it will be moved to the next working day. If someone has more than one day off in a week, only the last day off counts as the official rest day under the Employment Act.

4. What If the Employee Can’t Get the Day Off?

In case employees can’t get the day off for compulsory holidays declared on short notice, employers have three options:

Replace the public holiday on another day as determined by the company.
Give the employee an additional day of annual leave.
Pay the employee overtime pay at public holiday rates.

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