Holidays and weekends in the Czech Republic in 2025

If you live and work in the Czech Republic, it is important to understand how public holidays and days off are organized and how they are regulated by Czech labor law. Many employees are faced with situations where their employer asks them to work a shift on a public holiday or legal day off. Is it legal? What additional payments for working on holidays and weekends in the Czech Republic? Let's look at it in order.

In 2025, the Czech Republic has established 13 official public holidays. On these days, by law, work is not carried out, except for certain areas of activity. It is important to remember that if a holiday falls on a day off (for example, Saturday or Sunday), it is not transferable on weekdays, as is common in some other countries.

Full list of holidays in the Czech Republic for 2025:

• January 1 (Wednesday) - New Year's Day, Restoration Day of the Czech Republic
• April 18 (Friday) - Good Friday (Velký pátek)
• April 21 (Monday) - Easter Monday (Velikonoční pondělí)
• May 1 (Thursday) - Labor Day
• May 8 (Thursday) - Day of Liberation from Fascism
• July 5 (Saturday) - Day of the Slavonic Enlighteners Cyril and Methodius
• July 6 (Sunday) - Jan Hus Day
• September 28 (Sunday) - Czech Statehood Day
• October 28 (Tuesday) - Day of Establishment of the Independent Czechoslovak State
• November 17 (Monday) - Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy
• December 24 (Wednesday) - Christmas Eve
• December 25 (Thursday) - Christmas
• December 26 (Friday) - The Second Day of Christmas

These dates are relevant for all employees, regardless of industry. However, some categories of employees are still allowed to work on these days.

According to The Labor Code of the Czech Republic, work on public holidays basically forbiddenexcept when she:

• is on a shift schedule,
• is necessary in continuous production environments (e.g. factory lines),
• is carried out in the fields of health care, transportation, energy, police, etc.,
• is related to emergency and urgent work,
• performed in retail, but with limitations (discussed below).

If your position and schedule fall under these exceptions, your employer has the right to schedule you to work on a holiday. However, your employer must compensate you for your work in accordance with the law.

Work on public holidays must be compensated in full. The law gives the employee a choice between:

• a surcharge of +100% of his regular hourly rate (i.e., double pay), or
• providing an additional day off (time off) at another time - only with the consent of the employee.

Example calculation: If you get 160 kronor/hour, you should get 320 kronor for every hour worked on a holiday. If you work 8 hours, it is 2560 kronor instead of the usual 1280 kronor.

If the employer does not offer compensation either in cash or time off, it is a violation of labor law.

Work in commerce is regulated by Law No. 223/2016 Sb. which prohibits the operation of large stores (over 200 m²) on certain holidays:

• Jan. 1
• May 8
• Sept. 28.
• Oct. 28
• December 24 (after 12:00).
• December 25 and 26.

However, pharmacies, gas stations, stores at train stations and small retail outlets (up to 200 m²) are allowed to operate.

If you are called to work on your normal day off (for example, Saturday or Sunday, on a standard five-day week), such work must also be paid extra.

According to the law, in this case you are entitled to:

• an additional +25% of your hourly rate, or
• time off on another day - by agreement with the employer.

If Saturday or Sunday is part of your shift schedule and you work, for example, 2/2, 3/3 or other cycles - such days off are not considered as additional days off, and no extra pay is due for them, if there is no overtime.