Working on Christmas Day in Ireland: what pay and time off do staff get?

Short answer

Anyone who works Christmas Day gets their normal pay for the day plus a public holiday benefit: a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay, whichever the employer decides. There's no general legal right to double time in the private sector, but if the contract (or what you've always done) says double time, that's what you pay.

This one surprises people coming from the UK, where there's no legal extra for working a bank holiday at all. Ireland's different. Christmas Day is one of the 10 public holidays, and working it earns something on top - it's just not necessarily double time.

What do staff get for working Christmas Day in Ireland?

Their normal pay for the hours they work, plus one of these, which you choose:

A paid day off within a month of Christmas Day - so a day in January, in practice.
An extra day of annual leave.
An extra day's pay.

(The fourth option in the law - a paid day off on the day itself - obviously doesn't apply if they're working it.) If you go for the extra day's pay, it's based on what they were paid for their normal daily hours on the last day they worked before the public holiday.

Staff can ask you at least 21 days before the public holiday which one they're getting. If you haven't told them at least 14 days before, they're entitled to the day itself off - which, if you need them in on Christmas Day, you really don't want. So decide early and say it in your Christmas email.

Is double time on Christmas Day the law in Ireland?

No, not for private sector employers generally. The legal entitlement is the public holiday benefit above. Double time, time and a half or a Christmas Day bonus only becomes a legal must if it's in the contract, a collective agreement or has become an established practice.

That last one's worth a second thought. If you've paid double time on Christmas Day every year, everyone knows about it and you've never said it's a one-off, it can become part of their terms over time. Then you can't just quietly stop. If you want to change it, talk to people and agree it in writing.

Which option should a small business pick?

Honestly, it depends what's tighter for you - cash or cover.

If cash is tight and January's quiet, a paid day off in January costs you nothing extra in wages and a lot of people genuinely like it.
If you're short-staffed in January, an extra day's pay keeps everyone in work - it just costs a day's wages.
An extra day of annual leave is the flexible middle ground. It costs a day of cover at some point in the year, whenever they choose to take it.

Whichever you pick, a lot of employers pay something extra on top anyway, just as a thank you. A volunteer who's well looked after on Christmas Day beats a reluctant one every time.

Days owed, recorded

No more "I'm sure I'm owed a day from Christmas"

If you give an extra day of annual leave, Book Time Off lets you add it to that person's allowance, and the day off they take in January gets booked and approved like any other. Everyone can see their days used and days left. Honestly, it isn't a public holiday calculator - it won't work out who's owed what for you. But once you've decided, it keeps the record so nobody's relying on memory in July.

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What about St Stephen's Day?

St Stephen's Day 2026 is on a Saturday, so most Monday-to-Friday staff won't be working it - but they're still owed a benefit for it: a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay. Anyone who does work that Saturday gets their pay for the day plus the benefit, same as Christmas Day. All the details are in Christmas bank holidays Ireland 2026.

Next year's a bigger one to watch: Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday and St Stephen's Day is a Sunday. If anyone works that Sunday, check whether they're due a Sunday premium as well, unless it's already built into their pay.

Do part-time staff get the same?

Yes, once they've worked at least 40 hours in the five weeks before Christmas Day. If they work Christmas Day, they get the same choice of benefit as everyone else. If Christmas Day falls on a day they don't normally work, they get one-fifth of their weekly pay instead. Full-time staff don't have any qualifying period at all.

Can I make staff work Christmas Day?

If their contract says they can be rostered on public holidays, or your business normally opens on them, then yes. Most staff in pubs, shops, hotels and care know Christmas comes with the job. If you're an office that's never opened on Christmas Day and suddenly need someone in, ask for volunteers rather than telling people.

And be careful who ends up on it. Quietly putting the person who doesn't celebrate Christmas on every year, or whoever didn't complain loudest, is how you end up in front of the WRC. We've written about a fair way of deciding in who gets Christmas off?, and the whole Christmas plan is in how to manage Christmas annual leave.

Who's working Christmas?

Everyone can see who's in and who's off

Once you've sorted who's working, Book Time Off puts the whole team on one wallchart so nobody has to ask - and Ireland's public holidays are already marked. It won't do your pay rates or your shift rota (it's a holiday system, not payroll) but it does make Christmas cover a lot clearer.

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The legal bit, if you need it

You don't need this to get Christmas sorted, but here's what the rules actually say if anyone asks.

For each public holiday, staff are entitled to a paid day off on the day, a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay, whichever the employer decides. Someone who works the public holiday is paid for the day and gets the benefit too (WRC).
Staff can ask at least 21 days before which benefit applies; if they haven't been told at least 14 days before, they get the day itself off (Citizens Information).
Part-time staff qualify after 40 hours in the previous five weeks; if the holiday falls on a day they don't normally work, they get one-fifth of their weekly pay (Citizens Information).
Staff who work Sundays are entitled to a Sunday premium unless it's already reflected in their pay (Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, s.14).
The public holiday rules are in section 21 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (Irish Statute Book).

Sources

WRC	Public holidays · Entitlements when working a public holiday. Checked October 2026.
WRC	Public holidays during the Christmas period · Checked October 2026.
Citizens Information	Public holidays · Part-time workers and the 21-day rule. Checked October 2026.
Irish Statute Book	Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, section 21 · Entitlement in respect of public holidays. Checked October 2026.
Irish Statute Book	Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, section 14 · Sunday work. Checked October 2026.

FAQs

Do you get double time for working Christmas Day in Ireland?

Not by law in the private sector. What you're legally entitled to is your normal pay for the day plus a public holiday benefit: a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay, whichever your employer decides. Double time only applies if it's in your contract, a collective agreement or established practice.

What do I get for working St Stephen's Day in Ireland?

The same as Christmas Day: your pay for the day plus a public holiday benefit, either a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay. In 2026 St Stephen's Day falls on a Saturday, and staff who don't work it are still owed a benefit.

Who decides which public holiday benefit staff get?

The employer. Staff can ask at least 21 days before the public holiday which benefit they'll get, and if the employer hasn't told them at least 14 days before, they're entitled to the day itself off.

If I've always paid double time on Christmas Day, do I have to keep doing it?

Possibly. If you've paid it every year, everyone knows about it and you've never said it's discretionary, it can become part of the employment terms over time. Then you can't simply stop without agreement. If you want to change it, talk to your staff and agree it in writing.

Who wrote this

The team behind Book Time Off. We run a small business ourselves, so we've had the Christmas leave clashes, the lost requests and the end-of-year leave pile-ups first hand - that's a big part of why we built it. Everything legal here is checked against Citizens Information, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Irish Statute Book, and we keep it updated when the rules change.

Not legal advice

This is practical, general information for employers in Ireland. If you've got a dispute brewing or something unusual in a contract, check with the Workplace Relations Commission (its information service is free) or an employment solicitor.