Taiwan has introduced five new employer-paid public holidays: the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve, 1 May (Labor Day), 28 September (Confucius’s Birthday and Teachers’ Day), 25 October (Taiwan Retrocession Day), and 25 December (Constitution Day). The changes took effect from 28 May 2025.
Background
The new public holidays were implemented through the Enforcement Act for Memorial Days and Festivals (the “Act”), which took effect on 28 May 2025.
Key details
The five additional public holidays include:
The day before Lunar New Year’s Eve (i.e., the second-to-last day of the twelfth lunar month) – As this day follows the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, the Gregorian calendar date will vary each year. This change extends the statutory holiday period for the Spring Festival from four to five days, being the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve, Lunar New Year’s Eve, and the first, second and third days of the first lunar month.
1 May – Labor Day, which celebrates workers’ rights and contributions. While this holiday was previously limited to private sector employees under the Labor Standards Act, it now applies to both private and public sector employees.
28 September – Confucius’s Birthday, which honors Confucius, the ancient Chinese philosopher and educator, and Teachers’ Day.
25 October – Taiwan Retrocession Day, which commemorates the end of Japanese rule in 1945 after World War II.
25 December – Constitution Day, which commemorates the 1947 enactment of the Constitution of Taiwan.
As private sector employees were already entitled to the Labor Day holiday, the changes effectively add four new public holidays, increasing the total number of paid public holidays from 12 to 16 per year.
Employers are required to pay regular wages to employees for public holidays and must obtain employees’ consent if they require employees to work on public holidays. Employees who agree to work on these days are entitled to double their regular pay.
As the Act took effect on 28 May 2025, only the following three new public holidays will apply for the remainder of 2025:
Monday, 29 September 2025 – Day off in lieu of Confucius' Birthday and Teachers’ Day (adjusted as 28 September falls on a Sunday)
Friday, 24 October 2025 – Day off in lieu of Taiwan Retrocession Day (adjusted as 25 October falls on a Saturday)
Thursday, 25 December 2025 – Constitution Day
Employer action: ACT
Employers should update their internal policies and practices, employee handbooks, and leave management systems to reflect the additional public holidays, if they have not already done so. Payroll calculations should also be adjusted accordingly if employees are required to work on the new public holidays. Additionally, the changes should be clearly communicated to all employees.
Further Information
Enforcement Act for Memorial Days and Festivals | Ministry of Labor (opens a new window)
