Working Days – Finland
Finland has approximately 11 official public holidays each year, as well as several days widely observed as non-working days, such as Christmas Eve and Midsummer's Eve. From a payroll perspective, the key concept is a weekday public holiday (arkipyhä), which refers to a public holiday falling on a working day. Since Finland does not have a substitute day-off system, a public holiday falling on a weekend does not entitle an employee to a compensatory day off.
Annual summary
| Other year | Working days | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 251 | |
| 2026 | 252 | |
| 2027 | 253 | |
| 2028 | 251 |
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Holiday rules and practice in Finland
How public holidays work in Finland, and what that means when you count working days.
- Standard work week
- Monday–Friday
- 40 hours per week
- Substitute days
- No
- A public holiday that falls on a weekend is not replaced, so it produces no extra day off.
- Regional variation
- No
- Public holidays apply uniformly across the whole country.
Bank holidays
Finland does not use the term 'bank holiday'. The concept does not exist in Finnish law. In payroll context, Finns use 'arkipyhä' (weekday holiday) to refer to a public holiday that falls on a weekday.
Local terminology
| Working day | työpäivä |
|---|---|
| Public holiday | pyhäpäivä |
| Weekday public holiday | arkipyhä |
| Holiday eve | aatto |
Worth knowing
- Jouluaatto (Dec 24) is NOT an official public holiday in Finnish law, but is universally treated as a non-working day. It appears as a 'bank' type holiday in this calculator.
- Juhannusaatto (Midsummer Eve) is NOT an official public holiday but is universally a non-working day.
- Uudenvuodenaatto (New Year's Eve, Dec 31) is NOT counted — it is excluded from this calculator as it is not a real holiday affecting working days.
- By Finnish law since 1955, Midsummer Day (Juhannus) always falls on the Saturday between June 20–26.
- By Finnish law, All Saints' Day (Pyhäinpäivä) always falls on the Saturday between Oct 31–Nov 6.
- There is no substitute day system in Finland — if a public holiday falls on a weekend, no replacement day is given.
- Good Friday (Pitkäperjantai) and Easter Monday (Toinen pääsiäispäivä) are official public holidays.
- Finland has approximately 11 official public holidays per year plus 2–3 widely observed eves.
Frequently asked questions
What does a weekday public holiday mean and how does it affect salary payment?
A weekday public holiday (arkipyhä) refers to an official public holiday that falls on a weekday from Monday to Friday. Weekday public holidays reduce an employee's regular working hours in that week. For salaried employees, full salary is paid despite the weekday public holiday. For hourly-paid employees, the procedure is generally determined by the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Are Christmas Eve or Midsummer's Eve official public holidays in Finland?
Christmas Eve (24.12.) and Midsummer's Eve are not official public holidays under Finnish law, but in practice they are almost invariably non-working days. In most collective bargaining agreements, these eves are explicitly listed as days off or shortened working days. HR professionals should always verify the situation in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
How does the timing of Midsummer's Day and All Saints' Day vary from year to year?
Under Finnish law, Midsummer's Day (juhannus) is always a Saturday between June 20-26, and All Saints' Day is always a Saturday between October 31 and November 6. Because these public holidays always fall on Saturday, they have no practical impact on the number of working days. In payroll calculations, their significance is mainly relevant if the company operates on weekends.
What happens if a public holiday falls on a weekend - does the employee receive a compensatory day off?
Finland does not have a statutory substitute day-off system, so a public holiday falling on a weekend does not automatically result in compensatory time off. Unlike in some other countries, this entitlement does not arise from legislation alone. However, some collective bargaining agreements may contain different provisions on this matter, so the collective bargaining agreement should always be consulted.
Which public holidays are movable and how are they accounted for in annual workforce planning?
Movable public holidays include particularly Good Friday, Easter Day, Easter Monday, and Ascension Day, the dates of which vary annually according to the Easter calculation formula. Whit Monday is also determined based on Easter. In HR planning, these public holidays should be verified annually in advance, as their position in the week directly affects the number of weekday public holidays and thus shift planning and payroll calculations.