BlackRevo blog · Employee rights
Malaysia public holidays 2027: the Selangor and KL list, every long weekend, and what the law gives you
Yap Pat Yih, Co-founder and General Manager · 2026-10-03 · 10 min read
The 2027 gazette is out: the Selangor and KL list with weekdays, the long weekends and the leave each costs, the four Saturday holidays, and what section 60D says.
The Prime Minister's Department published the 2027 public holiday schedule in August, so the year is plannable now. Here is the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur list with weekdays, the long weekends and what each costs in annual leave, and the part most calendars leave out: four 2027 holidays fall on a Saturday, and whether you get anything for them depends on your employer, not the gazette. Then section 60D of the Employment Act, because that is what our HR system gets asked most in December.
TL;DR
- Selangor and Kuala Lumpur each have 18 gazetted public holidays in 2027. Eleven land on weekdays in Selangor, twelve in KL.
- The law guarantees 11 paid holidays, not the whole gazette: five compulsory plus six the employer chooses. Check your company's list.
- Three fall on a Sunday and move to the next working day where observed: Chinese New Year day two, Awal Muharram and Maulidur Rasul.
- Four fall on a Saturday (three in KL): Chinese New Year day one, Labour Day, the Sultan of Selangor's birthday and Christmas. The Act's substitute rule covers the rest day, not a Saturday off day.
- Five long weekends cost no leave in Selangor (six in KL); five more cost one day each; Chinese New Year and Christmas each give nine days off, for four and five days of leave.
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Aidiladha and Deepavali are subject to change.
- 2026 still has three long weekends: 7 to 9 November, 11 to 13 December (Selangor) and 25 to 27 December.
First, what is left of 2026
Three long weekends remain in Selangor, two in KL, and none costs leave (2026 schedule): Deepavali on Sunday 8 November (subject to change), with Monday 9 November as the substitute where observed; the Sultan of Selangor's birthday on Friday 11 December; and Christmas on Friday 25 December, a week before New Year's Day on Friday 1 January. With leave to use before your year-end cut-off, two weeks give the most back: 14 to 18 December in Selangor, five days of leave for ten days off, and 28 to 31 December, four days of leave for ten days off from Christmas to 3 January. Our people carry over five days into the next year and lose the rest at the end of March, so I say this in the office every November.
Malaysia public holidays 2027: Selangor and Kuala Lumpur
This is the gazette, not any one company's list. Selangor adds New Year's Day, Thaipusam, Nuzul Al-Quran and the Sultan's birthday to the federal holidays; Kuala Lumpur adds New Year's Day, Thaipusam, Federal Territory Day and Nuzul Al-Quran. Unmarked days are federal and apply in both.
- Fri 1 Jan: New Year's Day (Selangor, KL)
- Fri 22 Jan: Thaipusam (Selangor, KL)
- Mon 1 Feb: Federal Territory Day (KL only)
- Sat 6 Feb: Chinese New Year
- Sun 7 Feb: Chinese New Year, day two; substitute Mon 8 Feb
- Wed 24 Feb: Nuzul Al-Quran (Selangor, KL)
- Wed 10 Mar: Hari Raya Aidilfitri, subject to change
- Thu 11 Mar: Hari Raya Aidilfitri, day two, subject to change
- Sat 1 May: Labour Day
- Mon 17 May: Hari Raya Aidiladha, subject to change
- Thu 20 May: Wesak Day
- Sun 6 Jun: Awal Muharram; substitute Tue 8 Jun, see below
- Mon 7 Jun: Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
- Sun 15 Aug: Maulidur Rasul; substitute Mon 16 Aug
- Tue 31 Aug: National Day
- Thu 16 Sep: Malaysia Day
- Thu 28 Oct: Deepavali, subject to change
- Sat 11 Dec: Birthday of the Sultan of Selangor (Selangor only)
- Sat 25 Dec: Christmas Day
Source: Jadual Hari Kelepasan Am 2027, Prime Minister's Department. Substitute days are not in the gazette; they follow from the Act, your rest day and which holidays your company observes.
The 2027 long weekends, and what each costs in leave
Assuming a Monday to Friday week with Sunday as the rest day, and a company that observes the holiday in question:
- 1 to 3 Jan: 3 days, no leave. New Year's Day on Friday.
- 22 to 24 Jan: 3 days, no leave. Thaipusam on Friday.
- 30 Jan to 1 Feb: 3 days, no leave. KL only, Federal Territory Day on Monday.
- 6 to 14 Feb: 9 days, 4 days of leave. Chinese New Year on the weekend, substitute Mon 8 Feb, leave Tue 9 to Fri 12.
- 10 to 14 Mar: 5 days, 1 day of leave. Hari Raya Wednesday and Thursday, leave Fri 12 Mar. Subject to change.
- 15 to 17 May: 3 days, no leave. Hari Raya Aidiladha on Monday. Subject to change.
- 20 to 23 May: 4 days, 1 day of leave. Wesak on Thursday, leave Fri 21 May.
- 5 to 8 Jun: 4 days, no leave. Awal Muharram Sunday, the Agong's birthday Monday, substitute Tuesday.
- 14 to 16 Aug: 3 days, no leave. Maulidur Rasul Sunday, substitute Monday.
- 28 to 31 Aug: 4 days, 1 day of leave. National Day on Tuesday, leave Mon 30 Aug.
- 16 to 19 Sep: 4 days, 1 day of leave. Malaysia Day on Thursday, leave Fri 17 Sep.
- 28 to 31 Oct: 4 days, 1 day of leave. Deepavali on Thursday, leave Fri 29 Oct. Subject to change.
- 25 Dec to 2 Jan 2028: 9 days, 5 days of leave. Christmas on Saturday, leave Mon 27 to Fri 31 Dec.
The five one-day bridges turn five days of leave into 21 days off. Add Chinese New Year and Christmas, and 14 days of leave cover 55 days away in Selangor, 58 in KL. Book the Chinese New Year week early; everyone else has read the same gazette.
The June double
Awal Muharram falls on Sunday 6 June and the Agong's official birthday on Monday 7 June. The Act replaces a holiday on the rest day with the working day immediately following it, and that Monday is not a working day, so the substitute moves to Tuesday 8 June where Awal Muharram is observed. Expect HR to confirm it.
The Saturday problem
Chinese New Year day one, Labour Day, the Sultan of Selangor's birthday and Christmas all land on a Saturday in 2027. If Saturday is your rest day, the next working day is a paid substitute. If your rest day is Sunday and Saturday is simply an off day, the common five-day arrangement, the Act's substitute rule does not reach it: section 60D replaces a holiday on the rest day or on another public holiday, and a Saturday off day is neither. Whether you get a day in lieu is then down to your contract and your employer's practice: some give the Monday, some give nothing. Labour Day is one of the five compulsory holidays, so ask about that one by name. Ask in January, not on 30 April.
What section 60D gives you
Checked against the Employment Act 1955, reprint as at 1 August 2023, which includes the 2022 amendment.
- At least 11 paid public holidays a year. Five are compulsory: National Day, the Agong's birthday, the Ruler's birthday of the state you mainly work in (or Federal Territory Day), Labour Day (the Act's Workers' Day) and Malaysia Day. The employer chooses the other six from the gazette, and any extra day declared under section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951 comes on top (section 60D(1)). No employer has to give every gazetted day.
- A notice before the year starts. The employer must display which six make up the rest of your 11 before each calendar year begins (section 60D(1A)).
- Holiday on the rest day or on another holiday. The working day immediately after is the paid substitute (section 60D(1)).
- Substitution by agreement. An employer may give another day in place of any of the six holidays it chose, by agreement with you (section 60D(1A)).
- Holiday during leave. A holiday that falls during your sick leave or annual leave is replaced by another paid day (section 60D(1B)).
- Absence the day before or after. Miss the working day either side of a holiday without prior consent or a reasonable excuse and you lose the holiday pay (section 60D(2)).
- Working on a holiday. Two days' wages at the ordinary rate on top of the holiday pay, even if you work less than your normal hours, and at least three times the hourly rate for any hours beyond them (section 60D(3)). A holiday that falls on a half working day is paid as a full day (section 60D(4)).
- Who the pay rules cover. Under the First Schedule, those two pay rules do not apply above RM4,000 a month unless the work is manual labour, operating or maintaining vehicles, supervising manual workers or certain work on ships; there, the contract governs. The 11 holidays themselves, the substitutes and the notice apply to everyone the Act covers.
- Replacement leave. The Act sets pay; a day off in lieu is a company arrangement, as our emergency and replacement leave post explains.
How we handle it at BlackRevo
We work Monday to Friday, Saturday is off and Sunday is the rest day. Our holiday list is the five compulsory holidays plus the days BlackRevo sets for the year, and it is published in Lumen, our HR system, before the year starts, so nobody finds out in February. For a holiday on our list that falls on the Sunday rest day, the next working day is the paid substitute. For a holiday that falls on a Saturday, we do not give a replacement day. Every holiday sits in the same calendar as your leave, so when you apply for the Friday after a Thursday holiday on our list the system already knows and counts one day, not two. Anyone asked to work on one of our holidays is paid, or given another day off, as the Act and our handbook provide. If you would rather plan a year around a list you can see in advance, the open roles are at jobs.blackrevo.com.my.
How much annual leave you have is in our annual leave guide; what a holiday shift is worth by the hour is in the overtime guide.
FAQ
How many public holidays are employees entitled to in Malaysia?
At least 11 paid gazetted public holidays a year under section 60D of the Employment Act 1955. Five are compulsory: National Day, the Agong's birthday, your state Ruler's birthday or Federal Territory Day, Labour Day and Malaysia Day. The employer chooses the rest, so two companies on the same street can have different calendars.
What happens if a public holiday falls on a Saturday in Malaysia?
If Saturday is your rest day, the next working day is a paid substitute. If Sunday is your rest day and Saturday an off day, the Act does not require one and it depends on your employer. In 2027 it affects Chinese New Year day one, Labour Day, the Sultan of Selangor's birthday and Christmas.
How many public holidays are there in Selangor in 2027?
Eighteen: 14 federal holidays plus New Year's Day, Thaipusam, Nuzul Al-Quran and the Sultan of Selangor's birthday. Kuala Lumpur also has 18, with Federal Territory Day instead of the Sultan's birthday. Your employer must give at least 11.
What are the long weekends in Malaysia in 2027?
Without leave: 1 to 3 January, 22 to 24 January, 30 January to 1 February (KL only), 6 to 8 February, 15 to 17 May, 5 to 8 June and 14 to 16 August. With one day of leave: Hari Raya (10 to 14 March), Wesak (20 to 23 May), National Day (28 to 31 August), Malaysia Day (16 to 19 September) and Deepavali (28 to 31 October).
How much is public holiday pay in Malaysia?
For working a public holiday, two days' wages at the ordinary rate on top of the holiday pay, plus at least three times the hourly rate beyond normal hours. It applies to employees earning up to RM4,000 a month and to manual workers whatever they earn; others follow their contract.
Is 2027 Hari Raya confirmed?
No. The gazette marks Hari Raya Aidilfitri (10 and 11 March), Hari Raya Aidiladha (17 May) and Deepavali (28 October) as subject to change; they are confirmed nearer the time.
Yap Pat Yih: Yap Pat Yih is Co-founder and General Manager of BlackRevo and looks after the team, the hiring and the HR system they run on.