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What is a National Holiday in India? Meaning and Example

A national holiday is a holiday observed across the whole country on the same date. India has three: Republic Day on 26 January, Independence Day on 15 August and Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October. Employers include them in their paid holiday lists, and check their state's holiday rules for how work on these days must be treated.

The three national holidays

These are fixed dates, so they fall on different weekdays each year. In 2026, Republic Day is a Monday, Independence Day a Saturday and Gandhi Jayanti a Friday. Companies with a Saturday weekly off should decide in advance whether a national holiday falling on a weekly off is simply lost or given as a substitute day, and say so in the holiday policy.

Working on a national holiday

Hospitals, hotels, utilities, security agencies and continuous-process plants cannot close on national holidays. Staff who work on those days are typically given extra pay or a substitute holiday, depending on the state's holiday rules, the standing orders and the company's policy. The treatment should be decided before the day and recorded against the roster, so that payroll handles it correctly and nobody is paid twice or not at all.

National holidays in the holiday calendar

National holidays are the same across India, while festival holidays vary by state and company, gazetted holidays depend on government notification, and restricted holidays are optional picks. National holidays are the fixed anchor of any calendar. ZeniaHR's Holiday Calendars have a national category alongside public, optional, religious, regional and company holidays, and recurring yearly holidays can be set up once.

Example: At a Mysuru garment unit, Republic Day on Monday, 26 January 2026, is a paid holiday, but the boiler section has to run. Boiler operator Manjunath worked the 6 am to 2 pm shift that day. As allowed by the unit's standing orders, he chose a substitute paid holiday instead of extra pay and took Monday, 2 February 2026, off. HR noted the choice against the roster so payroll did not pay both.

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Frequently asked questions

How many national holidays are there in India?

India has three national holidays: Republic Day on 26 January, Independence Day on 15 August and Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October. They are observed across the country on the same dates every year. Other festival holidays vary by state and are declared by state governments or chosen by employers for their own holiday lists.

What if a national holiday falls on a Sunday?

The holiday is usually not moved, so employees with Sunday as their weekly off do not get an extra day. Some companies give a substitute holiday in that case, especially where they promise a fixed number of paid holidays each year. The holiday policy should state the rule so that the treatment does not change from year to year.

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