St. Patrick’s Day 2024 falls on Sunday March 17th and it is a Public Holiday in Ireland.
Monday 18th March 2024 will be a Bank Holiday (Banks are closed) but it is NOT a public holiday.
It is a requirement that full-time employees, and eligible part-time employees, are given their public holiday statutory entitlement for Sunday 17th March 2024.
So how does this affect workers in Ireland and their entitlement to time off or Holiday Pay for St Patrick’s Day 2024 ?
Employees are entitled to one of the following Public Holiday Benefits, in respect of 17th March 2024 (and any other public holiday):
a) A paid day off on that day
b) A paid day off within a month of that day. (Many employers will give March 18th as a paid day off.)
c) An additional day of annual leave
d) An additional day’s pay.
Unless an employer nominates an alternative option 21 days before the public holiday, an employee automatically receives a paid day off on the public holiday.
Full-time employees are immediately entitled to a public holiday benefit.
Part-time or casual employees must have worked at least a total of 40 hours in the 5 weeks ending on the day before the public holiday in order to qualify for the public holiday benefit.
Some people might assume that the following Monday is treated as a public holiday when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday. This used to happen in Ireland in the recent past – but it is no longer the case.
Monday March 18th 2024 is NOT a public holiday . (However, the banks will be closed !)
If a public holiday falls on a weekend, workers do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work. When this happens – some employers might treat the following Monday as a public holiday, but your employer can require you to attend work on that day.
Where a public holiday falls on a day on which the employee normally works, or is normally scheduled to work, then:
A full-time employee is entitled to one of the 4 public holiday benefit options listed above.
A part-time employee must have worked 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks to be entitled to one of the public holiday benefits listed above.
Where a public holiday falls on a day on which an employee is normally off work, or is not scheduled to work… (eg Sunday 17th March)
- A full-time employee is entitled to a public holiday benefit equal to 1/5th of his normal weekly pay in respect of the normal weekly hours last worked by the employee before that public holiday,
- A part-time employee is also entitled to a public holiday benefit equal to 1/5th of his normal weekly pay, based on the average weekly pay (including any regular bonus or allowance, but excluding overtime) in the 13 weeks worked immediately before the public holiday, assuming they have worked 40 hours or more in the previous 5 weeks.
Note: Even if an employee works 6 days per week and the public holiday falls on the day on which he/she is not normally required to work, he/she is still only entitled to 1/5th of his/her normal weekly pay.
Note : In Northern Ireland – if someone works on a bank or public holiday, there is no automatic right to an enhanced pay rate. What you get paid depends on your contract of employment.