Planning Annual Leave Around Christmas & New Year
The Christmas–New Year window is the longest break most Australians take. Christmas Day, Boxing Day (Proclamation Day in South Australia) and New Year's Day are public holidays a week apart, and many workplaces shut down between them.
Depending on which weekday 25 December lands on, three to four well-placed leave days can produce an unbroken break of ten days or more across the year boundary.
When Christmas & New Year falls, by state
| State / Territory | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) |
| Victoria | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) |
| Queensland | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) |
| Western Australia | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) |
| South Australia | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Proclamation Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Proclamation Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Proclamation Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Proclamation Day)) |
| Tasmania | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) |
| Australian Capital Territory | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) |
| Northern Territory | Thu 1 Jan 2026 (New Year's Day) Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day) Sat 26 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day) Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) | Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day) Sat 25 Dec 2027 (Christmas Day) Sun 26 Dec 2027 (Boxing Day) Mon 27 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Christmas Day)) Tue 28 Dec 2027 (Additional public holiday (Boxing Day)) |
Public-holiday dates rechecked 20 July 2026 against the Fair Work Ombudsman and state/territory sources.
Worked Christmas & New Year examples for 2026 and 2027
Each example below is calculated from that jurisdiction's dated public holidays. The algorithm tests consecutive non-working segments and the working days between them, then ranks the qualifying blocks by days off per leave day. Workplace shutdowns, part-day holidays, rosters, and regional substitutions are not assumed.
2026 worked examples
| State or territory | Optimiser-derived example |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| New South Wales | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| Northern Territory | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| Queensland | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| South Australia | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| Tasmania | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| Victoria | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
| Western Australia | Book 1 leave day (Fri 2 Jan 2026) for 4 days off, 4.0× efficiency |
2027 worked examples
| State or territory | Optimiser-derived example |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| New South Wales | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Northern Territory | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Queensland | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| South Australia | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Tasmania | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Victoria | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Western Australia | Book 5 leave days (Mon 20 Dec 2027, Tue 21 Dec 2027, Wed 22 Dec 2027, Thu 23 Dec 2027, Fri 24 Dec 2027) for 11 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
Related guides
Other holidays: Easter · King's Birthday · Anzac Day · Labour Day · Australia Day.
By state: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital Territory · Northern Territory.
Or read the complete strategy guide.