Planning Annual Leave Around Easter
Easter is one of Australia’s strongest leave-planning opportunities: use the four-day public-holiday weekend as the base, then book only the working days that extend it.
Because Easter moves with the lunar calendar, the surrounding working days shift each year — which is exactly why a date-aware plan beats a generic rule of thumb.
When Easter falls, by state
| State / Territory | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sat 4 Apr 2026 (Easter Saturday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sat 27 Mar 2027 (Easter Saturday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
| Victoria | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sat 4 Apr 2026 (Saturday before Easter Sunday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sat 27 Mar 2027 (Saturday before Easter Sunday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
| Queensland | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sat 4 Apr 2026 (Easter Saturday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sat 27 Mar 2027 (Easter Saturday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
| Western Australia | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
| South Australia | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sat 4 Apr 2026 (Easter Saturday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sat 27 Mar 2027 (Easter Saturday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
| Tasmania | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) Tue 7 Apr 2026 (Easter Tuesday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) Tue 30 Mar 2027 (Easter Tuesday) |
| Australian Capital Territory | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sat 4 Apr 2026 (Easter Saturday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sat 27 Mar 2027 (Easter Saturday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
| Northern Territory | Fri 3 Apr 2026 (Good Friday) Sat 4 Apr 2026 (Easter Saturday) Sun 5 Apr 2026 (Easter Sunday) Mon 6 Apr 2026 (Easter Monday) | Fri 26 Mar 2027 (Good Friday) Sat 27 Mar 2027 (Easter Saturday) Sun 28 Mar 2027 (Easter Sunday) Mon 29 Mar 2027 (Easter Monday) |
Public-holiday dates rechecked 20 July 2026 against the Fair Work Ombudsman and state/territory sources.
Worked Easter 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 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| New South Wales | Book 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Northern Territory | Book 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Queensland | Book 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| South Australia | Book 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Tasmania | Book 3 leave days (Wed 8 Apr 2026, Thu 9 Apr 2026, Fri 10 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 3.3× efficiency |
| Victoria | Book 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Western Australia | Book 4 leave days (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Tue 31 Mar 2026, Wed 1 Apr 2026, Thu 2 Apr 2026) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
2027 worked examples
| State or territory | Optimiser-derived example |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| New South Wales | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Northern Territory | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Queensland | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| South Australia | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Tasmania | Book 3 leave days (Wed 31 Mar 2027, Thu 1 Apr 2027, Fri 2 Apr 2027) for 10 days off, 3.3× efficiency |
| Victoria | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Western Australia | Book 4 leave days (Mon 22 Mar 2027, Tue 23 Mar 2027, Wed 24 Mar 2027, Thu 25 Mar 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
Related guides
Other holidays: Christmas & New Year · 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.