Zambia Holidays List 2026

Note: Zambia works a Monday to Friday week with a Saturday to Sunday weekend. Under the current Public Holidays Act, when a holiday falls on a Sunday the following Monday is taken off, which is why Women's Day (9 March) and National Prayer Day (19 October) each gain a Monday in lieu in 2026. There is no substitute when a holiday falls on a Saturday, so Independence Day (24 October, Saturday) has no replacement day. Two points to watch: a Public Holidays Amendment Bill before Parliament in 2026 proposes removing the Sunday-to-Monday in-lieu rule, and the President can add or shift dates by gazette at short notice, so employers should confirm against the latest official notice before finalising leave calendars.

How Zambian Holidays Impact Payroll and Leave Management?

Zambia's calendar gets very busy at a few points in the year, the whole Easter weekend is off from Good Friday to Easter Monday, Heroes' Day and Unity Day come back to back in July, and two Sundays (Women's Day and National Prayer Day) drag a Monday off with them. The base rules are not complicated: holidays are paid days off, a Sunday holiday currently moves to the Monday, and anyone who has to work a holiday is owed premium pay under the Employment Code Act. The catch in 2026 is that the in-lieu rule is itself under review and the President can move or add dates by gazette with little notice, so the calendar you planned in January can change by mid-year. Doing all of that by hand across attendance, leave and overtime is where mistakes start, which is why most teams let a system apply the in-lieu days, the Easter cluster and any fresh proclamations automatically instead of reworking spreadsheets every time something shifts.