Puerto Rico Public Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Puerto Rico and start planning to make the most of your time off.
Puerto Rico celebrates 20 national holidays each year. Holidays in Puerto Rico are regulated under the “Laws Regulating the Operations of Commercial Establishments.
Under the laws, only eight of the national holidays are paid holidays for the general public. Government offices and banks are the only ones who receive paid days off for the remaining 12 holidays. All banks and government offices are closed on national holidays.
Labour laws in Puerto Rico state that employees should receive a paid day off for national holidays that apply to the public. If an employee is required to work on a national holiday based on their job requirements, that employee is entitled to receive a premium wage for work performed on that day.
The laws governing holidays provide the government with the authority to establish one-time national holidays for special events. These holidays have been used for election days and hurricane clean up. The law does not require employers to pay employees for these onetime events.
Carnival, or the two days before Ash Wednesday, is celebrated in Puerto Rico even though it is not officially recognised. Many businesses close during this celebration. The government of Puerto Rico does not require any business to participate in Carnival celebrations.