Working Days and Hours in Estonia in 2027
| Month | Working days | Working hours | Public holidays | Shortened working days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 160 h | 1 January – New Year’s Day (Fri) | – |
| February | 19 | 149 h | 24 February – Independence Day (Wed) | 23 February (Tue) |
| March | 22 | 176 h | 26 March – Good Friday (Fri), 28 March – Easter Sunday (Sun) | – |
| April | 22 | 176 h | – | – |
| May | 21 | 168 h | 1 May – Spring Day (Sat), 16 May – Pentecost Sunday (Sun) | – |
| June | 20 | 157 h | 23 June – Victory Day (Wed), 24 June – Midsummer Day (Thu) | 22 June (Tue) |
| July | 22 | 176 h | – | – |
| August | 21 | 168 h | 20 August – Restoration of Independence Day (Fri) | – |
| September | 22 | 176 h | – | – |
| October | 21 | 168 h | – | – |
| November | 22 | 176 h | – | – |
| December | 22 | 170 h | 24 December – Christmas Eve (Fri), 25 December – Christmas Day (Sat), 26 December – Second Day of Christmas (Sun) | 23 December (Thu), 31 December (Fri) |
Total: 254 working days and 2,020 working hours. Standard monthly working hours range from 149 hours in February to 176 hours in March, April, July, September and November.
Public holidays in 2027: five fall on weekends
As every year, there are 12 public holidays, but only seven fall on weekdays: 1 January (Fri), 24 February (Wed), 26 March (Fri), 23 June (Wed), 24 June (Thu), 20 August (Fri) and 24 December (Fri). The remaining five fall on weekends: Easter Sunday on 28 March (Sun), Spring Day on 1 May (Sat), Pentecost Sunday on 16 May (Sun), Christmas Day on 25 December (Sat) and the Second Day of Christmas on 26 December (Sun).
Estonian law does not provide for a substitute day off. If a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday remains a normal working day. This means that 2027 has two more working days than 2026. Four weekday public holidays fall on Fridays, giving employees four long weekends and employers four periods when annual leave requests are likely to be concentrated.
If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, for example in manufacturing, retail or care services, the employer must pay double wages for that work (Employment Contracts Act, § 45(2)). By agreement, work performed on a public holiday may instead be compensated with additional time off (§ 45(3)). This applies to all 12 public holidays, including those falling on weekends.
Four shortened working days and § 53 of the Employment Contracts Act
There are four shortened working days in 2027, each falling on the day immediately before the relevant public holiday:
- 23 February (Tuesday) – the day before Independence Day
- 22 June (Tuesday) – the day before Victory Day
- 23 December (Thursday) – the day before Christmas Eve
- 31 December (Friday) – the day before 1 January 2028, which falls on a Saturday
The shortened working day preceding New Year’s Day 2027, 31 December 2026, is included in the working hours for 2026 and therefore does not appear in this table. Working time is reduced by three hours for each shortened working day: 152 − 3 = 149 hours in February, 160 − 3 = 157 hours in June and 176 − 6 = 170 hours in December.
Public holidays in Estonia in 2027
7 holidays fall on Monday–Friday; 5 fall on a weekend.
| Date | Day | Public holiday | Calendar impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day | Weekday off |
| 24 February 2027 | Wednesday | Independence Day | Weekday off |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday | Weekday off |
| 28 March 2027 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Weekend |
| 1 May 2027 | Saturday | Spring Day | Weekend |
| 16 May 2027 | Sunday | Pentecost | Weekend |
| 23 June 2027 | Wednesday | Victory Day | Weekday off |
| 24 June 2027 | Thursday | Midsummer Day | Weekday off |
| 20 August 2027 | Friday | Day of Restoration of Independence | Weekday off |
| 24 December 2027 | Friday | Christmas Eve | Weekday off |
| 25 December 2027 | Saturday | Christmas Day | Weekend |
| 26 December 2027 | Sunday | Boxing Day | Weekend |