2024 China National Day Holiday Guide: Rest Days, Work Schedule, and Overtime Pay

The 2024 China National Day holiday is just around the corner. This article outlines the official holiday and work adjustment schedule released by the Chinese government, as well as the guidelines for salary payments and overtime pay during this period.

2024 China National Day Holiday Schedule

According to the official China Public Holiday 2024 schedule, this year China’s National Day Holiday follows the below schedule:

• October 1 to October 7, 2024 (seven rest days in total)
• Adjusted working days: September 29, 2024 (Sunday) and October 12, 2024 (Saturday)

To be more specific:

Salary payment during the 2024 China National Day Holiday

Employers and payroll managers need to pay attention to the salary payment dates for the October payment.

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According to Article 7 of the current effective Interim Provisions on Wage Payment, wages must be paid on the date agreed upon by the employer and the employee. If this date falls on a holiday or rest day, wages should be paid on the nearest working day before the holiday. Wages must be paid at least once a month, though weekly, daily, or hourly wage systems can be used accordingly.

Given that the 2024 National Day holiday runs from October 1 to October 7, employers with a salary payment date within this period must advance the October salary payment to the nearest working day in September, which is September 30.

Overtime payment during the 2024 China National Day Holiday

Depending on the type of rest days and the working hour system implemented, the overtime payment rates are different：

• Under the standard working hour system, for work on an official public holiday, not less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid; for work on an adjusted rest day, and where such rest days cannot be postponed and taken at another time, not less than 200 percent of the normal wage shall be paid.
• Under the comprehensive working hour system, for work performed on public holidays not less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid However, no rest day is outlined under this system, so that for work performed on those adjusted working days and weekends, no overtime payments are available.
• Under the non-fixed work hour system, no less than 300 percent of the normal wage shall be paid for work on public holidays. However, there are differences in overtime regulations across different regions. For instance, in Beijing, employees under the non-fixed work hour system are not entitled to overtime pay for hours worked on public holidays. However, in Shanghai, these hours are considered overtime, and employers are required to pay compensation of up to 300 percent of the normal wage.
• For adjusted working days on weekends, no overtime payment is due.

The calculation formulas are as follows:

• 300% daily wage: Overtime wage base ÷ 21.75 × 300%
• 200% daily wage: Overtime wage base ÷ 21.75 × 200%
• Hourly overtime wage: Daily overtime wage ÷ 8

To explain, 21.75 days is the average number of working days per month. The overtime wage base is the employee’s normal monthly wage for their position, excluding annual bonuses, commuting allowances, meal subsidies, housing allowances, night shift allowances, summer high-temperature allowances, and overtime wages. The specific determination follows these principles:

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• If the labor contract specifies the employee’s monthly wage, it is based on the agreed monthly wage for the position. If the actual performance differs from the contract, it is based on the actual monthly wage for the position.
• If the labor contract does not specify the monthly wage, but the collective agreement (or wage-specific collective agreement) does, it is based on the collective agreement’s specified monthly wage for the position.
• If neither the labor contract nor the collective agreement specifies the monthly wage, it is based on 70% of the employee’s normal monthly wage (including bonuses, allowances, and subsidies).

• The calculation base for overtime and holiday wages must not be lower than the city’s minimum wage standard.

Also read:

China Public Holiday 2024 Schedule 

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