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 22 October 2026 against the Fair Work Ombudsman 2026 and 2027 lists.
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.