France's 11 Official Jours Fériés
French public holidays are set by the Labour Code (Code du travail, Article L3133-1). There are exactly 11 at the national level — this number has not changed since 1982. Employers must grant these as paid rest days; work on a jour férié requires employee consent (except 1 May, which cannot be a working day without explicit legal exemption) and attracts a wage supplement under applicable collective agreements.
Complete List: French Public Holidays 2026
In 2026, Easter falls on 5 April, setting all moveable feasts.
| Date | Day | Holiday (French) | Holiday (English) | Weekday? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Thursday | Jour de l'An | New Year's Day | Yes |
| 6 April | Monday | Lundi de Pâques | Easter Monday | Yes |
| 1 May | Friday | Fête du Travail | Labour Day | Yes |
| 8 May | Friday | Fête de la Victoire | Victory in Europe Day | Yes |
| 14 May | Thursday | Ascension | Ascension Day | Yes |
| 25 May | Monday | Lundi de Pentecôte | Whit Monday | Yes |
| 14 July | Tuesday | Fête Nationale | Bastille Day | Yes |
| 15 August | Saturday | Assomption | Assumption of Mary | No |
| 1 November | Sunday | Toussaint | All Saints' Day | No |
| 11 November | Wednesday | Armistice | Armistice Day | Yes |
| 25 December | Friday | Noël | Christmas Day | Yes |
Effective working-day closures in 2026: 9. Assumption (15 August, Saturday) and All Saints' Day (1 November, Sunday) fall on weekends. France does not legislate substitute days for either. Some collective agreements provide a replacement, but check the applicable convention collective for the relevant sector.
The May Holiday Cluster
May 2026 is the month with the greatest concentration of French public holidays. Five distinct jours fériés affect working availability across the month:
1 May (Friday) — Labour Day (Fête du Travail). This is the only French public holiday on which work is prohibited by statute for the overwhelming majority of employees, regardless of contract type. Businesses that legally open on 1 May must pay a 100% wage supplement on top of the normal rate — double pay in effect. Most commercial businesses close entirely.
8 May (Friday) — Victory in Europe Day (Fête de la Victoire). Commemorates the German surrender in 1945. Two consecutive Fridays as public holidays means two back-to-back three-day weekends at the start of May. For businesses with French counterparts, the period 29 April through 10 May effectively operates at very reduced capacity.
14 May (Thursday) — Ascension Day (Ascension). The main pont opportunity of the year. Employees who take Friday 15 May off — using a leave day, RTT day, or collective agreement provision — enjoy a four-day weekend from Thursday through Sunday. The result: the working week of 11–15 May is often reduced to three days in practice (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), with Thursday and Friday as effective closures for a large part of the workforce.
25 May (Monday) — Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte). Closes the month with a third long weekend. Between the five public holidays and typical pont behaviour, French businesses should be treated as operating at substantially reduced availability for the full period 1–25 May 2026.
Practical Impact on May Deadlines
A delivery or payment deadline that falls between 1 and 25 May 2026 requires explicit communication:
- A 10-business-day deadline from 1 May lands on 19 May — right in the reduced-availability Ascension week.
- A 21-calendar-day payment term from 1 May lands on 22 May (Saturday), shifting by statute to 25 May — Whit Monday, itself a public holiday. The actual first enforcement date for late payment interest would be 26 May (Tuesday).
- Contracts signed in late April with 20- or 30-business-day delivery terms almost invariably run through the May cluster. Build at least one week of buffer for any French deliverable in this window.
The Solidarity Day (Journée de Solidarité)
Since 2004, one working day per year is designated as a solidarity day (journée de solidarité): employees work 7 hours without additional pay, with the contribution funding elderly care. Historically this was Whit Monday; many collective agreements have since moved it to an RTT day or another agreed date, allowing Whit Monday to function as a true day off. Check the applicable convention collective for the specific solidarity day arrangement — it varies by sector and by employer.
Alsace-Moselle: 13 Holidays
The three departments of Bas-Rhin (67), Haut-Rhin (68), and Moselle (57) operate under the Alsace-Moselle local law regime, which predates French Republic labour law and was maintained after the territory's return to France in 1918. Employees in these departments observe two additional public holidays:
| Date | Day | Holiday | Working-Day Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 April | Friday | Vendredi Saint (Good Friday) | Yes — adds one extra weekday closure |
| 26 December | Saturday | Saint-Étienne (St. Stephen's Day) | No — falls on weekend in 2026 |
Good Friday (3 April 2026, Friday) is a genuine additional working-day closure for Alsace-Moselle. This applies to all employees in those three departments regardless of their religion or personal beliefs — it is a statutory entitlement, not an optional observance. Employers based elsewhere in France but operating in Alsace-Moselle must apply the local regime.
St. Stephen's Day (26 December 2026, Saturday) falls on a weekend, so it adds no practical day off in 2026 — though it remains on the legal calendar.
Impact on French Payment Terms and Late Payment Law
France implemented the EU Late Payment Directive through the Commercial Code (Articles L441-10 et seq.). The key rules:
- Default payment term: 30 calendar days from the invoice date or receipt of goods/services, whichever is later.
- Payment terms can be extended by agreement up to 60 calendar days from the invoice date, or 45 calendar days end-of-month for certain sectors.
- These terms are measured in calendar days — public holidays do not extend the period.
- However, where the due date falls on a public holiday, the debt becomes due on the following business day.
- Late payment interest of at minimum 3 times the ECB refinancing rate applies automatically from the day after the due date, without requiring a reminder or formal notice.
- A fixed compensation for recovery costs of €40 is due automatically for each late payment, in addition to interest.
Example: A 30-calendar-day term starting 1 May 2026 falls due on 31 May (Sunday). The effective payment deadline shifts to 1 June (Monday), the next business day. Late payment interest starts accruing from 2 June if payment has not been received.
Business Tips Around the French Calendar in 2026
Before May: Issue invoices and finalise contracts before 1 May for any deliverable or payment expected in May. The entire month is compressed. A signed contract on 30 April with a 30-calendar-day payment term comes due on 30 May — manageable, but plan collections accordingly.
August: Assumption falling on Saturday (15 August) means the formal midpoint of the August slowdown is not a weekday closure — but the informal August shutdown in French businesses is a cultural reality, not a legal one. Most French SMEs operate at reduced staffing from approximately 28 July to 24 August. Do not schedule important negotiations, deliveries, or deadlines without explicitly confirming counterpart availability.
November: Armistice Day (11 November, Wednesday) provides a mid-week break. Expect some employees to extend this into a long weekend using leave days. Capacity during the week of 9–13 November is often reduced. All Saints' Day (1 November) falls on Sunday — Monday 2 November is a regular working day.
December: Christmas (25 December, Friday) and New Year's Day (1 January 2027, Friday) bookend the year with three-day weekends. French businesses are typically operating with holiday schedules in the last two weeks of December. Boxing Day (26 December) is not a national public holiday in France, though it is in Alsace-Moselle (and falls on a Saturday in 2026).
Use the EU Biz Tools Working Days Calculator to calculate exact deadline dates for French projects and payment terms, with all 11 jours fériés for 2026 pre-loaded — including the Alsace-Moselle Good Friday exception. Enter your start date, select France (or Alsace-Moselle), and get the precise deadline instantly.