Holiday pay for hourly employees: what Tishrei 2026 will really cost you

Payroll cost in Tishrei depends on each employee's working days, seniority, whether they worked on the holiday and the arrangement that applies to them. Start with the calendar, then check each employee separately. Adding up all the holiday days and multiplying by one rate does not give an accurate budget.

When do the Tishrei 2026 holidays fall?

The holidays begin the evening before. Chol HaMoed Sukkot runs from 27 September to 2 October. The last day is also a holiday eve. The dates appear in the official 2026 holiday calendar (in Hebrew).

When is holiday pay paid to an hourly employee?

Under the general arrangement, an hourly or daily employee is entitled to holiday pay (דמי חגים) after three months of work, subject to conditions, including not being absent close to the holiday without the employer's consent. Check whether they lost a working day because of the holiday and what their regular working days are. A day they are not scheduled for by agreement is not necessarily an absence that cancels entitlement.

Three of the holiday days this Tishrei fall on a Saturday. An employee who does not usually work on Saturday generally does not become entitled to holiday pay for a lost working day because of this. Do not apply this sentence automatically to an employee on changing shifts or to every employment agreement.

The starting point is the extension order for the framework agreement, holiday pay section. A sector agreement, a contract or a more favorable practice may change the result. A monthly employee generally receives their regular salary even in a month with holidays.

What changes if the employee works on the holiday?

Pay for working on a holiday and holiday pay are different components. Working on a holiday may earn increased pay. An hourly or daily employee who worked out of necessity and meets the entitlement conditions may also receive holiday pay on top. So do not assume that 150% is always the final amount.

Depending on the circumstances, the result can reach 250%, before other components. Also check overtime, compensatory rest and a more favorable agreement with your payroll accountant. A detailed explanation is at Kol-Zchut: pay for work on holidays (in Hebrew). Employing staff on a holiday or on the weekly rest day also requires checking for the right permit with the Ministry of Labor.

And what about holiday eves and Chol HaMoed?

A holiday eve is not a holiday. The length of the working day and the pay are set by law and by the arrangement that applies at the workplace. In a five-day working week, arrangements different from the seven-hour rule may apply. Do not set one cap for the whole team without checking the agreement and the practice.

Chol HaMoed days are usually regular working days, subject to more favorable arrangements. Plan leave requests, opening hours and rest between shifts in advance. Opening on Saturday night does not, on its own, prove that the employee completed the required weekly rest.

How do you prepare a budget you can check?

A sample calculation: eight hours at ₪50 is ₪400 gross at the regular rate, and ₪600 if a 150% rate applies. If holiday pay of ₪400 is added, the total is ₪1,000.

Against the cost, check sales and gross profit at similar hours in your business. Do not assume a holiday eve is slow or busy just because that is true for another shop.

What do you send the payroll accountant?

1. Start date, type of pay and regular working days.
2. The planned schedule and actual clock-in and clock-out times.
3. Approved leave and absences, including close to the holiday.
4. Details of holiday work and the arrangements relevant to the business.

In Smart POS, the time clock brings together each employee's working hours, as described in the back office guide. Your payroll accountant approves the holiday pay on the payslip, and KupaLi gives them the hours in order. To plan stock ahead of the closure, see also Stock without holes.

This information was checked on 6 September 2026.