Domestic Helper Holidays Hong Kong 2027: Statutory Days, Leave & Pay

A foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong gets 15 statutory holidays in 2027, at least one 24-hour rest day every 7 days, and 7 to 14 days of paid annual leave depending on length of service. Holiday pay is due once she has worked for you for 3 months, and you cannot pay her instead of giving the day off. Good Friday (26 March) and the day after (27 March) are general holidays but not statutory holidays in 2027, so a helper is not legally entitled to them. From 3 October 2026 the Minimum Allowable Wage for new contracts is HK$5,220 a month, plus food or a food allowance of at least HK$1,236.

This guide is for expat employers who want the 2027 dates, the rules on rest days and leave, and worked examples for the awkward cases (holidays falling on her day off, Lunar New Year, typhoons). Every rule links to the Labour Department or Immigration Department source.

Which Holidays Does a Domestic Helper Get in 2027?

Helpers are covered by the Employment Ordinance like any other employee, so they get statutory holidays, not the longer list of general holidays that banks, schools and government offices close for. The Labour Department's 2027 statutory holiday list has 15 days:

Sources: Labour Department 2027 statutory holidays; Government 2027 general holidays gazette notice.

Two things trip people up. First, because the second day of Lunar New Year lands on a Sunday, the fourth day (9 February) becomes the statutory holiday instead. Second, you choose between Winter Solstice and Christmas Day. Most expat households pick Christmas, but tell your helper which one in advance and put it in writing.

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Statutory Holidays vs General Holidays: What Is the Difference?

General holidays are the days the government gazettes as public holidays. In 2027 there are 17 of them plus every Sunday. Statutory holidays are the days the Employment Ordinance says every employee must get off, and there are 15 in 2027.

The gap is closing. Under the Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, statutory holidays are being added one at a time until they match the general holidays:

Source: Government press release on the 2021 amendment.

So in 2027 your helper is not legally owed Good Friday or Easter Saturday. Plenty of families give them anyway, and it costs you very little goodwill-wise to do so. Just be clear that it is a gift, not an entitlement, so there's no confusion in 2028 when Good Friday becomes statutory.

Is a Helper Paid for Statutory Holidays?

Yes, after 3 months. Every helper is entitled to the day off from her first day of work, but holiday pay only kicks in once she has been employed by you continuously for at least 3 months immediately before the holiday. That's set out in the Labour Department's Practical Guide for Employment of Foreign Domestic Helpers.

In practice, because helpers are paid a monthly wage, most employers simply pay the normal month's salary and the holiday is "built in". Where it matters (for example when a contract ends mid-month), holiday pay equals her average daily wage over the previous 12 months.

How to Calculate Holiday Pay for a Helper

A helper on the new HK$5,220 Minimum Allowable Wage earns HK$62,640 over 12 months. Divide by 365 days and her average daily wage is roughly HK$172. That is the figure you'd use for one day of holiday pay, or for paying out untaken holidays when a contract ends.

If she was on leave or sick during part of the year, those days and the wages for them are excluded from the calculation. The Labour Department's concise guide to the Employment Ordinance has the full method.

Can I Pay My Helper Instead of Giving a Statutory Holiday?

No. Paying wages in lieu of a statutory holiday is prohibited, and the Labour Department says an employer who does it can be fined up to HK$50,000 (FDH portal, employer corner). The day off has to actually be taken.

Can I Ask My Helper to Work on a Statutory Holiday?

Only by moving the holiday, not by cancelling it. If you need her on a statutory holiday (say you're hosting family over Lunar New Year), the rules are:

1. Give at least 48 hours' notice that she will work that day.
2. Arrange an alternative holiday within 60 days before or after the original date.
3. If you both agree, you can pick a substitute day instead, again within 60 days.

For Lunar New Year, the Labour Department's FAQ for employers says you can grant the three alternative holidays together or separately. Many helpers would rather have three consecutive days later on so they can travel home, so ask her.

What Happens if a Statutory Holiday Falls on Her Rest Day?

The holiday moves to the next day that is not already a statutory holiday, an alternative holiday, a substituted holiday or a rest day (Practical Guide).

Most helpers take Sunday off, and no 2027 statutory holiday falls on a Sunday, so for most households nothing shifts. It does matter if your helper's rest day is a Saturday:

A helper with a normal Sunday rest day gets a four-day run at Lunar New Year in 2027: Saturday 6 February (statutory), Sunday 7 February (rest day), and Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February (statutory).

What Are the Rest Day Rules for Domestic Helpers?

A helper must get at least one rest day in every 7 days, and it must be a continuous period of at least 24 hours. You choose the day, though in practice almost everyone uses Sunday.

The rules from the Practical Guide:

• You cannot make her work on a rest day, except in an unforeseen emergency. She can choose to work, but it has to be her choice. The maximum fine is HK$50,000.
• A substitute rest day needs her consent and must fall in the same month before the original day, or within 30 days after it.
• She still lives at your address on rest days, holidays and leave. The live-in requirement in the standard contract doesn't switch off at weekends (employer corner).

A common question is curfew. The law doesn't set one. A rest day is a continuous 24 hours, so asking her to start work at 7am on Monday is fine; asking her to come home at 6pm on Sunday to cook dinner is not, because that is work on her rest day.

How Much Annual Leave Does a Domestic Helper Get?

Paid annual leave starts after every 12 months with the same employer, beginning at 7 days and rising to 14:

Sources: Labour Department Practical Guide; Immigration Department FDH FAQ.

You decide when annual leave is taken, after consulting her, and you must give at least 14 days' written notice. Rest days and statutory holidays that fall within her annual leave don't count as annual leave days. Leave earned but not taken is paid out when the contract ends, and leave is pro-rated if the contract ends after 3 months but before 12 months (unless she is summarily dismissed).

For the full Employment Ordinance rules that apply to every employee, see our guide to annual leave in Hong Kong.

Can I Make My Helper Take Annual Leave When We Travel?

Yes, as long as you give 14 days' written notice and it's genuinely her paid annual leave. What you can't do is make her take unpaid leave because your family is away. If she has no leave left, she stays on full pay.

What Is the 2026 Minimum Allowable Wage for Helpers?

The Minimum Allowable Wage rose 2.35% from HK$5,100 to HK$5,220 a month for contracts signed on or after 3 October 2026. The food allowance stays at no less than HK$1,236 a month if you don't provide free food (Government press release, 2 October 2026).

There's a transition window: contracts signed at HK$5,100 on or before 2 October 2026 will still be processed if the Immigration Department receives them by 30 October 2026. After that, any new contract needs to be at HK$5,220 or more.

What Else Is a Helper Entitled To?

Holidays are only part of the picture. Under the Standard Employment Contract (ID 407) and the Employment Ordinance, you also provide:

Sources: Labour Department Practical Guide; Immigration Department standard contract terms.

The sick leave and maternity rules are the same ones every Hong Kong employee gets. Our guides to sick leave and maternity and paternity leave explain the qualifying rules in detail.

What Happens During a Typhoon or Black Rainstorm?

The Labour Department's Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and Extreme Conditions, revised in May 2026, says employers should not deduct annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days to make up for time lost during Typhoon Signal No. 8, a Black Rainstorm or "extreme conditions", and should not change leave arrangements at the last minute.

What the Code doesn't spell out is what happens when a typhoon hits on a helper's Sunday. The general rules still apply: it's still her rest day, she can't be required to work, and a typhoon isn't a holiday you owe back. If she chooses to stay home because it isn't safe to go out, the day is still her rest day. We'd suggest agreeing a sensible approach with her before typhoon season rather than in the middle of one.

How Does a Helper's Leave Work When the Contract Ends?

When a contract ends, either side can give 1 month's notice or pay 1 month's wages in lieu (employer corner). On top of the final month's wages you'll typically owe:

• Pay for any untaken annual leave, including pro-rated leave for the current year.
• Pay for any statutory holidays that were due but not given.
• The return air ticket and travel allowance.
• Long service payment if she has worked for you for at least 5 years, or severance payment if she is made redundant after at least 24 months.

The abolition of the MPF "offsetting" arrangement on 1 May 2025 doesn't affect helpers, because foreign domestic helpers aren't covered by MPF (Labour Department). Our guide to severance pay and long service payment has the formula and caps.

Common Mistakes Expat Employers Make

These are the issues we see most often with newer expat households:

1. Treating Good Friday as a statutory holiday in 2027, then being unsure whether a replacement day is owed. It isn't, until 2028.
2. Forgetting the Saturday rest day shift. If her rest day isn't Sunday, three 2027 holidays move.
3. Paying cash instead of a day off at Lunar New Year. It's illegal, however generous the amount.
4. Asking her to be home early on Sunday. That eats into the 24-hour rest day.
5. Making her take unpaid leave while you travel. Use annual leave with 14 days' notice, or keep paying her.
6. Not putting the Winter Solstice or Christmas choice in writing. A one-line WhatsApp in January avoids a December argument.

FAQs: Domestic Helper Holidays in Hong Kong

How many statutory holidays does a domestic helper get in 2027?

There are 15. The Labour Department's 2027 list includes Easter Monday, which became a statutory holiday in 2026, and one day of your choice between Winter Solstice (22 December) and Christmas Day (25 December).

Is Good Friday a holiday for domestic helpers in 2027?

Not legally. Good Friday becomes a statutory holiday in 2028 and the day after Good Friday in 2030. In 2027 both are general holidays only, so giving them to your helper is optional.

Does a new helper get statutory holidays in her first 3 months?

She gets the day off from day one. What she doesn't get until she has worked for you for 3 months continuously is holiday pay. Because helpers are on a monthly wage, this rarely changes what you pay in practice.

Can I pay my helper extra to work on a statutory holiday?

No. You can move the holiday by giving 48 hours' notice and an alternative day within 60 days, but you can't replace it with money. The maximum fine for paying in lieu is HK$50,000.

If a statutory holiday falls on Sunday, do I owe another day?

If Sunday is her rest day, yes: the holiday moves to the next day that isn't already a holiday or rest day. In 2027 no statutory holiday falls on a Sunday, so this only affects helpers whose rest day is another day of the week.

How many days of annual leave does a helper get?

7 days after each of the first two years, then one extra day per year up to 14 days from the ninth year. You set the dates after consulting her, with 14 days' written notice.

Can unused annual leave be carried over or paid out?

Annual leave is meant to be taken, and the Labour Department's guide says leave earned but untaken is paid out in lieu when the contract ends, including pro-rated leave for the current year. For how carry-forward works between leave years under the Employment Ordinance, see our annual leave guide.

What is the minimum salary for a domestic helper in Hong Kong?

HK$5,220 a month for contracts signed on or after 3 October 2026, plus free food or a food allowance of at least HK$1,236. Contracts signed at HK$5,100 on or before 2 October 2026 are accepted if they reach Immigration by 30 October 2026.

Does my helper get the day off during a Typhoon 8?

A typhoon isn't a holiday, so it doesn't create an extra day off. If it falls on a workday, safety comes first and you shouldn't ask her to run outdoor errands. If it falls on her rest day, it stays her rest day and you can't ask her to work.

Can I choose my helper's rest day?

Yes. The law requires one 24-hour rest day every 7 days but doesn't say which day. Most families choose Sunday because that's when helper communities meet, and changing it can make recruitment harder.

Do helpers get Lunar New Year off?

Yes. Lunar New Year's Day and the third and fourth days are statutory holidays in 2027 (6, 8 and 9 February). If you need her to work, give 48 hours' notice and three alternative days, which can be taken together.

Key Takeaways

• Domestic helpers get 15 statutory holidays in 2027; Good Friday and the day after are general holidays only.
• Holiday pay is due after 3 months' continuous employment, and paying cash instead of a day off can bring a HK$50,000 fine.
• A helper needs one continuous 24-hour rest day every 7 days, and you can't require her to work on it.
• Annual leave runs from 7 days after year one to 14 days from year nine, with 14 days' written notice from you.
• The Minimum Allowable Wage is HK$5,220 a month for contracts signed from 3 October 2026, plus a HK$1,236 food allowance if food isn't provided.
• If a statutory holiday falls on her rest day, it moves to the next available day; this matters in 2027 only for helpers who don't rest on Sunday.

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