Planning around China's long holidays from abroad

Why the long breaks catch overseas teams out

The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and National Day breaks are much longer than a normal weekend, and their dates move every year. The Spring Festival follows the lunar calendar, so it can start anywhere from late January to mid-February.

China also works on some weekend days around these breaks. On a makeup Saturday, your Chinese partners are at their desks while you may be off. Both effects shift deadlines in ways a calendar-day count won't show.

The 2026 dates to know

These come from the State Council's 2026 notice:

• Spring Festival: off 15–23 February (nine days). Makeup workdays: Saturday 14 February and Saturday 28 February.
• Labour Day: off 1–5 May. Makeup workday: Saturday 9 May.
• National Day: off 1–7 October. Makeup workdays: Sunday 20 September and Saturday 10 October.
• New Year's Day (1–3 January, with Sunday 4 January worked), Qingming (4–6 April), Dragon Boat (19–21 June) and Mid-Autumn (25–27 September) are shorter breaks.

Count working days, not calendar days

A month that contains a long break loses about a week of working time. In February 2026, China has far fewer working days than the calendar suggests, even after counting the two makeup Saturdays:

Example: a lead time that runs through the break

Suppose a supplier confirms an order on Monday 9 February 2026 and quotes ten working days. Counting ten calendar days would point to 19 February, in the middle of the holiday. Counting working days on China's calendar gives this:

Example: payment terms across Golden Week

An invoice dated Monday 21 September 2026 with payment due in 15 working days crosses both the Mid-Autumn and National Day breaks. Fifteen working days from that date lands on the date below, almost four weeks later. The Saturday makeup workday on 10 October counts as one of the fifteen.

Meetings and handovers around makeup days

Mainland China uses one time zone, UTC+8, with no daylight saving time. A makeup Saturday is a full working day there. It can suit a quick handover if someone on your side is available, but many overseas teams are off, so plan replies for the following Monday.

The day before a long break and the first day back tend to be busy. Agreeing on decisions a few working days before the break is safer than relying on the last day.

Beyond the official dates

The State Council calendar is a starting point, not a promise about any particular company.

• Many businesses close for longer than the official break, especially around the Spring Festival. Ask your counterpart for their actual closure dates.
• Banks, payment systems and stock exchanges publish their own calendars. Check them for payment and settlement dates.
• Contracts may define "business days" in their own way. The contract wording decides.

Before next year's dates are published

Next year's notice usually comes out in early November. Until then, any date after the end of the published year is unknown. The AcrossKit calculator stops at that point instead of guessing. If you have to plan earlier, leave extra time around the expected Spring Festival and confirm once the notice is out.

Questions

When is Chinese New Year in 2027?

The lunar new year falls on 6 February 2027, so Lunar New Year's Eve is 5 February. The official holiday dates and makeup workdays for 2027 will only be known when the State Council publishes its notice.

Is a makeup Saturday a good day to expect a reply?

Offices following the national schedule are open, so replies are possible. Plan for normal response times rather than assuming the day is lost.

Should I count makeup workdays as working days?

For the national schedule, yes. The examples on this page include them. If a contract defines business days differently, follow the contract.

Do Hong Kong suppliers follow the same breaks?

No. Hong Kong has its own public holidays and no makeup workdays.