When you operate a business in Hungary, you should be aware of the various public holidays and other special days during the course of the year. On and around holidays employees will want to go on a holiday more, while wage supplements also apply. In Hungary, there are 13 bank holidays every year, while in 2025 there will be 3 working Saturdays.
A full-time job in Hungary means 40 hours a week. This is most often distributed as 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, normally Monday through Friday, 8 to 4 or 9 to 5. Of course, many businesses operate on a different schedule, such as shops, theaters, or restaurants; they may be open in the evening, on the weekend, or even around the clock. Based on your activities, you might already be familiar with working time banking or wage supplements in Hungary.
In 2025, several holidays fall on weekends, which means little change to regular working time. However, a Saturday or Sunday that is a bank holiday is different from a regular Saturday or Sunday, so different opening hours, or different wage supplements apply.
At the same time, some public holidays will fall on weekdays, resulting in extended weekends with additional rest days. These extra rest days will need to be compensated by working on certain Saturdays.
In Hungary, long weekends are preferred to having just one day off in the middle of the week. As a result, when a bank holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, the preceding Monday or the following Friday is declared a rest day to create a four-day-long weekend. In exchange for this extra rest day, a nearby Saturday is declared a working day.
This practice is regulated in law and marked in calendars.
These working Saturdays or exchanged Saturdays are full working days. When it comes to schedules (whether for opening hours or public transportation timetables), they behave like Fridays, while the preceding Friday is turned into a Thursday. For example, if your employees usually work until 4 on most weekdays but until 2 on Fridays, they will work until 4 on the Friday preceding the exchanged Saturday and until 2 on the exchanged Saturday.
Of course, as an employer you can decide how to manage the time of your employees. On working Saturdays, many employers let employees leave earlier, or schedule special activities, such as trainings or team building.
At the same time, employees may also try to opt out, and ask for a paid time off on these days (just like on any other day). Plan ahead to avoid being understaffed.
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are special in the sense that they are not bank holidays, but everyone is preparing for celebration, and this is reflected in opening hours and public transport timetables. Businesses tend to close early, and public transportation switches to night mode around 4 p.m.
In 2025, Christmas Eve will be a rest day (and behave as if it were a Saturday), but New Year’s Eve will officially remain a working day, so you should keep in mind that it will be a “short day”.
When planning the workload in December, consider that employees may wish to leave early or take days off. Moreover, you should know that that many people prefer using vacation days before Christmas and between Christmas and New Year, which may impact your plans.
When planning your business operation and workloads over the year, keep upcoming holidays and the PTO preferences of your employees in mind. Moreover, consider wage supplements you might be required to pay.
The Helpers Team provides comprehensive assistance with business operation in Hungary, which includes payroll and HR support as well as accounting and other ongoing services. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your account manager anytime.
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