Last checked: October 2026. Rules from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
How is rest day pay calculated in Singapore?
For an employee covered by Part IV of the Employment Act, work on a rest day at the employer's request earns one day's pay for up to half the normal daily hours and two days' pay for more than half. At the employee's request, it earns half those amounts. Hours beyond the normal working day are paid as overtime at 1.5 times the hourly basic rate.
Rest day pay depends on who asked
Every employee covered by Part IV is entitled to one rest day a week. If they work on it, the pay depends on whether you, the employer, asked them to work or whether they asked to work.
- At the employer's request: one day's pay for up to half their normal daily hours; two days' pay for more than half; two days' pay plus overtime for hours beyond their normal daily hours.
- At the employee's request: half a day's pay for up to half their normal daily hours; one day's pay for more than half; one day's pay plus overtime beyond normal hours.
When you ask an employee to work on a rest day, you must pay them. Time off in lieu can't replace rest day pay for employees covered by Part IV. Rosters and time cards rarely record who asked, which is why rest day pay is one of the most common errors we find in construction payroll.
Public holiday pay
An employee covered by Part IV who works on a public holiday gets an extra day's salary at their basic rate of pay, on top of their normal monthly salary. Hours beyond their normal daily hours are paid as overtime at 1.5 times the hourly basic rate. If a public holiday falls on a rest day, the next working day becomes a paid public holiday.
The rates used
Basic daily rate = monthly basic salary × 12 ÷ (52 × working days a week)
Hourly basic rate = monthly basic salary × 12 ÷ (52 × 44)
Allowances are left out of both. For a 5.5-day week, use 5.5 as the number of working days.
Worked example
A general worker on a monthly basic salary of S$1,800, working a 6-day week with 8 normal hours a day, is asked by the supervisor to work 10 hours on a Sunday rest day.
| Basic daily rateS$1,800 × 12 ÷ (52 × 6) | S$69.23 |
| Two days' payEmployer's request, more than half the normal hours | S$138.46 |
| Overtime2 hours × S$14.16 (1.5 × hourly basic rate) | S$28.32 |
| Rest day pay | S$166.78 |
Had the worker asked to work that day instead, the day's pay would be S$69.23, plus the same S$28.32 of overtime.
Sample only. Names and figures are illustrative.
Overtime still counts towards the 72-hour limit
Overtime worked on a rest day or public holiday counts towards the 72-hour monthly overtime limit. Check the month's total with the overtime pay calculator.
Official sources: MOM, hours of work, overtime and rest days and MOM, public holidays: entitlement and pay. This calculator gives an estimate for monthly-rated employees covered by Part IV and is not legal advice.