December and January Work in Bulgaria: How Public Holidays and Days Off Affect Your Pay

A series of non-working days is approaching around Christmas and New Year, and employees should be aware of how these dates are treated. According to Vanya Dzhupanova from the General Labor Inspectorate, the official holidays in December are December 24, 25 and 26, with January 1 also listed as a public holiday. In addition to these fixed dates, the government has designated December 31 and January 2 as days off due to the planned introduction of the euro. These two dates are not official holidays, but they function as non-working days. As Dzhupanova explained, such days are usually introduced when a public holiday coincides with a weekend, after which the first working days are declared non-working to provide continuity.

Payment rules differ depending on the type of day. Work performed on official holidays must be compensated at no less than double the standard rate. If the work also counts as overtime, those on irregular working schedules receive an additional 100 percent increase on top of the holiday pay. For December 31 and January 2, which are simply days off, only overtime is subject to higher pay, with a 75 percent increase. In sectors that cannot interrupt operations, such as transport, production or certain service activities, employers may apply a summarized working-time calculation.

Employees also have the right to additional rest when they work through both days of their weekly break, with the option of receiving an extra day off as compensation. Dzhupanova noted that civil contracts under the Obligations and Contracts Act do not qualify for these forms of increased pay or compensatory rest, as they fall outside the labor law framework.

She advised workers to ensure they have a formal order for overtime or an approved schedule in cases of summarized working time, since these documents serve as proof if questions arise during inspections. Since the start of the year, the Labor Inspectorate has registered more than 8,000 alerts, marking a slight increase compared to the same period last year.