Washington State does not require employers to provide leave or pay for holidays, vacations, or bereavement. These benefits can be found in your employer policies or collective bargaining agreement. They are generally an agreement between an employer and employee. L&I does not enforce these agreements.

There are a few exceptions:

• You can use vacation or other types of paid leave for the care of qualifying family members. See our Family Care Act page for full details.
• If you are a worker on a public project, then you may have contract rights under the state’s prevailing wage law.
• Some municipalities have ordinances that require certain types of leave. Employers should check and make sure they are complying with local laws.

If an employer agrees to provide these leave benefits and then does not do so, you may take private legal action in court or hire a private attorney.

Holiday Overtime Pay

Holiday pay is a benefit that may be paid at the employer’s discretion. Overtime or premium pay is not required for working on holidays or weekends unless those hours are in excess of 40 for the workweek, unless one of the exceptions above applies. Overtime is based on actual hours worked. A paid holiday taken as a day off is not included in overtime.