Deepavali 2026 Falls on Sunday: Is Monday a Replacement Holiday in Malaysia?

Deepavali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026.

For employees and parents, the useful question is:

Does Monday become a paid substitute holiday, what are the school dates, and how can annual leave line up with them?

The answer cannot simply be “Sunday holiday means Monday off”.

Workplace holidays and school holidays need to be checked separately.

Deepavali 2026: Sunday, 8 November

Malaysia's Government Calendar lists Deepavali 2026 on:

Sunday, 8 November 2026.

For employees, two more questions matter:

1. Is Deepavali one of the paid public holidays you are entitled to this year?
2. Is Sunday your designated rest day?

Those points affect whether the following working day becomes a substitute paid holiday.

Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan: when does the substitute rule apply?

Under Section 60D of the Employment Act 1955, where the Act applies, if a paid public holiday falls on:

• a rest day; or
• another public holiday,

the working day immediately following becomes a substitute paid holiday.

For a typical employee whose rest day is Sunday, that means:

if Deepavali is one of your paid public holidays and Sunday is your rest day, the substitute-holiday rule can make the following working day a paid holiday.

But one important detail is often missed:

seeing Deepavali on the national calendar does not by itself mean every employer uses the same paid-holiday combination for every employee.

The Employment Act includes mandatory paid holidays and additional gazetted holidays selected for the workplace.

So first check the employer's annual public-holiday notice or HR calendar.

The Employment Act 1955 framework described here applies to Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. Sabah and Sarawak operate under their own labour-law frameworks, so employees there should check the applicable local law and formal employer arrangement.

KPM's school dates are already confirmed

KPM's 2026 Academic Calendar sets out additional Deepavali school holidays.

Group A

Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu:

Monday, 9 November 2026

Group B, except Sarawak

Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya:

Tuesday, 10 November 2026 — additional KPM holiday

Sarawak

KPM lists:

Monday, 9 November 2026 — one-day KPM allocated holiday

The KPM Deepavali entry itself is marked except Sarawak.

So the school side no longer needs to be guessed.

How can a family build a longer break?

Take a common Peninsular office-worker example:

• Saturday, 7 Nov: weekend
• Sunday, 8 Nov: Deepavali + rest day
• Monday, 9 Nov: substitute paid holiday, if the Section 60D conditions are met

That can already create a long weekend.

If your child is in Group B outside Sarawak, KPM's additional holiday is Tuesday, 10 Nov.

The practical question then becomes:

Does the parent take annual leave on Tuesday so the family schedule lines up with the school break?

For Group A, the additional KPM holiday is Monday, which may align more neatly if the parent's Monday is also a substitute paid holiday.

There is no single best leave plan nationwide

The answer changes according to:

• state;
• school group;
• employer public-holiday list;
• designated rest day;
• shift arrangements;
• applicable labour law.

So confirm the dates before making non-refundable travel bookings.

A practical order to check

1. Check your employer's 2026 public-holiday list and confirm Deepavali is one of your paid public holidays.
2. Confirm whether Sunday is your designated rest day.
3. For Peninsular Malaysia / Labuan, check Section 60D of the Employment Act 1955.
4. For Sabah / Sarawak, check the applicable local labour law and employer arrangement.
5. If you have children, check the KPM school group.
6. Only then plan annual leave, accommodation and transport.

This is worth checking a month early

Waiting until the week before Deepavali is often too late for useful planning.

Employees may need leave approval, while families may need to arrange transport, accommodation and school logistics.

The key dates are:

Deepavali: Sunday, 8 November 2026

KPM additional / allocated holidays:

• Group A: Monday, 9 November
• Group B except Sarawak: Tuesday, 10 November
• Sarawak: Monday, 9 November

For your own Monday, 9 November paid-holiday status, confirm your paid-holiday entitlement, rest day and applicable labour law rather than relying on a social-media graphic.

Official references:

• Malaysia Government Calendar
• Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia — 2026 Academic Calendar
• Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Semenanjung Malaysia — Employment Act 1955