Wednesday 23 December 2026
before Christmas Eve
in 102 days
Shortened working days
Upcoming statutory workdays shortened by three hours.
Statutory rule
The workday immediately before New Year's Day, Estonian Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas Eve is shortened by three hours.
Important: the reduction does not move to an earlier weekday. If the holiday is on Monday and work ends on Friday, Friday is not shortened by this rule.
The rule applies to full-time, part-time and summarised working time when this date is a scheduled workday. A one-to-three-hour shift may therefore become a full day off.
Next shortened working day
−3 hours
Following dates
Thursday 31 December 2026
before New Year's Day
in 110 days
Tuesday 23 February 2027
before Independence Day
in 164 days
Tuesday 22 June 2027
before Victory Day
in 283 days
Thursday 23 December 2027
before Christmas Eve
in 467 days
Friday 31 December 2027
before New Year's Day
in 475 days
The file contains all four dates for the current and following calendar year in Estonia time. The page and file share one date engine.
Version: shortened-working-days-v1 · Sources checked: 2026-08-27
Sources
Assumptions
The date immediately precedes the holiday and does not shift; −3 hours applies when it is the worker's scheduled workday.
Under §53 of the Employment Contracts Act, only the workday immediately before New Year's Day, Estonian Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas Eve is shortened by three hours: 23 February, 22 June, 23 December and 31 December.
When the rule applies
The reduction is mandatory when the date immediately before the holiday is the worker's scheduled workday. It applies to full-time, part-time and summarised working time, including remote work. A shift of up to three hours may become a complete day off.
The date does not shift
Immediately before means the calendar date before the holiday. If the holiday is on Monday, Friday is not automatically shortened. A weekend date can still matter to a shift worker scheduled on that day.
If the day is not shortened
Working the full shift requires agreement. With ordinary working time, the remaining three hours are generally overtime; with summarised time, overtime is determined at the end of the reference period. Ask the Labour Inspectorate or a lawyer about an individual case.
Calendar file
The ICS includes the current and following calendar year with a −3-hour marker. It uses the same Europe/Tallinn date engine as the page and never shifts an event to Friday.
Examples
The holiday is on Sunday
Friday is not shortened automatically. The Saturday shift is shortened for a worker scheduled immediately before the holiday.
Part-time work
A four-hour shift is reduced to one hour; a shift of up to three hours may become a full day off.
Sources
- Employment Contracts Act §53 — current legal basis
- Tööelu — working time — Labour Inspectorate guidance; updated 6 February 2026
Related tools
Data from official sources
Tax rates updated: 2026-08-01Made in Estonia
This calculation is informational and based on 2026 tax rates (source: Estonian Tax and Customs Board). The exact amount is confirmed by the EMTA. This is not tax advice.