Number of days worked in 2026: the right calculation

Updated March 2026 - The question of number of days worked in 2026 seems simple, but it produces a lot of errors. For what ? Because we often mix calendar days, working days, working days, holidays, paid leave and sometimes RTT. To reason properly, you must first choose the right definition.

See also: Understanding a pay slip, Payroll outsourcing and Cash management.

In Metropolitan France, the year 2026 has 261 weekdays from Monday to Friday.

Among the 11 legal holidays in article L3133-1 of the Labor Code, 9 fall on a working day in 2026:

• ▸Thursday January 1, 2026;
• ▸Monday April 6, 2026;
• ▸Friday May 1, 2026;
• ▸Friday May 8, 2026;
• ▸Thursday May 14, 2026;
• ▸Monday May 25, 2026;
• ▸Tuesday July 14, 2026;
• ▸Wednesday November 11, 2026;
• ▸Friday December 25, 2026.

Two public holidays fall on the weekend:

• ▸Saturday August 15, 2026;
• ▸Sunday November 1, 2026.

Basic result

• ▸261 working days before withdrawal of public holidays;
• ▸252 theoretical working days if we remove the 9 public holidays falling on weekdays;
• ▸then, depending on the case, paid leave, RTT, bridges or absences must be subtracted.

The correct calculation depends on your use:

• ▸pay;
• ▸planning;
• ▸calculation of TJM;
• ▸payroll budget;
• ▸HR organization.

For example, an employee with 5 weeks of paid leave will not have the same number of days worked as a "gross theoretical" calculation of annual capacity.

Hayot Expertise Advice: to manage a business, always use an explicit calculation: chosen basis, holidays removed, leave, RTT and presence hypothesis. The number alone is not enough.

• ▸working days: generally Monday to Saturday;
• ▸working days: in general the days actually worked in the company, often from Monday to Friday.

The difference changes the calculation of leave and capacities.

For an HR budget

Work on a basis of truly mobilizable attendance days.

For a TJM or production capacity

Remove:

• ▸public holidays;
• ▸leave;
• ▸RTT;
• ▸training;
• ▸non-billable time.

For simple planning

The theoretical gross figure of 252 days worked can serve as a starting benchmark, not a universal final figure.

CTA: Make your HR, payroll and 2026 budget assumptions more reliable

In 2026, the number of days worked depends on the basis chosen. In mainland France, we often retain 252 theoretical working days on a Monday-Friday basis after excluding public holidays falling on weekdays, but this figure must always be adapted to holidays, RTT and company practices.

Do you want to use the correct number of working days for a budget, a TJM or an HR simulation? Our firm can help you pose coherent and defensible hypotheses. Make an appointment with an expert

(Official sources: Service-Public.fr on public holidays and the difference between working days/working days, Labor Code article L3133-1)