With the arrival of Holy Week 2026, thousands of workers in Mexico are wondering if they have the right to rest on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, or if their employers can require them to work as usual. Although in many companies these dates are granted as days off, Mexican labor legislation establishes a different criterion that can directly impact salary and working conditions during this period. According to the Federal Labor Law (LFT), these dates are not considered mandatory rest days, so employees can be required to work without the employer's obligation to make an additional payment. What does the law say about working during Holy Week? For 2026, Holy Week will be celebrated from March 29 to April 5, with Holy Thursday on April 2 and Good Friday on April 3. However, the LFT does not contemplate these dates within its official list of mandatory rest days, so: Workers can indeed be called to work; Payment is made normally, without surcharges; There is no legal obligation to grant the day off. This implies that, unlike official holidays, these working days are considered normal working days. When should you be paid more? Labor legislation establishes that when a worker works on a mandatory rest day, they must receive an additional payment equivalent to double their salary, that is, a triple payment in total. Among the days that are contemplated by the law are: May 1 (Labor Day); September 16 (Independence of Mexico); November 20 (Mexican Revolution, official commemoration); December 25 (Christmas). In these cases, the employer is obliged to pay in accordance with the law. Why do some companies give time off? Despite not being mandatory, many companies, schools, and institutions do grant days off during Holy Week. This usually occurs due to: Collective labor contracts; Additional labor benefits; Internal policies of each company. In these cases, the rest is considered a benefit, not a right established by law. Rest during Holy Week in Mexico is not guaranteed by labor legislation, so it will depend entirely on the working conditions of each worker. In this regard, specialists recommend reviewing the individual or collective contract, as well as the company's internal policies, to find out if you have the right to these days off. Otherwise, the worker must fulfill their usual work schedule, without this representing a violation of the law.
