Business Days in January 2028 for South Africa

public holidays in January 2028

South Africa January deadlines

Day-of-Week Distribution

South Africa reporting cycles and business-day rules

January 2028 working days compared by country

How January 2028 compares year over year

Using this calculator in South Africa

Frequently Asked Questions

Related months and resources

January 2028 has 21 working days under the South African public holiday calendar. January 2028 contains no South African public holidays on a weekday. The month covers 31 calendar days, of which 10 are Saturday and Sunday. That count drives invoice cycles, payroll runs, and any contract that defines deadlines as a number of working days in South Africa.

working days

Calendar Days

Weekend Days

public holidays

Work Weeks

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No South African public holidays fall on a weekday in January 2028, so banks and South Africa financial markets keep their regular schedule for the entire month.

January is the heaviest reconciliation month for South African employers. SARS VAT201 returns for December are due January 25 (manual) or January 27 (eFiling). PAYE EMP201 for December is due January 7. Provisional tax IRP6 second-period reconciliation prep accelerates ahead of the February 28 deadline. The SARB Monetary Policy Committee meeting typically falls in late January with the first rate decision of the year. SARS Tax Filing Season for non-provisional taxpayers concluded the prior November; January is the close-out month for any extensions.

The count of each weekday in January 2028. Useful for shift scheduling, weekly recurring billing, and any rota that depends on a specific day of the week landing in-month.

Day	Count
Monday	5
Tuesday	4
Wednesday	4
Thursday	4
Friday	4
Saturday	5
Sunday	5

South African business-day cycles align with SARS PAYE EMP201 deposit on the 7th of the following month, VAT201 on the 25th (manual filing) or 27th (eFiling), and the provisional tax IRP6 cycle (28 February and 31 August, with a voluntary third instalment by 30 September) for February year-end taxpayers. The South African Reserve Bank operates SAMOS as the high-value RTGS system on bank business days. The Companies Act 71/2008 governs corporate filings and CIPC annual returns are due in each company's anniversary month. Under section 2 of the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, Sunday-falling holidays shift to the following Monday.

Working-day counts vary across countries because each country observes its own public holidays. The table below puts South Africa alongside the other ten supported holiday calendars for January 2028.

Country	Business Days	Holidays this month
🇺🇸United States	20	Martin Luther King Jr. Day
🇬🇧United Kingdom	20	New Year's Day (observed)
🇨🇦Canada	20	New Year's Day (observed)
🇦🇺Australia	19	New Year's Day (observed), Australia Day
🇮🇳India	20	Republic Day
🇵🇭Philippines	20	Chinese New Year (approximate)
🇫🇷France	21	None
🇩🇪Germany	21	None
🇯🇵Japan	20	Coming of Age Day
🇲🇽Mexico	21	None
🇸🇬Singapore	19	Chinese New Year Day 1 (approximate), Chinese New Year Day 2 (approximate)

January 2027 had 20 working days, so January 2028 has 1 more working day year over year. On the surrounding months, December 2027 has 21 working days and February 2028 has 21. Looking forward, January 2029 has 22 working days under the same South African public holiday calendar.

A Johannesburg corporate treasurer uses the 21-day January 2028 count to align SARB-administered SAMOS settlement with SARS VAT201 25th or 27th cutoffs and PAYE EMP201 7th-of-month remittance. A Cape Town law firm uses business-day math to track BCEA 75/1997 leave entitlements and CCMA referral windows under the Labour Relations Act 66/1995. A Durban manufacturing controller uses working-day counts to align COIDA Return of Earnings deadlines with CIPC annual-return month.

Start Date

End Date

Holiday Calendar

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For informational purposes only

This calculator provides general estimates based on business day counting rules. It does not constitute legal advice. Deadlines in legal, regulatory, or contractual matters may be subject to jurisdiction-specific rules, court orders, or statutory exceptions. Always verify critical deadlines with a qualified professional.

How many business days are in January 2028 for South African public?

January 2028 has 21 working days under the South African public holiday calendar. The month spans 31 calendar days, of which 10 fall on a weekend and 0 are South African public holidays that lands on a weekday. The remaining 21 weekdays are countable as working days for invoicing, deadline tracking, and contract math.

Which South Africa holidays affect January 2028?

January 2028 contains no South African public holidays that fall on a weekday. Banks, the central clearing system, and South Africa financial markets keep their normal schedule throughout the month under this calculator's national-only holiday set.

How does Sunday observance shift work under the Public Holidays Act?

Section 2 of the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994 provides that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is observed as a public holiday. The Act does not shift Saturday-falling holidays, which are absorbed into the weekend without an in-lieu Monday. When two adjacent holidays land such that the Monday after a Sunday-falling holiday is already a public holiday (for example, December 26 falling on Sunday with December 27 already free), the next available weekday is observed instead. This calculator's South African data lists the observed weekday rather than the literal date for shifted years.

How do BCEA and Labour Relations Act windows interact with this count?

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 governs leave entitlements (annual leave, sick leave, family responsibility leave) in working days. The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 sets referral windows to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA): a dismissal-dispute referral must be lodged within 30 days of dismissal, and unfair labour practice claims within 90 days. Both Acts count working days excluding public holidays, weekends, and the official December 16 to January 7 court recess (where applicable).

Why does the business-day count vary year to year?

Two things shift the monthly count for South Africa. First, the day of the week the first of the month lands on changes the count of each weekday. Second, South African public holidays anchored to a fixed date shift their weekday across years. Some years a fixed-date holiday lands on a weekend; some countries shift the observance to an adjacent weekday and some absorb it into the weekend. January 2027 had 20 working days, so January 2028 has 1 more working day year over year.

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New Year's Day

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