Lunar New Year is the longest interruption in Hong Kong's business calendar. Three General Holidays, surrounding weekends, and widespread office closures can block out 5–9 consecutive non-working days — and the exact length changes every year because the lunar dates shift.
The most common CNY deadline error is not a miscalculation. It is calculating before confirming whether the extended shutdown applies.
The three General Holidays
Under the General Holidays Ordinance (Cap. 149), the CNY holidays are:
- Lunar New Year's Day
- Second day of Lunar New Year
- Third day of Lunar New Year
If any of these three days falls on a Sunday, the fourth day of Lunar New Year is designated as the substitute holiday.
CNY dates through 2030
Lunar New Year shifts by up to 19 days each year. The 2026 dates below are from the gazetted General Holiday list. Dates for 2027–2030 are derived from the lunar calendar and are useful for forward planning, but they are not yet gazetted as official holiday lists for those years.
| Year | LNY Day 1 | Day | Days 1–3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 Feb | Tue | 17–19 Feb (Tue–Thu) |
| 2027 | 6 Feb | Sat | 6–8 Feb (Sat–Mon) |
| 2028 | 26 Jan | Wed | 26–28 Jan (Wed–Fri) |
| 2029 | 13 Feb | Tue | 13–15 Feb (Tue–Thu) |
| 2030 | 3 Feb | Tue | 3–5 Feb (Tue–Thu) |
Beyond the three holidays: the extended shutdown
Many Hong Kong businesses — particularly in construction, manufacturing, and trade — shut down well beyond the three gazetted holidays. The common pattern runs from Lunar New Year's Eve through Day 7: the eve plus the entire first week.
This is not a statutory requirement. It is an entrenched industry convention, driven by labour migration (many workers travel to Mainland China for family reunions) and the practical reality that construction sites and factories cannot operate at full capacity when a large share of the workforce is away. Individual contracts may incorporate the shutdown through Special Conditions, but it is not universal.
In the HK calculator, the CNY Extended Shutdown toggle models this window, excluding the entire block from working-day counts. Turn it on when your contract or industry practice recognises the extended period; leave it off when only the three General Holidays apply.
2026 worked example
With LNY Day 1 on Tuesday 17 February:
- LNY Eve: Monday 16 February
- General Holidays: Tuesday 17 – Thursday 19 February
- Extended shutdown window: Monday 16 Feb through Monday 23 Feb (Eve through Day 7)
If you need to count 10 working days from Monday 9 February 2026:
| Shutdown assumption | Result date | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No shutdown (holidays only) | 26 Feb (Thu) | Skips 17–19 Feb (holidays) and weekends |
| CNY Extended Shutdown | 3 Mar (Tue) | Also excludes 16 Feb (Eve) and 20–23 Feb (extended closure) |
Same start date, same rule, different shutdown assumption — 5 days apart. For a legal or financial deadline, that gap is the difference between on time and late.
When to run both scenarios
Use a dual-scenario check when:
- The deadline falls within two weeks of Lunar New Year
- The date has legal or financial consequences
- The timeline feeds into another downstream deadline
- You are handing over to a counterparty who may use different shutdown assumptions
Running both "No Shutdown" and "CNY Extended Shutdown" takes seconds and shows the sensitivity before anyone commits to a date.
Which deadlines are affected
Different deadline types handle the CNY period differently:
- Employment notice periods: Counted in calendar days under Cap. 57. CNY holidays are included in the count — the notice does not pause.
- Stamp duty: The 30-day stamping deadline runs in calendar days. CNY does not pause it.
- Conveyancing working-day deadlines: These exclude General Holidays, so the three CNY holidays are already excluded. Whether the extended shutdown also applies depends on the contract terms.
- MPF contributions: The 10th-of-month deadline shifts to the next business day if it falls during the CNY holiday period.
For a broader look at how these counting methods differ, see working days vs calendar days.
- Court filings: Registries close on General Holidays. Electronic filings during closure are deemed received on reopening.
The one-line habit that prevents arguments
Add this to every handover note:
Method: working days | Shutdown: CNY Extended Shutdown | Holiday set: HK 2026
That single line prevents most replay and debug cycles. Anyone reviewing the calculation can see the assumptions immediately — no back-and-forth needed.
Consistency beats precision
The real value of modelling the CNY shutdown is not getting a more "accurate" answer — it is making sure two people get the same answer. Two people using different shutdown assumptions will reach different dates, even if both assumptions are reasonable.
Pick one, document it, apply it uniformly. That is what keeps deadlines dependable.
For step-by-step scenarios, see the Use Cases. For calculator configuration details, see the Info Guide.
