Business finance over Christmas and New Year: the 2026–27 calendar

Christmas is the longest stretch of the year when Australian business finance slows right down. It isn’t one long closure — it’s two short ones with a quiet, short-staffed week in between. Knowing exactly which days are which is the difference between a calm January and a stressful one.

Which days are closed over Christmas and New Year 2026–27?

The Reserve Bank’s RITS, which settles property-secured loans, closes on weekends and on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day as observed in NSW and Victoria (RBA). In 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, and the Fair Work Ombudsman lists Monday 28 December as an additional public holiday in every state and territory.

Date	Day	Settlement system
Thursday 24 December 2026	Christmas Eve	Open — last business day before Christmas
Friday 25 December	Christmas Day	Closed
Saturday 26 – Sunday 27 December	Weekend	Closed
Monday 28 December	Additional Boxing Day holiday	Closed
Tuesday 29 – Thursday 31 December	Business days	Open, but many firms on reduced hours
Friday 1 January 2027	New Year’s Day	Closed
Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 January	Weekend	Closed
Monday 4 January 2027	Business day	Open

In the Northern Territory and South Australia, part-day public holidays also apply from 7pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, which matters for staff costs rather than settlements.

Why is the week between Christmas and New Year so slow?

Because the banking system is open but the people around your loan often aren’t. Valuers, solicitors, accountants, councils and many lenders’ own teams take leave in that week. A loan can still be assessed and settled on 29, 30 or 31 December, but any missing piece — a valuation that needs an inspection, a signer who’s away, a statement you can’t access — can push it into January.

If you’re enquiring in that week, a complete file is worth more than at any other time of year. Our ready-by-morning score is a quick way to check yours.

If it’s on your mind, get it in the queue. Send your enquiry — about 60 seconds, no credit check.

When should you act if you need money before Christmas?

Earlier than feels necessary. Mid-December is the busiest time of year for conveyancers and settlement teams, and every day closer to the 24th leaves less room for a hiccup. As a rough guide:

1. Early December: enquire and gather documents if you can see a gap coming in late December or January.
2. Mid-December: make sure anything property-secured is fully documented, with all owners ready to sign.
3. The week of Christmas: focus on unsecured options for smaller amounts, and on managing timing with anyone you owe.

If you run a business that trades hardest over the holidays, our guide to cash flow for weekend-trading businesses covers planning takings, wages and stock around closed banking days.

What costs actually land over the break?

Some familiar ones, and one that doesn’t:

• Wages and leave still need paying, and staff who work public holidays are generally entitled to extra pay under their award or agreement. See public holiday wages planning.
• Rent and direct debits keep running, often landing on the next business day when they fall on a holiday.
• Supplier accounts may be due before suppliers close for their own break.
• The December quarter BAS isn’t one of them. The ATO sets the due date for quarter 2 at 28 February, which already includes a one-month extension. It’s a February cash-flow item, not a Christmas one — but it’s worth planning for now.

What should you sort out before you close for the break?

Five things, ideally in the first half of December:

1. Map the dates. Mark the last pay run of the year, rent, loan repayments and anything else that lands between 20 December and mid-January.
2. Ask customers to pay before they close. A polite reminder in early December can move a January receipt into December.
3. Check your suppliers’ shutdowns. Some want accounts settled before they close; others won’t deliver again until mid-January.
4. Get documents while your accountant is still in. A current profit and loss and the latest BAS are much easier to get on 10 December than on 29 December.
5. Decide early if you need funding. An enquiry in early December has room for a valuation, signatures and settlement before the break. An enquiry on 23 December may not.

Illustrative example: the 23 December phone call

This example is illustrative and doesn’t describe a real business.

An events hire company in Brisbane has a strong December but is owed a large sum by a corporate client whose accounts team has closed until mid-January. Wages for the final pay run of the year are due on 31 December. On the night of 22 December, the owner enquires, explaining the amount, the invoice and that the business owns its warehouse.

A specialist calls on the 23rd. Statements and the warehouse’s rates notice are sent that afternoon. The file is complete before Christmas, which means that once the system reopens on 29 December, settlement is possible well before the 31st.

What about Christmas 2027?

It’s longer. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2027 list, Christmas Day is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday, with additional holidays on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December in NSW and Victoria. That’s four closed days in a row, with settlements resuming on Wednesday 29 December 2027.

Give yourself a quieter January

Christmas finance problems are rarely about a lack of options. They’re about running out of business days. Start early, get the paperwork done while you still have your accountant’s attention, and let the closed days be closed.

If you’d like to see what’s possible, the form is about a minute long. Enquiring over the holidays involves no credit check, nothing is sprayed out to a panel of lenders, and a real person reads your situation on the next business day and calls you. Please be accurate about the amount, timing and any property — it helps us match you properly first time. See if you qualify before the break.