Costa Rica Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers

Quick Answer: Costa Rica has 12 national public holidays in 2026: 9 paid mandatory holidays and 3 non-mandatory paid holidays. For US companies hiring remote talent in Costa Rica, the biggest dates to plan around are Holy Week in April, Labor Day on May 1, Independence Day on September 15, Army Abolition Day on December 1, and Christmas week. HiresLink helps US companies hire from 90,000+ vetted LATAM candidates, deliver shortlists in 48 hours, and build remote teams with average 48% cost savings vs. equivalent US hires.

TL;DR — 7 numbers for Costa Rica remote hiring in 2026

Why Costa Rica public holidays matter for US remote teams

Costa Rica is a strong LATAM option for US companies hiring remote talent, especially when timezone overlap, English communication, stability, customer-facing work, finance support, operations, and technical roles matter.

It is also one of the easiest LATAM countries for US collaboration because Costa Rica works well with CST, MST, PST, and many EST schedules.

But US employers still need to understand how the holiday calendar works.

Costa Rica separates holidays into feriados de pago obligatorio and feriados de pago no obligatorio. That difference matters for payroll, EOR setup, contractor agreements, support coverage, and company policy.

For companies hiring a backend developer, AI automation specialist, customer support representative, SDR, executive assistant, or bookkeeper in Costa Rica, public holidays can affect:

• interview scheduling
• onboarding dates
• customer support coverage
• sprint planning
• payroll and invoice approvals
• finance close
• sales outreach calendars
• manager check-ins
• launch timelines
• EOR and contractor paperwork

For companies using managed nearshore staffing, staff augmentation, or headhunting pro, Costa Rica holiday planning should be part of the remote operating system from day 1.

Costa Rica public holidays 2026

The table below lists Costa Rica’s national public holidays for 2026.

For US employers, the highest-impact periods are April, May, late August, September, and December. These are the windows most likely to affect onboarding, customer coverage, payroll timing, and sprint planning.

Costa Rica 2026 holiday calendar by quarter

Grouping the dates by quarter makes planning easier.

Q2 and Q3 need the most attention. If you are hiring, onboarding, launching, or managing support coverage with Costa Rica-based talent, review April through September carefully.

Paid mandatory vs non-mandatory paid holidays in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s holiday system can confuse US employers because not every public holiday has the same payment treatment.

In 2026, Costa Rica has 9 paid mandatory holidays:

Costa Rica also has 3 non-mandatory paid holidays:

For US employers, the practical point is this: payroll treatment, EOR rules, and employment setup matter. A remote contractor, EOR employee, direct employee, and consultant may not all follow the same process.

Do Costa Rica holidays move to Monday in 2026?

For 2026, Costa Rica holidays are observed on their natural calendar dates. That means several holidays fall on Saturdays or Sundays and are not automatically moved to Monday.

This matters because US managers may assume Latin American holidays are always shifted to create long weekends. Costa Rica does not work that way for 2026.

The 2026 weekend holidays are:

Even when a date falls on the weekend, payroll or EOR treatment may still matter depending on the worker’s schedule, employment setup, and agreement.

Why Holy Week matters for Costa Rica remote teams

Holy Week is one of the biggest planning windows in Costa Rica.

In 2026, the official holidays are:

But the broader week can still be slower for some teams. Public-sector offices may also have collective vacation days around Holy Week, and local services, schools, banks, and vendors may operate differently.

For US remote teams, avoid scheduling:

• new hire onboarding
• major customer handoffs
• production releases
• high-risk automation launches
• finance deadlines
• all-hands meetings
• complex sales pushes
• important manager reviews

during Holy Week unless the Costa Rica-based hire has confirmed availability.

Costa Rica holidays vs US holidays in 2026

Costa Rica and the US share some broad holiday periods, but many important dates are different.

This mismatch can help with coverage if handled thoughtfully. Costa Rica-based hires may support some US-only holidays, while US managers should plan respectfully around Costa Rica-only holidays.

How Costa Rica holidays affect different remote roles

Holiday impact depends on the role. A developer, support rep, SDR, bookkeeper, and EA will not be affected in the same way.

For example, a Costa Rica-based customer support representative may need backup coverage during Holy Week and Christmas. A Costa Rica-based backend developer may need sprint deadlines adjusted. An AI automation specialist may need someone available to monitor workflows if automations touch support, sales, finance, or customer systems.

How many hours of US-Costa Rica overlap should you expect?

Costa Rica is one of the easiest LATAM countries for US timezone alignment.

Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time year-round, which makes it especially useful for CST, MST, and PST teams. It can also work well for EST teams, depending on the role and schedule.

For most roles, plan for 4–6 hours of daily overlap. That is usually enough for:

• standups
• support escalations
• sales calls
• manager check-ins
• code reviews
• onboarding sessions
• sprint planning
• customer meetings
• finance close reviews
• weekly planning

For software, AI, design, and documentation-heavy roles, a more async setup can also work well. For support, sales, executive assistant, finance, and operations roles, real-time overlap usually matters more.

If timezone overlap is central to your hiring plan, review the Hiring in LATAM 2026 guide and the LATAM Talent Intelligence Report.

2026 LATAM salary benchmarks — roles commonly hired from Costa Rica and LATAM

Figures are fully loaded: salary + EOR costs. No hidden fees.

Costa Rica can be a strong market for operations, support, finance, sales, software, and bilingual coordination roles. But compensation should still be benchmarked by role, seniority, English level, city, timezone needs, and hiring model. Use the LATAM salary benchmark hub before setting final compensation.

US vs. LATAM — annual cost comparison for remote hiring

3-person remote team example: a mid-level backend engineer, executive assistant, and customer support representative hired through LATAM typically costs $87K–$124K/year vs. $240K–$333K/year for equivalent US hires — a typical annual savings range of $116K–$246K.

US benchmarks are based on 2025–2026 market salary ranges and fully loaded employer cost assumptions.

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How to build a Costa Rica holiday policy for remote teams

US companies should decide early whether Costa Rica-based team members follow the US holiday calendar, Costa Rica holiday calendar, or a blended policy.

A simple holiday policy should answer these questions:

This policy can sit inside your Remote Work Policy Template, Work From Home Policy Sample, or onboarding documents.

Costa Rica holiday planning checklist for US employers

Use this checklist before hiring or onboarding Costa Rica-based remote talent.

Costa Rica Holiday Planning Checklist

Company: [Company Name]
Costa Rica-based hire: [Name]
Role: [Role]
Manager: [Manager]
Year: 2026

Before offer:

[ ] Confirm whether the role follows US holidays, Costa Rica holidays, or a blended policy
[ ] Confirm whether the 9 paid mandatory holidays are observed
[ ] Confirm how non-mandatory paid holidays are handled
[ ] Confirm how Holy Week is handled
[ ] Confirm expected timezone overlap
[ ] Confirm whether customer coverage is required on holidays
[ ] Confirm whether the role is employee, EOR, contractor, or consultant
[ ] Confirm whether local or sector-specific holidays may apply

Before onboarding:

[ ] Add Costa Rica public holidays to the team calendar
[ ] Add Holy Week to the planning calendar
[ ] Add non-mandatory paid holidays that may affect availability
[ ] Confirm PTO and holiday request process
[ ] Confirm manager coverage expectations
[ ] Confirm backup owner for urgent work
[ ] Confirm payroll or invoice deadlines around holidays
[ ] Confirm tool access and escalation rules
[ ] Confirm how US-only holidays are handled

During the year:

[ ] Review holiday calendar every quarter
[ ] Check deadlines before holidays and long weekends
[ ] Avoid major launches during low-coverage periods
[ ] Confirm support coverage during Costa Rica-only holidays
[ ] Confirm availability during US-only holidays
[ ] Update policy if EOR, contractor, or team structure changes

Best practices for managing Costa Rica-based remote employees

1. Add Costa Rica holidays to your shared calendar

Add Costa Rica’s 2026 public holidays to Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, ClickUp, Jira, Linear, or whatever planning tool your team uses.

Do not expect the employee to remind the US team before every holiday.

2. Treat Holy Week as a real planning window

Holy Week includes April 2 and April 3 as paid mandatory holidays in 2026.

Even if the person confirms availability earlier in the week, local services, schools, banks, and public-sector offices may be slower. Avoid major onboarding, launches, migrations, and customer handoffs unless coverage is confirmed.

3. Clarify non-mandatory paid holidays

Costa Rica’s 2026 non-mandatory paid holidays are:

• August 2: Día de la Virgen de los Ángeles
• August 31: Día de la Persona Negra y la Cultura Afrocostarricense
• December 1: Día de la Abolición del Ejército

These dates should be handled in writing so managers, employees, contractors, and EOR partners are aligned.

4. Separate holidays from PTO

Paid mandatory holidays, non-mandatory paid holidays, company holidays, local holidays, and vacation days should not be treated as the same thing. Write the rule clearly for employees, EOR hires, and contractors.

5. Confirm US-only holidays

Thanksgiving, July 4, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, and Memorial Day may not be Costa Rican holidays. Decide whether Costa Rica-based hires work those days or receive them off as part of a company-wide policy.

6. Adjust support coverage before holidays

If a Costa Rica-based hire supports customers, plan backup coverage before Holy Week, Independence Day, and Christmas. This matters most for support, sales, healthcare operations, legal intake, finance operations, and logistics roles.

7. Check payroll and invoice timing

If a holiday falls near the end of the month or on a Friday, make sure invoices, timesheets, payroll cutoffs, and approvals are handled early.

Costa Rica vs other LATAM countries for US hiring

Costa Rica can be a strong LATAM option for companies that need timezone overlap, English communication, and stable day-to-day collaboration.

A Costa Rica-first hiring strategy can make sense when US timezone overlap and customer-facing communication are important. But HiresLink may search across Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, and other LATAM markets to find the strongest shortlist.

Geographic breakdown — where remote-ready LATAM talent comes from

Costa Rica is a useful market, but HiresLink hiring decisions are still role-specific. For some searches, Costa Rica may be the best fit. For others, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, or another LATAM country may produce a faster or stronger shortlist.

English proficiency — remote-ready LATAM candidate pool

72–73% are B2 or higher. For Costa Rica-based remote hires, English level matters most in client-facing, executive support, sales, customer support, and cross-functional technical roles. Internal technical roles can often work well with B2 if documentation and manager expectations are clear.

Seniority distribution — HiresLink candidate network

Holiday planning is not only an HR issue. For senior and lead hires, it should be part of ownership. A senior engineer, operations lead, or support manager should help forecast coverage issues before they affect delivery.

Compliance and EOR — Costa Rica holiday considerations

Costa Rica holiday planning should match the legal structure of the hire. A contractor, EOR employee, direct employee, and consultant may have different holiday expectations.

For cross-border hiring, the company should confirm:

• whether the hire is a contractor, EOR employee, direct employee, or consultant
• which paid mandatory holidays apply
• how non-mandatory paid holidays are handled
• whether Holy Week affects availability
• whether local or sector-specific holidays apply
• whether US company holidays also apply
• how holidays affect monthly salary, invoices, or payroll
• how time off should be requested and approved
• how urgent support coverage is handled

HiresLink supports compliant hiring through structured contracts and EOR-backed workflows, including hiring support through Bait INC, a Delaware C-Corp, where applicable. That helps US companies manage LATAM hiring with cleaner documentation, USD invoicing, IP protection, and consistent onboarding.

Important legal and operational notes:

• Contractors should have holiday expectations written into the contractor agreement or statement of work.
• EOR employees should follow the applicable EOR employment terms and local rules.
• Direct employees may be subject to local labor rules depending on the company setup.
• Support and customer-facing teams should have backup coverage rules.
• Finance teams should plan payroll and invoice approvals before holidays.
• Security and technical teams should avoid risky deployments before holidays.
• Non-mandatory paid holidays should be clarified in writing because they are not treated the same as paid mandatory holidays.

This article is not legal advice. Companies should consult legal counsel or an EOR partner before finalizing holiday policies for Costa Rica-based workers.

Case study — US support company hiring Costa Rica-based customer operations talent

A US customer operations company with 35 employees wanted to hire a remote customer support representative and operations assistant from LATAM. Costa Rica was one of the preferred markets because the company needed strong timezone overlap, professional communication, and reliable day-to-day coverage.

The issue was timing. The team originally planned to start one hire close to Holy Week and another before a customer coverage change. That would have created problems with tool setup, shadowing, manager check-ins, and support coverage.

HiresLink helped the company adjust the onboarding calendar and define holiday expectations before the offers went out.

What happened:

• Intake call: 30 minutes
• Shortlist delivered: 48 hours
• Costa Rica holiday calendar reviewed: same week
• Start dates moved away from Holy Week
• 2 hires completed: within 20 days
• Support rep handling tickets independently: within 30 days
• Operations assistant owning recurring workflows: within 3 weeks
• 12-month retention: 2 of 2 hires retained

The numbers:

• Annual cost via HiresLink for 2 LATAM hires: $38K–$56K
• Equivalent US hires, fully loaded: $105K–$155K
• Annual savings: $49K–$117K

“Costa Rica gave us the timezone overlap we wanted, but moving onboarding away from Holy Week made the first month much smoother.” — Operations Director, US customer operations company

Vendor comparison — Costa Rica remote hiring support

FAQ

How many public holidays does Costa Rica have in 2026?

Costa Rica has 12 national public holidays in 2026. Of these, 9 are paid mandatory holidays and 3 are non-mandatory paid holidays.

What are Costa Rica’s paid mandatory holidays in 2026?

The paid mandatory holidays are January 1, April 2, April 3, April 11, May 1, July 25, August 15, September 15, and December 25.

What are Costa Rica’s non-mandatory paid holidays in 2026?

The non-mandatory paid holidays are August 2, August 31, and December 1.

Does Costa Rica move holidays to Monday in 2026?

No. For 2026, Costa Rica holidays are observed on their natural calendar dates. Several holidays fall on weekends and are not automatically moved to Monday.

Is Holy Week a public holiday in Costa Rica?

Yes. In 2026, Holy Thursday falls on April 2 and Good Friday falls on April 3. Both are paid mandatory holidays.

Should US companies give Costa Rica-based hires US holidays or Costa Rica holidays?

There is no single answer. Some companies use the local country calendar. Some use the US company calendar. Some use a blended policy. The important thing is to write the rule clearly before onboarding.

Do Costa Rica holidays affect contractors?

They can. Contractors may not receive paid public holidays the same way employees do, but availability, invoices, deliverables, and project timelines may still be affected. Contractor agreements should define how holidays and time off are handled.

How does EOR work with Costa Rica public holidays?

If a Costa Rica-based hire is employed through an EOR, the EOR can help manage local employment rules, payroll, holiday treatment, and compliance. The US company still needs to plan internal calendars, meetings, deadlines, and coverage.

What are the highest-impact Costa Rica holidays for US employers?

The highest-impact periods are usually Holy Week, Labor Day, Independence Day, Army Abolition Day, and Christmas week.

Can this calendar be used for all Costa Rica-based hires?

Use it as a national planning baseline, but confirm local, sector-specific, contract, EOR, and company-specific rules. Costa Rica may have company-specific or sector-specific practices beyond the national calendar.

Final takeaways

Costa Rica public holidays in 2026 should be part of your remote hiring plan, especially if your team depends on support coverage, sales activity, finance close, onboarding, or sprint delivery.

For US companies hiring Costa Rica-based or LATAM talent, the most important planning points are paid mandatory holidays, non-mandatory paid holidays, Holy Week, timezone overlap, EOR or contractor setup, customer coverage, and payroll timing.

A clear holiday policy helps remote teams avoid missed meetings, delayed onboarding, thin support coverage, payroll confusion, and unnecessary manager frustration.

HiresLink helps US companies hire LATAM talent with structured shortlists, salary benchmarks, EOR-backed workflows, contracts, onboarding, and operational planning support.

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Related HiresLink articles

• Brazil Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers
• Mexico Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers
• Colombia Public Holidays 2026: Guide for Remote US Teams
• Argentina Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers
• Chile Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers
• Peru Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers
• Uruguay Public Holidays 2026: Guide for US Employers
• Hiring in LATAM 2026: Complete Guide
• Remote Work Policy Template 2026
• HiresLink Resources
• LATAM Salary Benchmarks

Sources

• MTSS Costa Rica — Calendario de feriados 2026
• MTSS Costa Rica — Asuntos laborales / feriados
• BDO Costa Rica — Feriados 2026 en Costa Rica
• El Financiero Costa Rica — Feriados 2026 en Costa Rica
• Directriz N.° 056-MIDEPLAN-MTSS — vacaciones colectivas Semana Santa 2026
• HiresLink Talent Pool Intelligence Report 2026, proprietary, n=90,000+ vetted candidates.
• HiresLink internal hiring benchmarks: 48-hour shortlist, 18–21 day average time-to-hire, 91–92% 12-month retention, and 48% average cost savings.
• US compensation ranges reflect 2025–2026 market salary benchmarks and fully loaded employer cost assumptions.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.