Average Working Days per Month 2026 | Magic Heidi

How many working days per month does Switzerland have? In 2026 there are 261 Monday-to-Friday weekdays, averaging 21.75 per month. The model below subtracts seven selected public holidays to give 254 days, or 21.17 per month. This is not a nationwide net calendar: your workplace and personal planning determine the days actually available. The distinction matters for your daily rate, capacity and revenue budget.

In this article you will find the complete working days table for 2026 with gross and net values for every month, the calculation behind the average, the cantonal differences in public holidays and concrete CHF examples of how the self-employed can use the number for daily rates and planning.

Key takeaways

• Ø 21.75 gross working days per month: 2026 has 261 weekdays, divided by 12 months.
• Model total: 254 days after subtracting the seven listed holidays, averaging 21.17 per month. Not every canton follows this calendar.
• Planning assumption: 60–70% billable, giving around 13–15 days after administration, acquisition and holidays, not an observed industry ratio.
• Daily rate formula: required revenue including costs and reserves ÷ billable days. A personal take-home target alone is not enough.
• The months vary widely: from 19 net working days in May to 23 net working days in July.

Working days per month 2026: the complete table

2026 is not a leap year: it has 365 days, including 261 Monday-to-Friday weekdays. Monthly gross counts range from 20 to 23. The net column explicitly models the seven listed holidays; it is not an official cross-canton table. Add local holidays, personal holidays and business closures yourself.

Three observations stand out:

• May is the weakest working month of the year. Only 21 gross working days, and with Ascension Day and Whit Monday two public holidays in between – 19 days remain net. Anyone planning a deadline in May should factor this in.
• July is the strongest working month. 23 net working days, with no deduction in our holiday model.
• December makes up for it. 23 gross working days, minus one for Christmas Day – before it lie three full working weeks that many use for year-end closing and invoicing.

And one more detail that makes 2026 special: 1 August and 26 December both fall on a weekend. These two holidays therefore cost 2026 not a single working day – that is not the case every year.

The net column applies only to the listed model holidays. Berchtoldstag, for example, is not a non-working public holiday everywhere. Check the official calendar for your workplace; differences can go in either direction.

Anyone who plans by quarter sees the distribution even more clearly:

The chosen model deducts four days in the second quarter and none in the third. Local holidays and personal leave can still reduce capacity. This is not a utilisation forecast.

The average working days per month: how to calculate it

The average working days per month is not a guessed number, but simple mathematics. This is how the calculation works:

1. Determine the weekdays in the year. Count Monday-to-Friday dates. In 2026, 52 full weeks plus one Thursday give 52 × 5 + 1 = 261. Depending on its start, a normal year has 260 or 261 weekdays; a leap year has 260–262.
2. Subtract the public holidays. Of these 261 weekdays, the seven selected model holidays fall on a weekday in 2026: 261 − 7 = 254 net working days.
3. Calculate the average. Gross: 261 ÷ 12 = 21.75 working days per month. Net: 254 ÷ 12 = 21.17 working days per month.

Written down as a formula:

Gross working days in 2026 = 52 × 5 + 1 = 261
Net working days = 261 − weekday holidays = 254
Average per month = 261 ÷ 12 = 21.75 (gross)
                  = 254 ÷ 12 = 21.17 (net)

The annual average helps with recurring budgets. Actual monthly calendars matter for specific delivery dates.

For anyone who wants it even more precise: the hours actually worked in Switzerland are recorded by the Federal Statistical Office in its labour volume statistics. There it also shows that the amount of work actually performed varies significantly depending on industry, form of employment and gender – so the pure working days figure is always only the frame, not the reality of your working week.

Public holidays: regulated at cantonal level – and different from canton to canton

Public holidays are regulated at cantonal level; 1 August is the federal national holiday. Your net count depends on where you work. Use the official calendar for your canton or municipality and, where relevant, your customer’s working arrangements.

The seven holidays selected for this model:

Added to this are two holidays that fall on a weekend in 2026 and therefore cost no working day: 1 August (Saturday) and 26 December (Saturday).

Additional or different public holidays change the net total. Without identifying a specific canton, we do not give a blanket annual figure.

Practically, this means for the self-employed: if you work across cantonal borders for clients, plan with the holiday calendar of the canton where you spend most of your time. And if your most important client is in a canton that celebrates holidays yours does not – calculate with their calendar, otherwise you will wonder about the missing replies.

A word on bridge days: 2026 practically invites you to extend individual weeks. After Ascension Day on Thursday, 14 May, the Friday after is the obvious choice – just like 24 December before the holiday Friday. Many companies and administrations are closed then anyway. For your capacity planning this means: do not count on five full working days in such weeks, even if the calendar shows them. Clients are travelling, replies stay out, appointments get postponed. It is better to plan such weeks as half working weeks from the start – and use the free time for internal work.

Calculating your daily rate: the average as the basis for your price

A daily rate becomes more reliable when you calculate the calendar, utilisation and revenue requirement separately.

The formula is simple:

Daily rate = required monthly revenue excluding VAT ÷ billable days per month

Fictional calculation: assume required annual revenue of CHF 84,000 including budgeted costs and reserves. This is CHF 7,000 per month, not promised take-home income. Assume 14 billable days after administration, acquisition and holidays. CHF 7,000 ÷ 14 = CHF 500 per day. The rate follows the assumptions; replace them with your own figures.

The difference sounds small, but it is not. Anyone who does the calculation with 21 instead of 14 billable days arrives at CHF 333 instead of CHF 500 – and underestimates the necessary daily rate by around a third. Calculated over the year: 14 billable days × 12 months = 168 days. At CHF 167 too little per day, around CHF 28,000 is missing at the end of the year. The only cause: the wrong number in the denominator. So the working days per month are not bureaucracy, but the biggest pricing lever a self-employed person has.

Important: your daily rate has to carry the complete risk of your self-employment. AHV (Swiss old-age and survivors' insurance) contributions, taxes, holidays, illness, continuing education and the admin staff named "you yourself" – all of that sits in this price. Anyone who is self-employed or wants to become so will find the basics at the AHV leaflet 2.02. Calculate AHV and taxes in generously: a daily rate that only covers the net feeling is a loss-making business in the making.

Price impact as an assumption

With 13 billable days, a CHF 60 price difference gives CHF 780 more monthly revenue, assuming the same number of days actually sold. This does not establish customer acceptance or additional costs.

Anyone who works by the hour rather than by the day calculates analogously with the hourly rate: calculating the hourly wage in Switzerland shows the formula with all cost components. And if you rely on projects rather than days: read when a project price or hourly fee fits – capacity is one part of the calculation.

Billable days: 21.75 gross does not mean 21.75 billable

The most common mistake in capacity planning: confusing gross working days with billable days. Of the around 21 net working days per month, items regularly disappear for the self-employed that no client pays for:

• Administration: writing invoices, sending reminders, bookkeeping, VAT returns: measure your own time rather than adopting a universal weekly allowance.
• Acquisition and networking: writing quotes, first meetings, LinkedIn, events. Without new business the sole proprietorship (Einzelfirma) dies, but nobody pays for it.
• Holidays: you have no paid holidays like employees. Five weeks at five days per week equal 25 days annually. Do not subtract them again if already included in your billable ratio.
• Illness and continuing education: allow a buffer suitable for your own situation.

For this sensitivity calculation, assume 60–70% of model net working days are billable. This is not a surveyed industry ratio; replace it with your own plan. At 21.17 net days per month, that gives roughly 13–15 billable days. Test several utilisation levels against your actual order book.

Calculate it once for the whole year: 254 net working days × 0.6 to 0.7 = 152 to 178 billable days. The reverse conclusion: on 76 to 102 days per year you work on your own business, on your continuing education or not at all – and precisely these days have to be co-financed through the daily rate of the other days. Anyone who knows the revenue potential can also set target returns seriously: with 178 billable days and a daily rate of CHF 500, the example annual revenue is around CHF 89,000 – not the CHF 130,000 that the gross working days would suggest.

With this number, the view of every month changes. July with 23 net working days suddenly has 15 billable days at 65% – a good month for a push. May with 19 net days sits at 12 to 13 billable days: a signal of less available time, not a universal recommendation against large projects.

Holidays as a capacity decision

Two weeks of leave equal ten days on a five-day week. Whether revenue is lost or work can be rescheduled depends on demand and planning. Do not automatically count free calendar days as lost sales.

Working days on the invoice: how to list day and hour items correctly

The invoice is the place where working days turn into money. Anyone who bills by the day should list the items in a way that lets the client understand what they are paying for:

• Day items: "1 day of concept work at CHF 500" or "3 days of implementation at CHF 500 = CHF 1,500". The individual day with the amount, the sum behind it.
• Hour items: "8 hours of consulting at CHF 95". Anyone who works by the hour will find a suitable invoice template with all mandatory details.
• Flat-rate items: for monthly fees and retainers, identify the period and agreed service clearly; a contract reference can complement this.

Anyone who provides many small services spread over the month can bundle them at the end of the month: everything important about consolidated invoices – structure, invoice numbers and the distinction from individual invoices – is covered in a dedicated article.

Agree monthly retainers clearly

Define the period, included service, holidays and extra days contractually. Equal monthly payments do not mean unlimited days. A fee can smooth income but guarantees no higher margin.

Frequently asked questions about working days and averages

How many weekdays does 2026 have? There are 261 Monday-to-Friday dates, averaging 21.75 per month. The table shows their distribution.

Do 254 net days apply everywhere? No. This is solely our model with seven named holidays. Use your workplace calendar and subtract personal leave separately.

Is every normal year the same? No. A normal year has 260 or 261 weekdays, a leap year 260–262. Counting dates is more accurate than 365 ÷ 7 × 5.

How do days become a daily rate? Divide required revenue, including costs and reserves, by actually billable days. Desired personal take-home pay alone is not a revenue budget.

Conclusion: from calendar to capacity

Count the working days in your own calendar, then those you can sell. Separate model assumptions, personal leave and actual utilisation. After several months, check whether planned days and rates genuinely cover costs.

You can consider Magic Heidi for invoicing. An invoice records sold services; it replaces neither time tracking nor capacity planning or profitability analysis.

This article provides general information and does not replace legal or tax advice. For specific individual cases, consult a professional.