US Federal Holidays

When a holiday falls on a weekend

For federal employees, a holiday on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, and a holiday on a Sunday is observed on the Monday after. This can move a holiday into the previous year: when January 1 is a Saturday, the day off is December 31.

Who gets federal holidays off?

• Federal employees: yes, on the observed date.
• Banks: most close, following the Federal Reserve, which stays open on the Friday before a Saturday holiday.
• Post offices: closed, with no regular mail delivery.
• Private employers: not required by federal law. Many give the major holidays off but stay open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day.
• State and local governments, and schools: set their own calendars, which usually include most federal holidays plus some state holidays.
• Stock markets: the NYSE and Nasdaq close on most federal holidays but stay open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day, and close on Good Friday.

The 11 holidays

New Year’s Day

January 1. One of the four original federal holidays created in 1870, along with Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. When January 1 falls on a Saturday, federal employees get the day off on Friday, December 31 of the year before.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Third Monday in January. Honors the civil rights leader, who was born on January 15, 1929. The holiday was signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986. Because it is always a Monday, it falls between January 15 and 21.

Washington’s Birthday (Presidents Day)

Third Monday in February. The official federal name is still Washington’s Birthday, although most people call it Presidents Day. George Washington was born on February 22, but since the move to a Monday in 1971 the holiday falls between February 15 and 21, so it never lands on his actual birthday.

Memorial Day

Last Monday in May. Honors members of the US armed forces who died in service. It began after the Civil War as Decoration Day and has been fixed to the last Monday in May since 1971. Many Americans treat it as the unofficial start of summer.

Juneteenth National Independence Day

June 19. The newest federal holiday, signed into law on June 17, 2021. It marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops in Galveston, Texas announced that enslaved people there were free.

Independence Day

July 4. Celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. When July 4 falls on a weekend, the federal day off moves to the Friday before or the Monday after, but fireworks and celebrations usually stay on the 4th.

Labor Day

First Monday in September. A federal holiday since 1894, honoring American workers. It is often treated as the unofficial end of summer, and many school districts start the year around it.

Columbus Day

Second Monday in October. A federal holiday since 1937, observed on a Monday since 1971. Many states and cities celebrate the same day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead, and some do not give it as a day off at all. Stock markets stay open.

Veterans Day

November 11. Began as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I fighting on November 11, 1918, and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. It was briefly moved to a Monday in October, then returned to November 11 in 1978. Stock markets stay open.

Thanksgiving Day

Fourth Thursday in November. Fixed by Congress in 1941 as the fourth Thursday of November, so it falls between November 22 and 28. The Friday after (Black Friday) is not a federal holiday, but many employers give it off.

Christmas Day

December 25. A federal holiday since 1870. When December 25 falls on a Saturday, federal employees are off on Friday, December 24. Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday, although presidents have occasionally given federal workers the day off by executive order.

Planning around holidays

Count working days between two dates with the business days calculator, which skips these holidays on their observed dates, or see how long is left until the next one with our holiday countdowns for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

Inauguration Day

Every four years, January 20 following a presidential election is a holiday for federal employees in Washington, DC and nearby counties in Maryland and Virginia. The next Inauguration Day is January 20, 2029.