How to use the us federal holidays by year
- Enter a year from 2021 to 2040.
- Read the list of eleven holidays with the date, the weekday, the day each is observed and the rule behind the date.
- Look at the notes under the table for holidays that move because they fall on a weekend.
- Copy, print or download the list as CSV.
Formula
Fixed dates: New Year's Day (January 1), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Veterans Day (November 11), Christmas Day (December 25)
Weekday rules: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the third Monday of January, Washington's Birthday the third Monday of February, Memorial Day the last Monday of May, Labor Day the first Monday of September, Columbus Day the second Monday of October, Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November
Observed date = the Friday before if the holiday is on a Saturday, and the Monday after if it is on a Sunday
The holiday rules follow the statute for federal employees. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, which is why the list starts then.
2026 and 2027
In 2026, New Year's Day is a Thursday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is January 19, Washington's Birthday is February 16, Memorial Day is May 25, Labor Day is September 7, Columbus Day is October 12, Thanksgiving is November 26 and Christmas is Friday, December 25. Independence Day falls on a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday, July 3.
In 2027, Juneteenth is a Saturday and is observed Friday, June 18. Independence Day is a Sunday and is observed Monday, July 5. Christmas Day is a Saturday and is observed Friday, December 24. In 2022, New Year's Day was a Saturday, so it was observed on Friday, December 31, 2021.
Date versus observed date
Pay and leave for federal employees on a Monday to Friday schedule follow the observed date. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the Friday before is the day off, and if it falls on a Sunday, the Monday after is. When New Year's Day is a Saturday, the observed day lands in December of the year before, which is why it can appear with a different year.
Plan work schedules with the business days calculator or count a month's hours with the working hours per month calculator. To find the third Monday of any month yourself, use the nth weekday calculator.
Who these holidays apply to
These are the holidays for federal employees. Private employers, states, banks, schools and the postal service set their own days, so a business may close on a different date or stay open. The Washington, DC area also observes Inauguration Day every fourth year, which is not listed.
The rules were checked against the Office of Personnel Management's list of federal holidays, fetched on October 13, 2026. For fiscal calendars, see the fiscal quarter calendar.
Assumptions and limits
- Dates come from the weekday and fixed date rules, not a stored list, and are provided for 2021 to 2040.
- The observed date follows the Friday and Monday rule for a Monday to Friday schedule. Other schedules may observe different days.
- Inauguration Day and any state, local or company holidays are not listed.
- Confirm important dates with your employer or the Office of Personnel Management.
Frequently asked questions
How many federal holidays are there?
There are eleven: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
When is a federal holiday observed on a weekend?
A holiday on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, and one on a Sunday is observed on the Monday after, for employees on a Monday to Friday schedule.
Why does the list for a year sometimes include a December date from the year before?
When January 1 is a Saturday, New Year's Day is observed on Friday, December 31 of the previous year. The list keeps it with the holiday's own year and shows the observed date.
Why does the list start in 2021?
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, so earlier years would have ten holidays instead of eleven and this tool would be wrong for them.