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Federal Holidays

Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

2026 Holiday Schedule

Date

Holiday

Thursday, January 01

New Year’s Day

Monday, January 19

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, February 16 *

Washington’s Birthday

Monday, May 25

Memorial Day

Friday, June 19

Juneteenth National Independence Day

Friday, July 03 **

Independence Day

Monday, September 07

Labor Day

Monday, October 12

Columbus Day

Wednesday, November 11

Veterans Day

Thursday, November 26

Thanksgiving Day

Friday, December 25

Christmas Day

 

This holiday is designated as "Washington’s Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.

** If a holiday falls on a Saturday, for most Federal employees, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).) If a holiday falls on a Sunday, for most Federal employees, the following Monday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See Section 3(a) of Executive Order 11582, February 11, 1971.) See also our Federal Holidays – "In Lieu Of" Determination Fact Sheet at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-....

 

Click here for a list of federal holidays.