US Federal Holidays Calendar

See every U.S. federal holiday for any year from 1971 to 2100, with the Friday or Monday it is observed when it lands on a weekend, Federal Reserve differences, and a calendar download.

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Where the list of federal holidays comes from

Federal holidays are set by law in 5 U.S.C. 6103, not by custom. The statute names eleven days: New Year's Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Five have fixed dates and six are defined by a weekday rule, which is why their dates change every year.

  • Fixed dates: January 1, June 19, July 4, November 11 and December 25.
  • Monday holidays: the third Monday in January (MLK Day) and February (Washington's Birthday), the last Monday in May, the first Monday in September and the second Monday in October.
  • Thanksgiving: the fourth Thursday in November, so it falls between November 22 and 28.

The list has changed over time. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved several holidays to Mondays starting in 1971, MLK Day was first observed in 1986, Veterans Day returned to November 11 in 1978 after seven years on the fourth Monday of October, and Juneteenth was added in 2021. The calendar applies each rule only for the years it was in force.

How weekend holidays are observed

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, federal employees get the preceding Friday off. When it falls on a Sunday, they get the following Monday. The Sunday rule is in 5 U.S.C. 6103(b); the Saturday rule comes from Executive Order 11582 and OPM guidance. In 2026, Independence Day is a Saturday, so the observed holiday is Friday, July 3.

  • New Year's Day on a Saturday is observed on Friday, December 31 of the previous year. That happened for January 1, 2022, which was observed December 31, 2021.
  • Christmas 2027 and Juneteenth 2027 both fall on Saturdays, so they are observed Friday, December 24 and Friday, June 18.
  • Inauguration Day (January 20 every fourth year) is a holiday only for federal employees in the Washington, DC area. If it falls on a Sunday it moves to Monday; a Saturday inauguration gives no weekday off.

Why banks can be open when federal offices are closed

Most U.S. banks follow the Federal Reserve holiday schedule rather than the OPM schedule. The Federal Reserve moves a Sunday holiday to Monday, but it does not move a Saturday holiday to Friday. So when July 4 lands on a Saturday, federal offices close on Friday while Federal Reserve Banks and most commercial banks stay open that Friday, and ACH and wire transfers settle normally.

The Federal Reserve column in the table shows this difference for each year. Stock exchanges follow yet another schedule: the NYSE closes for Good Friday, which is not a federal holiday, and stays open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Private employers are not required to give any of these days off, so check your employee handbook for your own schedule.

Planning with the calendar and the .ics file

Use the observed date, not the actual date, for anything tied to federal operations: post office closures, federal court filing deadlines, Social Security payment timing and government contract schedules. When a deadline lands on an observed holiday it usually moves to the next business day.

  • Download the .ics file to add every observed holiday for the chosen year to Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar as all-day events.
  • Check the countdown for the next federal holiday from today, including holidays early in the next year.
  • Payroll and paid time off: many employers copy the federal list but decide for themselves whether to observe weekend holidays on Friday or Monday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the US Federal Holidays Calendar

New Year's Day Thu Jan 1, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Mon Jan 19, Washington's Birthday Mon Feb 16, Memorial Day Mon May 25, Juneteenth Fri Jun 19, Independence Day Sat Jul 4 (observed Fri Jul 3), Labor Day Mon Sep 7, Columbus Day Mon Oct 12, Veterans Day Wed Nov 11, Thanksgiving Thu Nov 26 and Christmas Fri Dec 25.

Sources & References

5 U.S.C. 6103 - Holidays

Statutory list of federal holidays, weekday rules, Sunday observance and Inauguration Day.
→Source: Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Federal Holidays

Official observed dates and the Saturday-to-Friday observance rule for federal employees.
→Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Federal Reserve Holidays

Federal Reserve holiday schedule: Saturday holidays are not moved to Friday.
→Source: Federal Reserve Financial Services

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