Federal Holidays Table
| Holiday | Date | Weekday | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1, 2026 | Thursday | – |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Jan 19, 2026 | Monday | 3rd Monday |
| Washington's Birthday | Feb 16, 2026 | Monday | 3rd Monday |
| Memorial Day | May 25, 2026 | Monday | last Monday |
| Juneteenth | Jun 19, 2026 | Friday | – |
| Independence Day | Jul 3, 2026 | Friday | observed Fri (Sat) |
| Labor Day | Sep 7, 2026 | Monday | 1st Monday |
| Columbus Day | Oct 12, 2026 | Monday | 2nd Monday |
| Veterans Day | Nov 11, 2026 | Wednesday | – |
| Thanksgiving Day | Nov 26, 2026 | Thursday | 4th Thursday |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25, 2026 | Friday | – |
| New Year's Day | Jan 1, 2027 | Friday | – |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Jan 18, 2027 | Monday | 3rd Monday |
| Washington's Birthday | Feb 15, 2027 | Monday | 3rd Monday |
| Memorial Day | May 31, 2027 | Monday | last Monday |
| Juneteenth | Jun 18, 2027 | Friday | observed Fri (Sat) |
| Independence Day | Jul 5, 2027 | Monday | observed Mon (Sun) |
| Labor Day | Sep 6, 2027 | Monday | 1st Monday |
| Columbus Day | Oct 11, 2027 | Monday | 2nd Monday |
| Veterans Day | Nov 11, 2027 | Thursday | – |
| Thanksgiving Day | Nov 25, 2027 | Thursday | 4th Thursday |
| Christmas Day | Dec 24, 2027 | Friday | observed Fri (Sat) |
The United States recognizes eleven federal holidays, and the calendar around them is governed by one deceptively simple rule: holidays that fall on Saturday are observed on Friday, holidays that fall on Sunday are observed on Monday. This table lists every federal holiday for 2026 and 2027 with exact dates, weekdays and the rule that produced them - the schedule every bank, post office, court and bond market in the country runs on.
Two of the eleven dates are fixed to the calendar (New Year's, Juneteenth, Independence, Veterans, Christmas), while the rest float to Mondays or Thanksgiving's fourth Thursday by statute. The floaters make the calendar predictable; the fixed ones make it lumpy - which is exactly why the observed-date rows exist.
How to use
- Type a holiday name, month or year to filter - 'thanksgiving', 'Jun', '2027' all find their rows.
- Click any date to copy it for time-off requests, payroll calendars and release plans.
- Check the Rule column before booking: an 'observed Friday' row means the actual anniversary lands on a Saturday.
Frequently asked questions
Are federal holidays the same as national holidays?
No - federal holidays bind only federal employees and the institutions that follow the federal calendar: banks (via the Federal Reserve), post offices, courts and most government contractors. There is no US 'national holiday' law for private employers; companies choose their own list, and while most honor the big nine, Juneteenth (newest, since 2021) and Columbus Day are the two most commonly dropped by private workplaces.
What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend?
Federal employees get a day off in lieu: Saturday holidays move to the preceding Friday, Sunday holidays to the following Monday. That is why 2026's Independence Day (Saturday, July 4) gives a Friday off on July 3, and 2027's Christmas (Saturday) is observed Friday, December 24. The table's Rule column shows which rows are shifted - the anniversary itself stays put for fireworks.
Why do some holidays always land on Monday?
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day to fixed Mondays to create long weekends - it deliberately did NOT touch Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's or the Fourth. That split is why November and February feel holiday-rich in some years: the Monday holidays drift while the fixed ones anchor.
Which days does the stock market close that banks do not?
The NYSE closes on nine of the eleven: it skips Columbus Day but adds Good Friday, which is not a federal holiday at all. Banks close on Columbus Day while the bond market stays open. If you schedule payments across institutions, the table plus those two exceptions covers every divergence in the American financial calendar.