There are eleven federal holidays, not ten. Congress added Juneteenth National Independence Day in June 2021, and any list still showing ten hasn’t been updated since.1United States Government Publishing Office. Juneteenth National Independence Day Act The full set is fixed by 5 U.S.C. § 6103, and the 2026 observed dates for a standard Monday-through-Friday schedule look like this:2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
- New Year’s Day — January 1 (Thursday)
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. — January 19 (Monday)
- Washington’s Birthday — February 16 (Monday)
- Memorial Day — May 25 (Monday)
- Juneteenth National Independence Day — June 19 (Friday)
- Independence Day — observed Friday, July 3 (July 4 falls on Saturday)
- Labor Day — September 7 (Monday)
- Columbus Day — October 12 (Monday)
- Veterans Day — November 11 (Wednesday)
- Thanksgiving Day — November 26 (Thursday)
- Christmas Day — December 25 (Friday)
Two names on the statute don’t match everyday usage. Washington’s Birthday is what federal law calls the third Monday in February, though most people say Presidents’ Day. Columbus Day is the statutory name for the second Monday in October, even as at least seventeen states and the District of Columbia now recognize some form of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on that same date.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
Who Federal Holidays Actually Apply To
Federal holidays are binding on the federal government and the District of Columbia. That’s it. The statute creating them sits inside the federal employment code, and Congress has no authority to force state governments to close or to require private businesses to give anyone the day off.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays Most states observe the same holidays or a close variant, but that reflects each state’s own choice, not federal law.
For civilian federal employees, the day off is paid. Part-time federal employees get paid for the hours they were scheduled to work when a holiday lands on one of their regular workdays. Intermittent federal employees receive no holiday pay.3U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Holidays Work Schedules and Pay
What Happens When a Holiday Falls on a Weekend
Six of the eleven holidays are pinned to specific calendar dates, so they land on weekends some years. Federal rules handle this by substitution. A Saturday holiday is observed the preceding Friday. A Sunday holiday moves to the following Monday.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
The only 2026 holiday affected is Independence Day. July 4 is a Saturday, so federal offices close Friday, July 3. No holidays fall on a Sunday in 2026.
Private Employers, Holiday Pay, and Overtime
No federal law requires a private employer to give you a paid day off on any holiday, or to pay you extra for working one. The Department of Labor states this directly: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, including holidays.4U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay Whether you get a paid Thanksgiving, and whether Christmas hours pay time-and-a-half, is up to your employer.
Overtime is separate from any of that. Under the FLSA, nonexempt overtime is triggered by exceeding 40 hours in a workweek, not by working a particular day. Someone who works Thanksgiving but logs only 35 total hours that week earns their regular rate throughout.5U.S. Department of Labor. Questions and Answers About the Fair Labor Standards Act – Section: Wages, Pay and Benefits Some states do require premium pay for private-sector holiday work, but coverage and rates vary; your state labor department is the place to check.
Banks, Markets, and Mail
Federal Reserve Banks close on all eleven federal holidays, and most commercial banks close with them because they rely on Federal Reserve systems to move money. Wire transfers, ACH payments, and interbank settlements don’t process on those dates.6Federal Reserve System. Holiday Schedules Bills or direct deposits scheduled close to a holiday will typically shift to the next business day.
The stock market runs on its own calendar. The New York Stock Exchange closes for only nine of the eleven federal holidays in 2026, staying open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day, and it also closes on Good Friday, which isn’t a federal holiday.7NYSE. Holidays and Trading Hours
The U.S. Postal Service suspends regular residential delivery on all eleven holidays, and retail post office locations close. Private carriers vary. UPS suspends most pickups and deliveries on federal holidays but continues operating on Presidents’ Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day, though services routed through the postal network can still experience transit delays on those days.8UPS. UPS Holiday Schedule For anything time-sensitive, check the specific carrier’s schedule.
How Holidays Affect Legal and Tax Deadlines
Federal holidays extend federal deadlines. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, when the last day to file something in federal court is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline rolls to the next day that is none of those.9United States Courts. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure – Rule 6
Tax deadlines work the same way. When a return, payment, or other required action falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the Internal Revenue Code pushes it to the next business day.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7503 – Time for Performance of Acts Where Last Day Falls on Saturday, Sunday, or Legal Holiday For this purpose, the tax code counts D.C. holidays and, for IRS offices outside D.C., statewide holidays in that state. That’s why the April filing deadline occasionally lands on April 17 or 18: Emancipation Day, a D.C. holiday on April 16, pushes it back.
Inauguration Day and Other Presidential Closures
A twelfth paid holiday exists in a narrow form. Inauguration Day, January 20 every four years, is a paid holiday only for federal and D.C. government employees inside a specific area: the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia, and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. If January 20 falls on a Sunday, the holiday shifts to Monday.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays The next one is January 20, 2029.
The president can also close federal agencies by executive order, most often for the day before or after Christmas when the calendar makes it awkward. Those days are treated as holidays for pay, though agency heads can still require essential employees to report.11The White House. Providing for the Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government