The 2026 US federal holiday schedule contains 11 holidays. It is the official closure and leave baseline for most federal employees, but it does not automatically give every private-sector employee a paid day off.
Official 2026 federal holiday dates
- Thursday, January 1: 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 3: Independence Day observed
- Monday, September 7: Labor Day
- Monday, October 12: Columbus Day
- Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day
- Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving Day
- Friday, December 25: Christmas Day
The observed Independence Day date is Friday, July 3 because July 4 falls on a Saturday. Verify the schedule on the US Office of Personnel Management federal holidays page.
What a federal holiday means
Most federal employees receive paid holiday time off under the applicable federal rules. Private employers generally set their own holiday and PTO policies, subject to contracts and applicable state or local requirements. Check your employer calendar before treating any federal date as personal leave.
Plan around the schedule
Labor Day, Memorial Day, and the observed Independence Day date already meet a weekend. Compare those anchors with your available PTO in Offdays before deciding which longer breaks are worth booking.
Read when Labor Day falls in 2026 or start with what PTO means.