What is the next federal holiday?

The next federal holiday is Columbus Day — Monday, October 12, 2026, 12 days away. That is the date federal offices, courts and most banks follow; private employers are not required to observe it at all.

Upcoming federal holidays

Countdown recalculated on September 30, 2026 — the dates above are correct; only the day counts advance from that date.

Federal holidays in 2026 and 2027

Dates shown are the calendar dates. Where a holiday falls on a weekend, the observed date moves — see the table above.

How the observed date works

A federal holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed on the preceding Friday, and one that falls on a Sunday is observed on the following Monday. That rule comes from Executive Order 11582 and it is why the date you get off is sometimes not the date printed on the calendar.

This matters more often than people expect. Independence Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so it is observed on Friday, July 3. Veterans Day falls on a Wednesday in 2026, so nothing shifts. Christmas Day 2026 lands on a Friday and stays there. Over any ten-year stretch, roughly three of the eleven holidays will be moved by the weekend rule.

The rule only applies to the federal calendar. A private employer that happens to give Christmas off is not obliged to move it when December 25 falls on a Saturday — and many don't.

Why there are eleven, and not more

The list is short, fixed, and set by statute in 5 U.S.C. § 6103. The most recent addition was Juneteenth National Independence Day, signed into law in June 2021 and first observed two days later.

Before that, the list had been at ten since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created. Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day have all been moved by Congress at various points — Memorial Day was on May 30 rather than the last Monday in May until 1971, and Veterans Day spent the 1970s on the fourth Monday of October before being returned to November 11 in 1978.

There is one extra day that only applies to some people: Inauguration Day, January 20 every four years, is a federal holiday for employees in the Washington, D.C. area. The next one is January 20, 2029. It is not on the standard eleven-day list because it does not apply nationwide.

Who actually gets the day off

Federal holidays bind the federal government: federal offices, federal courts and the District of Columbia close. That is the extent of the legal obligation.

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires no paid holidays at all from private employers. Whether you get the day off, and whether it is paid, is a matter of your employment contract or company policy — nothing in federal law requires it.

Banks are a separate case again. The Federal Reserve sets its own holiday schedule, which follows the federal list closely, so most bank branches close on federal holidays and stay open on state-only holidays. Stock markets follow their own calendars — the New York Stock Exchange, for instance, stays open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day, when federal offices are shut.

The ones people ask about most

Two questions come up far more than the rest:

• Is today a federal holiday? — the table above tells you the next one and how far away it is; if the top row says a number of days rather than "today", today is a normal working day for federal offices
• Do I get the Friday after Thanksgiving off? — no, the day after Thanksgiving is not a federal holiday. It is a state holiday in some states and a company practice in many more, which is why so many offices are quiet that day

How this page stays current

The upcoming list at the top of this page is recalculated from the statutory rules each time the site is rebuilt, so the countdown is not a number someone typed in once. The dates come from the same date engine that produces every other page here — fourth Thursday of November, last Monday in May, and so on — checked against the Office of Personnel Management's published schedule.

If you are planning around a date more than a year out, the year list below covers both this year and next, and each individual holiday page carries a table running to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

What is the next federal holiday?

It is the first row of the table at the top of this page, together with the date it is observed and how many days away it is. The list is recalculated from the statutory rules every time the site is rebuilt, so it does not go stale.

How many federal holidays are there in the United States?

Eleven. They are set by 5 U.S.C. § 6103. The most recent addition was Juneteenth, signed into law in June 2021.

What happens when a federal holiday falls on a weekend?

A Saturday holiday is observed on the preceding Friday and a Sunday holiday on the following Monday, under Executive Order 11582. Independence Day 2026 is the current example: July 4 falls on a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday, July 3.

Does everyone get federal holidays off?

No. Federal holidays apply to federal employees and the District of Columbia. Private employers are not required by the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide any paid holidays at all, so it depends on your employer's policy.

Are banks closed on federal holidays?

Most bank branches follow the Federal Reserve's holiday schedule, which tracks the federal list closely. Stock exchanges differ — the NYSE stays open on Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

Is the day after Thanksgiving a federal holiday?

No. The Friday after Thanksgiving is not one of the eleven federal holidays. Some states make it a state holiday and many employers treat it as one, but it is not federal.

Is Inauguration Day a federal holiday?

January 20 following a presidential election is a federal holiday for employees in the Washington, D.C. area, but not nationwide. The next one falls on January 20, 2029.

Is Election Day a federal holiday?

No. Election Day is not one of the eleven federal holidays, although some states and employers treat it as a holiday or give time off to vote.

What was the last federal holiday to be added?

Juneteenth National Independence Day, signed into law on June 17, 2021 and first observed on June 18, 2021 because June 19 fell on a Saturday that year.

Official sources

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal Holidays — the official schedule and the weekend-observance rule
• 5 U.S.C. § 6103 — Holidays — the statute listing all eleven holidays
• U.S. Department of Labor — Fair Labor Standards Act — no federal requirement for private-sector paid holidays
• Federal Reserve — Holiday Schedules — bank and Fed closure dates

Last verified against official sources on September 29, 2026. Recalculated on September 30, 2026.