US Holiday Dates.

California state holidays 2026: what's paid and what isn't

California state employees get 11 paid holidays in 2026, listed in Government Code § 19853 — which is not the same thing as the state's legal holidays, a much longer list in Government Code § 6700 that includes Lincoln Day, Admission Day, Native American Day, Diwali and Juneteenth, none of which closes anything. One date changed name mid-year: the Legislature renamed March 31 from César Chávez Day to Farmworkers Day effective March 26, 2026, and the state's own 2026 holiday calendars still print the old name.

Paid holidays 202611
Swappable for personal holiday5 more days
Federal days not paidJuneteenth, Columbus Day
Renamed in 2026March 31 — Farmworkers Day

California runs two lists, and they barely overlap

Most wrong California holiday dates come from one mistake: treating one list as if it were the other.

Government Code § 6700 is the state's list of legal holidays — twenty numbered provisions, and where Lincoln Day, Admission Day, Native American Day, Genocide Remembrance Day, Diwali, Juneteenth and Columbus Day live. Being on it gives the day legal status. It does not close an office.

Government Code § 19853 is the paid list for state employees, and it is much shorter. That one decides whether a state building is shut. The two lists overlap on only seven dates.

A third list, Education Code § 37220, governs public schools, and it differs again. Schools close for Juneteenth, which state offices do not, and are expressly not required to close for Columbus Day.

So the useful question is never "is it a California holiday?" It is "on which list, and does that list close anything?"

The 2026 paid schedule for state employees

Eleven paid dates, published by CalHR and by the Department of General Services. On top of them an eligible employee gets one personal holiday per fiscal year under § 19854, credited on July 1.

DateHolidayDayNote
Jan 1New Year's DayThursdayFull closure
Jan 19Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. DayMondayThird Monday in January
Feb 16Presidents' DayMondayThird Monday in February — code names no holiday; schools say Washington Day
Mar 31Farmworkers DayTuesdayRenamed from César Chávez Day in March 2026 — see below
May 25Memorial DayMondayLast Monday in May
Jul 4Independence DaySaturdayOn a Saturday: holiday credit, not an extra day off
Sep 7Labor DayMondayFirst Monday in September
Nov 11Veterans DayWednesdayFull closure
Nov 26Thanksgiving DayThursdayFourth Thursday in November
Nov 27Day after ThanksgivingFridayPaid by § 19853, but not a legal holiday under § 6700
Dec 25Christmas DayFridayFull closure

The five days you can swap for your personal holiday

This is the part of the California calendar reported worst, usually by being called a paid day off.

Under § 19853(e), added by AB 268 effective January 1, 2026, most state employees may elect eight hours of holiday credit in lieu of their § 19854 personal holiday for any of five days: Lunar New Year, Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24), Diwali, Juneteenth (June 19), and Native American Day (the fourth Friday in September).

The mechanics matter. An employee gets one personal holiday a year, and converting it does not create a second day off — it is a trade. Someone who takes Juneteenth has spent the personal holiday and has nothing left for a birthday. None of the five is automatic, and a department may refuse the date on operational grounds.

In 2026 they land on Tuesday, February 17 (Lunar New Year, Year of the Fire Horse), Friday, April 24, Friday, June 19, Friday, September 25, and Sunday, November 8 (Diwali).

A related provision, § 19853.2, lets excluded employees convert a personal holiday for a holiday of their own religion, culture or heritage.

March 31: California renamed the day mid-year

On March 26, 2026, the Governor signed AB 2156 (Chapter 7, Statutes of 2026) as an urgency statute, effective immediately. It struck "César Chávez Day" out of § 6700 and § 6717 and substituted "Farmworkers Day" for March 31, citing the proximity of the holiday in the 2026 calendar year.

The official sources now disagree. The statute says Farmworkers Day. CalHR's 2026 holiday page and the Department of General Services' 2026 schedule both still print "Cesar Chavez Day" for Tuesday, March 31 — both were published before the March 26 change. Education Code § 37220.5, untouched by AB 2156, still uses the old name too.

Both names mean the same paid day off. Citing the law, the current name is Farmworkers Day; reading an agency calendar printed earlier in 2026, expect the old one.

One quirk applies this year: § 6701(c) lets the Legislature observe March 31 on the preceding Friday, the preceding Monday, or the following Friday when it falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. March 31, 2026 is a Tuesday. The rule covers the Legislature, not state agencies generally.

Juneteenth: on the legal list, off the paid list

June 19 is a federal holiday, it is named in § 6700(a)(11) as a California state holiday, and it is not among the automatic paid holidays in § 19853(a). State offices are open on Friday, June 19, 2026.

That combination produces the most common error about California holidays. Many news outlets list Juneteenth among state employees' paid days off. CalHR's own 2026 page does not: it appears only in the list of days an employee may take in place of the personal holiday.

Schools are the opposite case. Education Code § 37220(a)(12) requires public schools to close on days appointed by the President as a holiday, including holidays created by legislation — a definition added by AB 1655 in 2022 specifically to reach Juneteenth. In 2026 a public school is closed on June 19 while the state office next door is not.

Legal holidays that close nothing

All of these are in § 6700. None closes a state office on its own:

Weekend rules for state employees

§ 19853(b) handles Sundays directly: if a listed day falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is treated as the holiday instead. It adds one special case — if November 11 falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the holiday. That does not arise in 2026.

Saturday is the trap. CalHR's rule is that when a holiday falls on a Saturday, employees receive holiday credit rather than a substitute day off. In 2026 July 4 is a Saturday, the only paid day landing on a weekend — so state employees get credit, not a day off on Friday July 3 or Monday July 6.

The general legal rule is different. § 6701 covers the § 6700 holidays: it moves specified days to the following Monday when they fall on a Sunday, and it lets a county board of supervisors set an alternate day by ordinance when a § 6700 holiday falls on a Saturday. A county that has done so may be closed on a day the state is not.

Schools close on a different list again

Education Code § 37220 requires public schools to close on its own set: January 1, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lincoln Day, Washington Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and December 25, plus days appointed by the Governor or the President.

Two details make it unlike either state list. Columbus Day is expressly excluded from the federal days that force a school closure. And the weekend rule is stricter: under § 37220(b) and (c) a Sunday holiday moves to the Monday, while a Saturday holiday moves back to the preceding Friday, which the section declares a state holiday. With July 4 on a Saturday in 2026, schools close on Friday, July 3.

Local control is broad. A district board may revise the date of any of those days except Veterans Day, which cannot be moved or waived. March 31 is optional under § 37220.5, as are Genocide Remembrance Day, Diwali and Native American Day under § 37220.7 — each needs agreement with the employees' union. Two neighbouring districts can publish different calendars.

If you are not a state employee

California's paid list binds state agencies. Private employers owe no paid holiday at all — federal law sets a floor for pay, not time off — so what you get is a matter of your contract.

Local government is the middle case. § 6700(a)(20)(B) says that, apart from Thanksgiving, three listed holidays do not apply to a city, county or district unless the local body adopts them: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lunar New Year, and Farmworkers Day on March 31. A county office can be open on a day that is both a state legal holiday and a state paid holiday.

Banks follow the Federal Reserve and the federal list: a branch is typically closed on Juneteenth and Columbus Day, when state offices are open, and open on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when they are shut.

Ad slot — enable after AdSense approval

Frequently asked questions

How many paid state holidays does California have in 2026?

Eleven, listed in Government Code § 19853: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, March 31, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Eligible employees also get one personal holiday per fiscal year.

Is César Chávez Day still a California holiday?

March 31 is still a paid state holiday, but AB 2156 (Chapter 7, Statutes of 2026) renamed it Farmworkers Day with effect from March 26, 2026. CalHR's and DGS's 2026 calendars still print 'Cesar Chavez Day', and Education Code § 37220.5 still uses that name.

Does California close state offices for Juneteenth?

No. June 19 is a California legal holiday under § 6700 and a federal holiday, but it is not one of the automatic paid holidays in § 19853, so state offices are open on Friday, June 19, 2026. State employees may take it only by using their personal holiday. Public schools, however, are required to close.

Does California observe Columbus Day?

It is a legal holiday on the § 6700 list, so state offices stay open on Monday, October 12, 2026. Public schools are expressly not required to close for it under Education Code § 37220.

What happens when a California state holiday falls on a Saturday?

For state employees, CalHR's rule is that the employee receives holiday credit rather than a substitute day off. July 4, 2026 is a Saturday and is the only paid holiday affected that year.

What happens when a California state holiday falls on a Sunday?

Under Government Code § 19853(b) the following Monday is treated as the holiday instead. There is also a special rule for November 11 falling on a Saturday, which moves the holiday back to the preceding Friday; that does not occur in 2026.

Which days can a California state employee take instead of their personal holiday?

Under § 19853(e), added by AB 268 effective January 1, 2026: Lunar New Year, Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24), Diwali, Juneteenth (June 19) and Native American Day (fourth Friday in September). It is a conversion of the personal holiday, not an extra day off.

When is Diwali 2026 as a California state holiday?

Diwali falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the 15th day of Kartik, and 2026 is the first year it has state holiday status in California. It is not a paid closure day for state employees; it is one of the days they may take instead of the personal holiday.

When is Native American Day in California in 2026?

Friday, September 25, 2026 — the fourth Friday in September. It is a legal holiday under § 6700 but not an automatic paid day; state employees may take it by converting their personal holiday, and schools may close if the district agrees.

Official sources

Last verified against official sources on September 30, 2026.

Related dates