The federal government observes 11 paid holidays each year, and those closures do more than shut office doors: they push court, tax, and patent filing deadlines to the next business day, halt Federal Reserve transfers and ACH processing, and stop mail delivery. Below are the federal holidays and closures you need to plan around, the 2026 dates, and the rules that decide when your deadline actually falls.
The 11 Federal Holidays
Federal law designates these 11 days as legal public holidays, and they are the only days that trigger mandatory closures across the executive branch:
- New Year’s Day: January 1
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: third Monday in January
- Washington’s Birthday: third Monday in February
- Memorial Day: last Monday in May
- Juneteenth National Independence Day: June 19
- Independence Day: July 4
- Labor Day: first Monday in September
- Columbus Day: second Monday in October
- Veterans Day: November 11
- Thanksgiving Day: fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day: December 25
When a holiday lands on a Saturday, most federal employees take the preceding Friday off. When it falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is the observed holiday.1U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal Holidays The Saturday rule comes from the statute itself; the Sunday rule traces to Executive Order 11582, signed in 1971.
One additional holiday appears only every four years: Inauguration Day on January 20. It applies only to federal workers in the Washington, D.C., area, specifically the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland, Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia, and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church. The next Inauguration Day holiday falls in 2029.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
2026 Federal Holiday Dates
Federal offices will be closed on these dates in 2026. Independence Day falls on a Saturday, so the observed closure moves to Friday, July 3:
- New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: Monday, January 19
- Washington’s Birthday: Monday, February 16
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 25
- Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday, June 19
- Independence Day: Friday, July 3 (observed)
- Labor Day: Monday, September 7
- Columbus Day: Monday, October 12
- Veterans Day: Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 25
These dates come from the Office of Personnel Management’s official schedule.1U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal Holidays
What Actually Closes on a Federal Holiday
Closures reach past government offices into banking, mail, and markets. The three don’t move in lockstep, and the mismatch is where people get caught.
Banks and Electronic Transfers
The Federal Reserve shuts down on all 11 federal holidays, so no Fedwire or ACH transactions process that day. A direct deposit, wire transfer, or scheduled electronic payment won’t settle until the next business day. For a mid-week holiday like Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, ACH processing stops late the night before and doesn’t resume until the evening of the holiday itself.3Federal Reserve Financial Services. Federal Reserve System Holiday Schedule If you have bills due or payroll scheduled around a holiday, work backward from the settlement date, not the calendar date.
Post offices close and regular mail delivery stops on all 11 federal holidays. Mid-week holidays add at least a day of delay to anything already in transit.
Stock Markets
The New York Stock Exchange follows its own calendar, which doesn’t match the federal list. In 2026, the NYSE closes for 10 holidays: it skips Columbus Day and Veterans Day but adds Good Friday on April 3, which is not a federal holiday.4NYSE. 2026 Yearly Trading Calendar The mismatch matters if you’re trading or timing settlement of a securities transaction.
How Holidays Move Filing Deadlines
Federal holidays trigger automatic deadline extensions in several areas of law. This is the most legally consequential piece of the calendar, because a missed filing can extinguish a right entirely.
Federal Court Filings
Under Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, when the last day of a filing period falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline extends to the next day that isn’t one of those. The same rule applies to deadlines measured in hours. If the clerk’s office is physically inaccessible on the last filing day for any reason, the deadline extends to the first accessible day.5Legal Information Institute. Rule 6 Computing and Extending Time
Rule 6 defines “legal holiday” broadly. It covers all 11 federal holidays, any day declared a holiday by the President or Congress, and, for deadlines triggered by an event, any holiday recognized by the state where the court sits.5Legal Information Institute. Rule 6 Computing and Extending Time
Tax Deadlines
The Internal Revenue Code carries its own extension rule. When the last day to file a return, make a payment, or take any other required action falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. For IRS purposes, “legal holiday” means a holiday recognized in the District of Columbia, plus any statewide holiday in the state where the IRS office receiving your filing is located.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7503 – Time for Performance of Acts Where Last Day Falls on Saturday, Sunday, or Legal Holiday That’s why Tax Day sometimes shifts to April 17 or 18 when April 15 collides with a weekend or with Emancipation Day, a D.C. holiday.
Patent and Trademark Filings
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office takes a similar approach with one important twist. When a deadline falls on a day the office is completely closed, whether for a scheduled holiday or an unscheduled event like severe weather, the deadline moves to the next business day. But if the office opens for any part of the day, even briefly, the filing is still due that day.
National Observances Are Not Closures
National observances get confused with federal holidays, but they carry no closure mandate and no paid time off. They exist for ceremonial, educational, or remembrance purposes and cover dozens of periods listed in Title 36 of the U.S. Code, from American Heart Month in February to National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on December 7.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC Chapter 1 – Patriotic and National Observances A presidential proclamation for Hispanic Heritage Month or Constitution Day does not close a federal office or move a filing deadline.
Government Shutdowns Are a Different Kind of Closure
A shutdown is not a holiday, and the consequences are broader. Shutdowns happen when Congress fails to pass appropriations bills, leaving agencies without legal authority to spend money. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal employees from spending funds or committing the government to obligations without an appropriation in place.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1341 – Limitations on Expending and Obligating Amounts
During a shutdown, agencies split their workforce. “Excepted” employees keep working because their duties involve the safety of human life, protection of property, or functions funded outside annual appropriations. Everyone else is furloughed and cannot work or even check government email.9U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs Federal law now guarantees back pay to both groups once the shutdown ends, though the delay can still cause real hardship.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1341 – Limitations on Expending and Obligating Amounts
The practical fallout reaches beyond staffing. Public meetings get canceled. Regulatory comment periods may stall. National parks have historically stayed partially accessible during shutdowns, but with skeleton staffing that leaves visitor centers closed and services limited. If you have business with a federal agency, a scheduled hearing, a pending application, or an open comment period, a shutdown can freeze everything until funding is restored. Unlike a holiday, a shutdown does not automatically extend statutory filing deadlines; check the specific agency’s guidance if one is in effect when your deadline hits.