October has one federal holiday on the calendar: Columbus Day, observed on the second Monday of the month. In 2026 that falls on Monday, October 12. It is one of eleven legal public holidays set by 5 U.S.C. ยง 6103, and it closes federal offices, courts, and post offices for the day.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays No other day in October carries federal holiday status. Halloween is not one. If you were expecting a second October holiday, there isn’t one.
What About Indigenous Peoples’ Day
From 2021 through 2024, presidential proclamations designated the same second Monday in October as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.2U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico. A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples Day 2021 In 2025, the proclamation recognized only Columbus Day. Because these designations come through annual proclamations rather than statute, they can shift with each administration. The statutory name is Columbus Day, and changing it would take an act of Congress.
States handle the day differently. Roughly 30 states recognize Columbus Day in some form; about 17 states and the District of Columbia have established holidays honoring Native Americans on the same date; a few have dropped the day and given employees a floating holiday instead. Whatever your state calls it, the federal government treats the second Monday in October as Columbus Day for purposes of office closures, pay, and deadlines.
The Date Each Year
Columbus Day doesn’t sit on a fixed date. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 set it to the second Monday in October to give federal workers a consistent three-day weekend.3GovInfo. Public Law 90-3634Congressional Research Service. Federal Holidays – Evolution and Current Practices The second Monday always lands between October 8 and October 14.
- 2026: Monday, October 12
- 2027: Monday, October 11
- 2028: Monday, October 9
- 2029: Monday, October 8
- 2030: Monday, October 14
What Closes on Columbus Day
The U.S. Postal Service closes post office locations and suspends regular mail delivery. Priority Mail Express packages are still delivered.5United States Postal Service. USPS to Observe Columbus Day Regular delivery resumes Tuesday.
Social Security Administration field offices close for in-person visits, though ssa.gov generally stays accessible, so you can check benefits or manage your account online.6Social Security Administration. Holiday Closings of Social Security Offices Federal courts close as well, which matters for filing deadlines (see below).
Essential services keep running. Air traffic control, TSA screening, and federal law enforcement operate as usual. Most national parks stay open, though individual visitor centers and ranger-staffed facilities may run reduced hours.
State Offices, Schools, and Private Employers
Federal holiday status doesn’t bind state or local governments. Many state offices, public schools, and municipal courts stay open on Columbus Day, especially in states that don’t observe it. Whether your local DMV or courthouse closes depends on your state’s calendar, not the federal one.
Private employers have no federal legal obligation to give the day off, pay overtime, or offer holiday pay. Columbus Day is one of the least observed federal holidays in the private sector, and most retail, restaurants, and services stay open.
Banking, Payments, and the Stock Market
The Federal Reserve System closes on Columbus Day, and that has effects even if your bank branch happens to be open.7Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Federal Reserve Bank Holiday Schedule Because Fed settlement is offline, ACH transfers and wire payments initiated on or just before the holiday won’t settle until the next business day.8Nacha. The ABCs of ACH If your paycheck normally arrives Monday by direct deposit, expect it the prior Friday. Bills due on the holiday get collected the following business day.
The stock market is the exception. Neither the New York Stock Exchange nor Nasdaq closes for Columbus Day.9NYSE. Holidays and Trading Hours The exchanges skip Columbus Day and Veterans Day but observe Good Friday, which the federal government does not. Trading runs on a normal schedule.
Deadlines That Fall on the Holiday
If a federal tax filing or payment deadline lands on Columbus Day, the due date rolls to the next day that isn’t a weekend or legal holiday.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7503 October 15 is a common extended-filing deadline, and when that date sits next to a weekend, Columbus Day can push the effective due date forward by an extra day.
Federal court deadlines follow the same rule. When the last day of a filing period is a legal holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day.11U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Appellate Deadlines Check whether Columbus Day falls inside your response window or limitations period before you rely on the calendar date alone.