Presidents Day 2026 falls on Monday, February 16. That is the date federal offices, post offices, banks, and the major U.S. stock exchanges will be closed, even though the holiday’s official name in federal law is still “Washington’s Birthday.” No federal statute has ever renamed it. The date moves each year because Title 5, Section 6103 of the United States Code pegs the observance to the third Monday in February.1GovInfo. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
What’s Closed on February 16, 2026
Federal agencies and courts shut down for the day. The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail, run caller service, or open Post Office boxes on February 16, with normal operations resuming Tuesday, February 17.2About.usps.com. Post Offices Will Close on Monday, February 16th in Observance of Presidents Day The New York Stock Exchange and other major U.S. exchanges close for the holiday as well.3NYSE. Holidays and Trading Hours Federal Reserve banks observe the day too, so interbank wire transfers and ACH processing pause until the next business day.4Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Federal Reserve Bank Holiday Schedule If you are timing a payment, a wire, or a mailed document around that weekend, treat Monday as a nonprocessing day.
Because the date is tied to the third Monday of the month, the holiday can land anywhere between February 15 and February 21, but never on Washington’s actual birth date of February 22.
Why It’s Called Presidents Day but Not on Paper
The federal holiday’s legal name is “Washington’s Birthday.” That is the phrase in the United States Code, and it was the phrase in the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, which moved the observance from the fixed February 22 date to the third Monday in February starting in 1971.5GovInfo. Public Law 90-363 – To Provide for Uniform Annual Observances of Certain Legal Public Holidays on Mondays Congress did not rename it then and has not renamed it since.
The “Presidents’ Day” label spread through state laws and retail advertising. Once the Monday shift placed the holiday between Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 and Washington’s on February 22, many states rewrote their own holiday statutes to honor both presidents or all past presidents. Some officially observe “Presidents’ Day,” others use “Washington and Lincoln Day,” and others match the federal name exactly.6The White House. The Great Debate: Is it Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday? Retailers picked up the broader label for February sales, and that is largely why most people assume the federal name changed. A bill introduced in February 2025, the Presidential Legacy Act (H.R. 1371), proposed formally redesignating the holiday. It was referred to committee and has not advanced.
Who Gets the Day Off and Who Gets Paid
Federal employees are entitled to the day off with pay. A federal employee required to work the holiday earns premium pay equal to their basic rate on top of regular pay for up to eight hours of holiday work, and anyone called in is guaranteed pay for at least two hours even if the actual shift is shorter.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 5546 – Pay for Sunday and Holiday Work
Private-sector workers have no federal right to the day off or to premium pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to pay for time not worked on holidays, and any holiday benefit in the private sector is a matter of the employment agreement.8U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay Many employers still close or pay a holiday premium, but nothing in federal law compels it. Retail employees staffing the February sales generally have no legal entitlement to extra pay for working that day.
Traditional Observances
The most enduring ceremony tied to the holiday happens in the U.S. Senate. Every year since 1896, a senator has read aloud Washington’s 7,641-word Farewell Address during a legislative session held near his birthday. The assignment alternates between members of each party, and at the conclusion, the senator signs a black, leather-bound book kept by the secretary of the Senate.9United States Senate. About Washington’s Farewell Address The address warned against geographic factionalism, partisan division, and foreign interference in domestic affairs.
Outside Congress, historical societies mark the occasion with Revolutionary War reenactments, wreath-laying ceremonies at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, and educational programs on his career. Many of these events are still held on February 22, the historically accurate anniversary, regardless of when the federal Monday holiday falls.