Five federal holidays fall on a Monday every year: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. Congress fixed them to specific Mondays through the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which is why the calendar date shifts each year but the day of the week never does.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays In 2026, the dates are:
- January 19 — Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (third Monday in January)
- February 16 — Washington’s Birthday (third Monday in February)
- May 25 — Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
- September 7 — Labor Day (first Monday in September)
- October 12 — Columbus Day (second Monday in October)
The other six federal holidays are pinned to fixed calendar dates and rotate through the weekdays. In 2026, New Year’s Day falls on a Thursday, Juneteenth on a Friday, Independence Day on a Saturday (observed Friday, July 3), Veterans Day on a Wednesday, Thanksgiving on a Thursday, and Christmas on a Friday.2U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal Holidays None lands on a Sunday, so no additional Mondays get pulled into the federal holiday schedule this year.
Why These Five Are Always Mondays
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act was signed on June 28, 1968, and took effect January 1, 1971.3The American Presidency Project. Statement by the President Upon Signing the Uniform Holiday Bill Before it passed, Memorial Day sat on May 30 and Washington’s Birthday on February 22, meaning either could land midweek. Moving them to designated Mondays was intended to produce predictable three-day weekends and cut down on scheduling disruptions.
The 1968 law originally moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October, too. That change proved unpopular with veterans’ organizations, and Congress reversed it in 1978, returning Veterans Day to November 11. Veterans Day is now a fixed-date holiday, not a Monday holiday, which is why it does not appear on the list above.
When a Fixed-Date Holiday Creates a Bonus Monday Off
A Monday can become a federal holiday even when it is not one of the five Monday holidays. When a fixed-date holiday falls on a Sunday, federal law treats the following Monday as the legal public holiday for pay and leave. When it falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the observed day instead.2U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal Holidays That is why Independence Day 2026, which lands on a Saturday, is observed Friday, July 3, rather than shifting forward to a Monday. No fixed-date federal holiday falls on a Sunday in 2026, so 2026 has exactly five Monday federal holidays and no more.
What Closes on a Monday Federal Holiday
USPS does not deliver regular mail or open retail counters on federal holidays, so each of the five Monday holidays is a no-mail day.4United States Postal Service. Holidays and Events Private carriers like UPS and FedEx run their own holiday schedules and may still move packages, so check with the shipper if timing matters.
Banking and Payments
The Federal Reserve shuts its payment systems on every federal holiday. ACH transfers, Fedwire transactions, and check clearing all pause until the system reopens.5Federal Reserve Financial Services. Federal Reserve System Holiday Schedule A payment scheduled for a Monday holiday will not settle until Tuesday at the earliest, and direct deposits, bill payments, and interbank transfers can slip by a day. Most commercial banks close their branches on the same schedule, though ATMs and mobile banking generally stay up.
Federal Courts and Deadlines
Federal courts close on federal holidays. No routine hearings, filings, or clerk services happen on a Monday holiday, though emergency filings can be handled through each court’s after-hours procedures. When a filing deadline lands on a federal holiday, it generally rolls to the next business day. The IRS applies the same rule: any filing due date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday moves to the next business day.6Internal Revenue Service. When to File
Federal Employee Pay on a Monday Holiday
Federal employees on a standard Monday-through-Friday schedule receive paid time off on each of the eleven federal holidays. If a holiday lands on a regular non-workday, the employee gets an “in lieu of” holiday on the nearest workday, so no one loses a day off because of how their schedule sits.7U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Holidays Work Schedules and Pay
Employees required to work a holiday earn holiday premium pay equal to their basic rate on top of their regular wages for up to eight hours.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 5546 – Pay for Sunday and Holiday Work A few categories are excluded, including intermittent employees and certain firefighters covered by special pay provisions.7U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Holidays Work Schedules and Pay
If You Work in the Private Sector
No federal law requires private employers to close on federal holidays or to pay employees for the day off. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not mandate holiday pay at all; whether you get the Monday off, and whether it is paid, comes down to your employer’s policy or your employment agreement.9U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay Many office employers close on Monday holidays; retail, healthcare, and hospitality often stay open. State law can add protections beyond the federal baseline, so a state labor agency is the right place to check specifics.