Federal Holidays Calculator

All 11 US federal holidays for any year 1971 to 2100.

What it does

Federal holidays mix fixed dates with weekday rules: July 4 stays put while Thanksgiving hunts the fourth Thursday and Memorial takes the last Monday of May. Weekend landings shift observation to Friday or Monday for most employees.

The tool above takes any year 1971 to 2100 and returns Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with observed tags beside them. The default 2026 gives Fri Jul 03 observed, Thu Nov 26, and Fri Dec 25.

Lists match OPM schedules with Title 5 section 6103 beside them: 11 holidays from New Year through Christmas with Juneteenth added in 2021, Saturday observance on the preceding Friday, Sunday on the following Monday. Inauguration Day adds a 12th near DC every fourth year after 1965.

Full year tables ride in the note, so planners see every date without a second lookup. State and private calendars often differ, especially around Washington Birthday and Columbus Day.

How to use

Type a year from 1971 to 2100.
Read the three headline dates first.
Scan the note for all 11 holidays.
Watch observed tags on weekends.
Check state calendars separately.
Pair with workdays for bridge planning.

Formula

Fixed dates with Sat to Fri and Sun to Mon observation. Weekday rules: 3rd Mon Jan/Feb, last Mon May, 1st Mon Sep, 2nd Mon Oct, 4th Thu Nov.

observed: Friday before Saturday holidays, Monday after Sunday ones.
nth weekday: Counted Mondays and Thursdays per holiday.
11: Federal holidays since Juneteenth 2021.

UTC weekday math keeps zones from shifting dates. Inauguration Day near DC and state extras sit outside the 11.

Worked example

Example: 2026

Default year: 2026.

July 4 is Saturday, so observed Fri Jul 03.
Thanksgiving: fourth Thursday is Nov 26.
Christmas Dec 25 is Friday, no shift.
MLK: third Monday is Jan 19.
Memorial: last Monday is May 25.
Tool shows the three headlines with all 11 in the note.

Reference table

Checked holiday dates
Holiday	2026	2027
New Year	Thu Jan 01	Fri Jan 01
ML King	Mon Jan 19	Mon Jan 18
Presidents	Mon Feb 16	Mon Feb 15
Memorial	Mon May 25	Mon May 31
Juneteenth	Fri Jun 19	Fri Jun 18 observed
Independence	Fri Jul 03 observed	Mon Jul 05 observed
Labor	Mon Sep 07	Mon Sep 06
Columbus	Mon Oct 12	Mon Oct 11
Veterans	Wed Nov 11	Thu Nov 11
Thanksgiving	Thu Nov 26	Thu Nov 25
Christmas	Fri Dec 25	Fri Dec 24 observed

Limits

Federal list; states and firms differ.
Inauguration Day near DC excluded.
1971 to 2100 rule window.
No pay or staffing math.

Common mistakes

Celebrating the printed date instead of observed.
Assuming Sunday holidays stay Sunday.
Counting 10 holidays and missing Juneteenth.
Applying federal list to private firms.
Planning travel on switch weekends blind.

Try it yourself

Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.

Thanksgiving 2027?

Thu Nov 25 2027.

Christmas 2027?

Sat Dec 25, observed Fri Dec 24.

Memorial 2026?

Mon May 25 2026.

Questions

2026 headlines?

Fri Jul 03 observed, Thu Nov 26, Fri Dec 25.

How many holidays?

11 since Juneteenth joined in 2021.

Weekend rule?

Saturday to preceding Friday, Sunday to following Monday.

Thanksgiving rule?

Fourth Thursday of November, always.

Inauguration Day?

Jan 20 every fourth year after 1965, DC area federal staff.

Workdays page versus this?

That counts business days; this prints holiday dates.

Sources

How this page was checked. The formula above was matched against the cited sources, and the worked example was run through the tool on this page before publishing. If you spot an error, contact us so we can fix it and note the correction.