US Federal Holidays 2027: Dates & Days Off

The United States has 11 nationwide federal holidays in 2027. For most federal employees working Monday through Friday, Juneteenth is observed on June 18, Independence Day on July 5, and Christmas on December 24 because their actual dates fall on weekends.

There is also an important year-end exception: New Year’s Day 2028 is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027. That creates 12 federal holiday observance dates within the 2027 calendar year for the standard work schedule, without adding a twelfth nationwide holiday to federal law.

Use this US federal holiday calendar to plan government office visits, workplace leave, and long weekends. US public holidays 2027 are not a universal closure schedule: private employers, state governments, banks, and schools may follow different calendars.

Complete federal holiday calendar for 2027

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes the following schedule for most federal employees. “Actual date” means the holiday’s calendar date; “observed date” means the standard Monday–Friday pay-and-leave observance.

Federal holiday	Actual date in 2027	Observed date
New Year’s Day	Friday, January 1	Friday, January 1
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.	Monday, January 18	Monday, January 18
Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day)	Monday, February 15	Monday, February 15
Memorial Day	Monday, May 31	Monday, May 31
Juneteenth National Independence Day	Saturday, June 19	Friday, June 18
Independence Day	Sunday, July 4	Monday, July 5
Labor Day	Monday, September 6	Monday, September 6
Columbus Day	Monday, October 11	Monday, October 11
Veterans Day	Thursday, November 11	Thursday, November 11
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday, November 25	Thursday, November 25
Christmas Day	Saturday, December 25	Friday, December 24

Washington’s Birthday is the official federal name for the February holiday, even though many people search for Presidents’ Day. OPM also uses Columbus Day for the October holiday; state and local calendars may use different names or observances.

Is December 31, 2027 a federal holiday?

For most Monday–Friday federal employees, yes: Friday, December 31, 2027 is the observed holiday for New Year’s Day 2028. January 1, 2028 falls on Saturday, so the standard federal observance moves to the preceding Friday.

OPM lists this date under its 2028 schedule because it belongs to the 2028 New Year’s holiday. Nevertheless, it matters when planning days off during December 2027.

Count the dates carefully. The eleven holidays associated with 2027 are listed in the main table. December 31 is an additional observance date inside the calendar year, not a new holiday name and not a duplicate celebration of January 1, 2027.

How weekend observance works

For most federal employees with Monday–Friday schedules, a Saturday holiday is generally observed on the preceding Friday. A Sunday holiday is generally observed on the following Monday. These rules explain the three shifted dates in the main 2027 table.

Juneteenth moves from Saturday, June 19 to Friday, June 18. Independence Day moves from Sunday, July 4 to Monday, July 5. Christmas moves from Saturday, December 25 to Friday, December 24.

Christmas Eve is therefore the observed Christmas holiday in 2027 for the standard federal schedule. That does not make Christmas Eve a separate, permanent federal holiday. Similarly, June 18 is the observed Juneteenth date, while June 19 remains its actual date.

Employees with alternative workweeks should consult their agency’s in-lieu-of guidance. The standard Friday-or-Monday rule should not be applied automatically to every shift pattern or employment arrangement.

Finding the next federal holiday in 2027

The next holiday depends on the date you check this calendar and your work schedule. Before 2027 begins, the first holiday in the year is New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1. After each observed date passes, use the next later date in the table for standard federal employee leave planning.

For example, after Labor Day on September 6, the next scheduled federal holiday is Columbus Day on October 11. After Thanksgiving on November 25, Christmas is observed on December 24. After that observance, remember December 31: it belongs to New Year’s Day 2028 but still falls within your 2027 planning calendar.

Always distinguish the actual holiday from its observed workday when answering a next-holiday question. For workplace closures, the observed date is usually the relevant planning date.

Who gets federal days off in 2027?

Most eligible federal employees receive paid holiday time off when excused from duty. Federal services that require continuous staffing may remain operational, and some employees must work. Agency guidance determines how applicable holiday and work-schedule rules affect individual employees.

Private-sector workers do not automatically receive paid leave on every federal holiday. The Department of Labor states that the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked on holidays. Employment agreements, employer policies, applicable requirements, and certain government contracts can affect benefits.

If you are searching for “days off in USA 2027,” check your employer’s calendar before making travel plans. Ask which holidays are paid, whether offices close, and whether you must request PTO. A nationwide federal designation is not a guarantee that every American worker has the day off.

Federal holidays by month

January has two federal holidays: New Year’s Day on January 1 and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18. February has Washington’s Birthday on February 15. March and April have no scheduled nationwide federal holidays.

May has Memorial Day on May 31. June has Juneteenth, observed on June 18. July has Independence Day, observed on July 5. August has no scheduled nationwide federal holiday.

The government holiday in September 2027 is Labor Day, Monday, September 6. The federal holiday in October 2027 is Columbus Day, Monday, October 11. Each month has one holiday in OPM’s 2027 schedule.

November has Veterans Day on November 11 and Thanksgiving on November 25, both Thursdays. December has Christmas observed on December 24, plus the December 31 observance of New Year’s Day 2028. March, April, and August are the three months without scheduled nationwide federal holidays.

Long weekends and PTO opportunities

Nine holidays in the main 2027 schedule fall on observed Mondays or Fridays. They create three-day weekends for Monday–Friday employees who receive those holidays off. Veterans Day and Thanksgiving fall on Thursdays, so the following Friday is not automatically included.

Holiday break	Consecutive days off	Additional PTO
New Year’s Day	January 1–3: 3 days	None
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	January 16–18: 3 days	None
Memorial Day extension	May 29–June 6: 9 days	June 1–4: 4 days
Juneteenth	June 18–20: 3 days	None
Independence Day	July 3–5: 3 days	None
Veterans Day extension	November 11–14: 4 days	November 12: 1 day
Thanksgiving extension	November 20–28: 9 days	November 22–24 and 26: 4 days
Christmas–New Year break	December 24–January 2: 10 days	December 27–30: 4 days

These examples assume weekends off, the relevant observed holidays off, and approved PTO. The year-end example includes December 31 as the observed New Year’s Day 2028 holiday. If your employer closes on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the nine-day Thanksgiving break requires three PTO days instead of four.

Banks follow a different schedule

Do not treat federal employee leave dates as a complete US bank holiday calendar. The Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule says Reserve Banks and Branches remain open on the Friday preceding a Saturday holiday and close on the Monday following a Sunday holiday.

Consequently, the standard Reserve schedule differs from OPM’s employee schedule on June 18 and December 24, 2027. The same Saturday-holiday rule applies to December 31, ahead of New Year’s Day 2028. July 5 follows the Sunday-holiday closure rule.

Individual bank branches may choose different hours, and payment services publish their own processing windows. Verify your bank’s schedule and your payroll provider’s deadlines rather than assuming all services close whenever federal employees receive holiday leave.

Frequently asked questions

How many federal holidays are there in 2027?

There are 11 nationwide federal holiday names in the regular 2027 schedule. However, 12 observance dates fall inside calendar year 2027 for most Monday–Friday federal employees when December 31, the observed New Year’s Day 2028 holiday, is included.

Is July 5, 2027 a federal holiday?

Yes. Monday, July 5 is the observed Independence Day holiday for most federal employees because July 4 falls on Sunday. The actual Independence Day date remains July 4; the observed Monday does not create a separate holiday.

Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday in 2027?

December 24 is the observed Christmas holiday for most Monday–Friday federal employees in 2027 because Christmas Day falls on Saturday. Christmas Eve is not a separate annual federal holiday simply because that observance occurs this year.

Is there an Inauguration Day holiday in 2027?

No Inauguration Day holiday appears on OPM’s 2027 schedule. Its special provisions apply in inauguration years to qualifying federal employees in the Washington, DC, area, rather than adding a nationwide holiday every January.

Where can I verify the official dates?

Use OPM for federal employee holiday dates and consult your employer for paid leave and office closures. Check your state government for state holidays and your bank for financial operations. Each source answers a different planning question.