Long weekends and federal holidays in the United States 2026 and 2027
More holiday, fewer leave days.
Every federal holiday in the United States, the long weekends they make, and the PTO hacks that stretch them into a proper break.
How many days of PTO do you have?
Type a number. The plan below lists the days to request in Federal holidays 2026.
Long weekends around US Federal holidays 2026
Three or more days off in a row with no PTO needed.
Best times to use PTO
Breaks of a week or more, in date order. The badge ranks them by days off per PTO day. Request the highlighted weekdays.
Federal holidays in the United States 2026 and 2027
Greyed rows are part-day, regional or restricted days: shown for completeness, left out of the maths.
2026 Gazetted
| Date | Holiday | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year's Day | |
| Mon 19 Jan | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
| Mon 16 Feb | Washington's Birthday | Often called Presidents Day. |
| Mon 25 May | Memorial Day | |
| Fri 19 Jun | Juneteenth National Independence Day | |
| Fri 3 Jul | Independence Day (observed) | 4 July falls on a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday 3 July. |
| Mon 7 Sep | Labor Day | |
| Mon 12 Oct | Columbus Day | |
| Wed 11 Nov | Veterans Day | |
| Thu 26 Nov | Thanksgiving Day | |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day |
2027 Gazetted
the observed New Year's Day 2028 (Fri 31 Dec 2027) is not loaded, so Christmas 2027 hacks stop at Sunday 2 Jan 2028.
| Date | Holiday | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year's Day | |
| Mon 18 Jan | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
| Mon 15 Feb | Washington's Birthday | Often called Presidents Day. |
| Mon 31 May | Memorial Day | |
| Fri 18 Jun | Juneteenth National Independence Day (observed) | 19 June falls on a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday 18 June. |
| Mon 5 Jul | Independence Day (observed) | 4 July falls on a Sunday, so it is observed on Monday 5 July. |
| Mon 6 Sep | Labor Day | |
| Mon 11 Oct | Columbus Day | |
| Thu 11 Nov | Veterans Day | |
| Thu 25 Nov | Thanksgiving Day | |
| Fri 24 Dec | Christmas Day (observed) | 25 December falls on a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday 24 December. |
Sources
- 2026: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ — checked 2026-11-08. OPM schedule; observed dates used where a holiday falls on a weekend (5 U.S.C. 6103(b), EO 11582).
- 2027: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ — checked 2026-11-08. OPM schedule. GAP: the observed New Year's Day 2028 (Fri 31 Dec 2027) is not loaded, so Christmas 2027 hacks stop at Sunday 2 Jan 2028.
What's different about the federal calendar
The United States has eleven federal holidays set by 5 U.S.C. 6103. When one falls on a Saturday it is observed on the Friday before; on a Sunday, the Monday after. Private employers are not required to follow the federal calendar, and many skip Columbus Day, Veterans Day or Washington's Birthday, so check your own company's holiday list. Thanksgiving Thursday plus one PTO day on the Friday is the classic four-day weekend, and Christmas week plus New Year's Day is the best value of the year.
How the hacks are worked out
We take every federal holiday for your calendar, add the weekends, and look for stretches where a few days of PTO bridge the gaps. A hack is any run of seven or more days off that you can unlock when you use one to nine days, measured from the first day you would be off to the last. They are ranked by days off per PTO day, so four PTO days for a ten-day Christmas break (2.5×) beats four for a nine-day Memorial Day break (2.3×). The budget planner picks the best non-overlapping hacks that fit the PTO you have, then spends any days left over on short bridges such as a single day that turns a Thursday holiday into a four-day weekend.
Private employers are not bound by the federal calendar, so check your company's list. Hacks assume you work Monday to Friday.