Federal holidays in 2027 and holiday pay

There are 11 federal holidays in 2027, and three of them are observed on a different day from the date on the calendar. Juneteenth falls on a Saturday, so most federal employees are off on Friday, June 18. Independence Day falls on a Sunday, so they are off on Monday, July 5. Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, so they are off on Friday, December 24. New Year’s Day 2028 is also a Saturday, which puts a day off on Friday, December 31, 2027. That makes 12 federal days off in the 2027 calendar year. The Federal Reserve Banks stay open on all three Fridays among those days. That can matter if you pay by direct deposit.

None of this binds a private employer. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require holiday pay or premium pay for holiday work. Under federal law, whether your staff get these days off, and how they are paid, is a matter of agreement with them. Federal contracts can add rules, which are described below. State law can add rules too, but this page does not cover it.

2027 federal holidays and the days off

The dates below come from the OPM federal holidays list, which shows no update date, checked October 27, 2026.

Five of these holidays have fixed dates in 5 U.S.C. 6103: January 1, June 19, July 4, November 11 and December 25. The other six fall on a set Monday or Thursday, such as the third Monday in January for the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Counting from the statute’s rules gives the same 2027 dates as the OPM list.

Two rules move a weekend holiday. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the Friday before is a legal public holiday for the employees the statute covers. When it falls on a Sunday, the Monday after is a holiday for most federal employees. OPM cites Executive Order 11582 for that rule, and section 6103(b) does not state it. Both rules apply to employees on a Monday-to-Friday week, while federal staff on other schedules follow OPM’s in-lieu-of determination. Inauguration Day, January 20 of each fourth year after 1965, is a holiday only for covered employees in the Washington, DC, area, so 2027 has none and the next one is in 2029.

Where the Federal Reserve differs

The Federal Reserve Banks do not move a Saturday holiday to the Friday. Their offices stay open that Friday, and only the Board of Governors is closed. A Sunday holiday closes every Reserve office the Monday after. Three Fridays in 2027 are federal days off on which the Banks are open, and Monday, July 5 is a day off for both:

If you pay people by direct deposit, check which holiday calendar your payroll provider uses for these four dates. The Federal Reserve Board page points to the Reserve Banks’ financial services holiday page for more detail, and this page does not summarize it.

What the law requires for holiday pay

The FLSA does not require pay for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays. It does not require premium pay for holiday work, and it does not require holidays off. Those benefits are matters of agreement between an employer and an employee. Holiday pay can still be required on a covered federal contract, when the wage determination for a Service Contract Act or Davis-Bacon job says so. State law is outside this page, and a state labor department is the place to check it.

Federal employees are different. A full-time federal employee covered by title 5 who is not required to work on a holiday receives basic pay for it, and one who is required to work receives basic pay plus holiday premium pay. Employees on an intermittent schedule get neither paid time off nor premium pay for the holiday.

Setting your own 2027 holiday calendar

A private employer sets its own list and its own observed-day rule, and although you can copy OPM’s list, nothing in federal law requires you to do so. The dates that move in 2027 are June 18, July 5 and December 24, and December 31 joins them if your policy treats New Year’s Day 2028 the way OPM does. Write down which day your business closes and whether hourly staff are paid for it. Do it before the year starts.

The payroll calendar for 2027 shows how these dates shift pay dates, and Public Holidays 2027 by Country lists the other countries. UK bank holidays in 2027 for employers covers the UK. The Get ready for 2027 play lists the documents to update, and the holiday pay entry defines the term.

Choose your Saturday and Sunday rule this week, then put June 18, July 5, December 24 and December 31 into your 2027 policy.

Written and reviewed by the HR Riant Editorial Team. General information, not legal advice.