Federal holidays 2028

There are 11 federal holidays in the United States. 2028 has 10 because New Year's Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027. The best value is Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: take 1 day of PTO and get 4 days off in a row. For a real vacation, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the one: take 4 days, get 9 off.

Dates from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, checked October 26, 2026. Updated October 26, 2026.

Federal holidays 2028

Federal holidays 2028
Date	Day	Holiday
January 17	Monday	Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
February 21	Monday	Washington's Birthday
May 29	Monday	Memorial Day
June 19	Monday	Juneteenth National Independence Day
July 4	Tuesday	Independence Day
September 4	Monday	Labor Day
October 9	Monday	Columbus Day
November 10	Friday	Veterans Day observed (the date itself is November 11)
November 23	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day
December 25	Monday	Christmas Day

When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday it's observed on the Friday before, and on a Sunday the Monday after. In 2028: Veterans Day (November 11) is observed Friday, November 10. OPM.

These are the holidays federal employees get. Private employers don't have to give any of them: federal law doesn't require paid holidays or paid vacation, so they're up to your employer. Private-sector workers average 8 paid holidays a year. BLS.

The days to take off around each federal holiday

Each break below runs from the first day off to the last, weekends included. Only days of PTO that buy at least two days off each are listed.

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: take 1 day, get 4 off

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 17.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Jan 14. You're off Friday, January 14 to Monday, January 17, 2028. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Jan 14	Jan 14 to 17
2	5	Thu, Jan 13 to Fri, Jan 14	Jan 13 to 17
3	6	Wed, Jan 12 to Fri, Jan 14	Jan 12 to 17
4	9	Tue, Jan 18 to Fri, Jan 21	Jan 15 to 23
5	10	Mon, Jan 10 to Fri, Jan 14	Jan 8 to 17

Washington's Birthday: take 1 day, get 4 off

Washington's Birthday on Monday, February 21.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Feb 18. You're off Friday, February 18 to Monday, February 21, 2028. Washington's Birthday comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Washington's Birthday 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Feb 18	Feb 18 to 21
2	5	Thu, Feb 17 to Fri, Feb 18	Feb 17 to 21
3	6	Wed, Feb 16 to Fri, Feb 18	Feb 16 to 21
4	9	Tue, Feb 22 to Fri, Feb 25	Feb 19 to 27
5	10	Mon, Feb 14 to Fri, Feb 18	Feb 12 to 21

Memorial Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Memorial Day on Monday, May 29.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, May 26. You're off Friday, May 26 to Monday, May 29, 2028. Memorial Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Memorial Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, May 26	May 26 to 29
2	5	Thu, May 25 to Fri, May 26	May 25 to 29
3	6	Wed, May 24 to Fri, May 26	May 24 to 29
4	9	Tue, May 30 to Fri, Jun 2	May 27 to Jun 4
5	10	Mon, May 22 to Fri, May 26	May 20 to 29

Juneteenth National Independence Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Juneteenth National Independence Day on Monday, June 19.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Jun 16. You're off Friday, June 16 to Monday, June 19, 2028. Juneteenth National Independence Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Juneteenth National Independence Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Jun 16	Jun 16 to 19
2	5	Thu, Jun 15 to Fri, Jun 16	Jun 15 to 19
3	6	Wed, Jun 14 to Fri, Jun 16	Jun 14 to 19
4	9	Tue, Jun 20 to Fri, Jun 23	Jun 17 to 25
5	10	Mon, Jun 12 to Fri, Jun 16	Jun 10 to 19

Independence Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Mon, Jul 3. You're off Saturday, July 1 to Tuesday, July 4, 2028. Independence Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Independence Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Mon, Jul 3	Jul 1 to 4
2	5	Fri, Jun 30 and Mon, Jul 3	Jun 30 to Jul 4
3	6	Thu, Jun 29 to Fri, Jun 30 and Mon, Jul 3	Jun 29 to Jul 4
4	9	Mon, Jul 3 and Wed, Jul 5 to Fri, Jul 7	Jul 1 to 9
5	10	Fri, Jun 30, Mon, Jul 3, and Wed, Jul 5 to Fri, Jul 7	Jun 30 to Jul 9

Labor Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Labor Day on Monday, September 4.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Sep 1. You're off Friday, September 1 to Monday, September 4, 2028. Labor Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Labor Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Sep 1	Sep 1 to 4
2	5	Thu, Aug 31 to Fri, Sep 1	Aug 31 to Sep 4
3	6	Wed, Aug 30 to Fri, Sep 1	Aug 30 to Sep 4
4	9	Tue, Sep 5 to Fri, Sep 8	Sep 2 to 10
5	10	Mon, Aug 28 to Fri, Sep 1	Aug 26 to Sep 4

Columbus Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Columbus Day on Monday, October 9.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Oct 6. You're off Friday, October 6 to Monday, October 9, 2028. Columbus Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Columbus Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Oct 6	Oct 6 to 9
2	5	Thu, Oct 5 to Fri, Oct 6	Oct 5 to 9
3	6	Wed, Oct 4 to Fri, Oct 6	Oct 4 to 9
4	9	Tue, Oct 10 to Fri, Oct 13	Oct 7 to 15
5	10	Mon, Oct 2 to Fri, Oct 6	Sep 30 to Oct 9

Veterans Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Veterans Day on Friday, November 10.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Thu, Nov 9. You're off Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 12, 2028. Veterans Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Veterans Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Thu, Nov 9	Nov 9 to 12
2	5	Wed, Nov 8 to Thu, Nov 9	Nov 8 to 12
3	6	Tue, Nov 7 to Thu, Nov 9	Nov 7 to 12
4	9	Mon, Nov 6 to Thu, Nov 9	Nov 4 to 12
5	10	Fri, Nov 3 and Mon, Nov 6 to Thu, Nov 9	Nov 3 to 12

Thanksgiving Day: take 1 day, get 4 off

Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 23.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Nov 24. You're off Thursday, November 23 to Sunday, November 26, 2028. Thanksgiving Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Thanksgiving Day 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Nov 24	Nov 23 to 26
2	5	Wed, Nov 22 and Fri, Nov 24	Nov 22 to 26
3	6	Mon, Nov 20 to Wed, Nov 22	Nov 18 to 23
4	9	Mon, Nov 20 to Wed, Nov 22 and Fri, Nov 24	Nov 18 to 26
5	10	Fri, Nov 17, Mon, Nov 20 to Wed, Nov 22, and Fri, Nov 24	Nov 17 to 26

Christmas: take 1 day, get 4 off

Christmas Day on Monday, December 25.

Take 1 day, get 4 off

Take Fri, Dec 22. You're off Friday, December 22 to Monday, December 25, 2028. Christmas Day comes free, with the weekend.

Ways to stretch Christmas 2028 in the US
Days of PTO	Days off	Days to take	Off from
1	4	Fri, Dec 22	Dec 22 to 25
2	5	Thu, Dec 21 to Fri, Dec 22	Dec 21 to 25
3	6	Wed, Dec 20 to Fri, Dec 22	Dec 20 to 25
4	9	Tue, Dec 26 to Fri, Dec 29	Dec 23 to 31
5	10	Mon, Dec 18 to Fri, Dec 22	Dec 16 to 25

Your whole 2028 with 15 days of PTO

With the usual six holidays, 15 days of PTO make 39 days off across 7 breaks. With all 11 federal holidays, it's 43.

Questions

What are the federal holidays in 2028?

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Mon, Jan 17), Washington's Birthday (Mon, Feb 21), Memorial Day (Mon, May 29), Juneteenth National Independence Day (Mon, Jun 19), Independence Day (Tue, Jul 4), Labor Day (Mon, Sep 4), Columbus Day (Mon, Oct 9), Veterans Day (Fri, Nov 10), Thanksgiving Day (Thu, Nov 23), and Christmas Day (Mon, Dec 25).

Do private employers have to give federal holidays off?

No. Federal law doesn't require paid holidays or paid vacation; they're a matter between you and your employer. Federal holidays are the days federal employees get off. U.S. Department of Labor.

Which holidays do most employers give?

The six private employers give most often are New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Far fewer give Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day or Veterans Day. BLS.

How do I get the most days off in 2028?

Take the working days between a holiday and a weekend. The best value is Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: take Fri, Jan 14 for 4 days off. The best long break is Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.: take 4 days (Tue, Jan 18 to Fri, Jan 21) for 9 days off.

Where the dates come from

We checked every date by hand against these official pages on October 26, 2026. Holidays are never worked out from rules.