U.S. Federal Government Holiday Calculator
Enter a year to generate the federal holiday schedule, including observed dates when a holiday falls on a weekend.
What is a gov holiday calculator?
A gov holiday calculator helps you quickly find official U.S. federal government holidays for a selected year. It also shows observed holiday dates, which matter when a fixed-date holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday. For agencies, contractors, payroll teams, and anyone planning around the federal calendar, this can save a lot of manual lookup time.
Holidays included in this calculator
This tool includes the core U.S. federal holiday schedule:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Washington’s Birthday (Presidents Day)
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth National Independence Day (2021 onward)
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
Observed-date rule used
For fixed-date holidays, standard federal practice is:
- If the holiday falls on Saturday, it is generally observed on Friday.
- If the holiday falls on Sunday, it is generally observed on Monday.
Monday- and Thursday-based holidays already occur on weekdays, so their observed date is the same as the holiday date.
How to use this federal holiday schedule tool
1) Pick a year
Enter any year between 1900 and 2200. The calculator generates holiday dates for that year immediately.
2) Set a reference date
The reference date is used to show your next upcoming observed holiday. If you click “Use Today,” the tool fills in today’s date automatically.
3) Review summary and table
You’ll see a summary with holiday count, weekend occurrences, and how many holidays have shifted observed dates. A full table then lists every holiday with actual and observed dates.
Practical use cases
- Payroll planning: anticipate pay-processing windows around federal closures.
- Project scheduling: avoid deadline collisions with government holidays.
- Travel planning: estimate high-demand weekends and office-closure windows.
- Operations & support: coordinate staffing for agencies, vendors, and call centers.
Important notes
Federal holidays can be applied differently by agency policy, union agreements, local governments, courts, schools, and private employers. Always confirm with your HR, contracting office, or official agency calendar if you need legally binding guidance.
This calculator is best used as a fast planning reference for the U.S. federal holiday calendar.