Federal holidays 2027: full list with observed dates

Federal holidays 2027 calendar: actual and observed dates

The table separates the holiday’s calendar date from its weekday observance. The weekday column describes the observed date for most federal employees. The final row belongs to the 2028 holiday schedule, but its observed date falls inside 2027. Source: OPM’s published schedules.

How do Saturday and Sunday holidays move?

An actual date identifies the holiday itself. An observed date identifies the substitute workday used for pay and leave. For most federal employees, a Saturday holiday moves to the preceding Friday; a Sunday holiday moves to the following Monday. OPM explains the weekend rules.

That distinction matters when you take leave, arrange childcare or try to visit an office. Write the service name beside the date in your planner. “Federal office closed” tells you something different from “bank transaction settles” or “mail delivered.” You may need more than one calendar for the same week.

OPM’s wording is “most federal employees.” If you work an alternative schedule or have holiday duty, ask your agency’s payroll or human resources office which in-lieu-of date applies. A general public calendar cannot decide your individual work schedule or leave entitlement.

Juneteenth and Independence Day: which dates matter?

Juneteenth falls on Saturday, June 19, 2027. Most federal employees observe it on Friday, June 18. Independence Day falls on Sunday, July 4, with Monday, July 5 as the federal observed holiday. These dates are listed in OPM’s 2027 schedule.

For a trip involving several services, make a short checklist: office appointment, bank transaction, postal errand and benefit deposit. Confirm each item with the organization that handles it. Do not treat a long weekend as proof that everything closes on Friday or that every scheduled payment moves.

If you are arranging an appointment for someone else, share the observed date as well as the holiday name. That avoids the common mistake of checking only June 19 or July 4 on a calendar and missing the weekday that affects the office visit.

Christmas and New Year: why December 31 is included

Christmas Day is Saturday, December 25, 2027. Most federal employees observe it on Friday, December 24. The next New Year’s Day is Saturday, January 1, 2028, observed Friday, December 31, 2027. The latter appears under OPM’s 2028 schedule.

Keep both year-end observances in your planning notes. A calendar labeled only “2027 holidays” can be confusing if it lists holidays by their actual year rather than by the day offices observe them. Our extra row makes the December boundary visible without calling New Year’s Day 2028 a separate 2027 holiday.

Before committing to a year-end errand, check the office’s own notice and opening hours. Put any document, reference number or appointment confirmation together beforehand. For a deadline, ask the receiving office how it handles holiday closures rather than deciding that an extension automatically applies.

How do holidays affect Social Security, SSI and VA?

Social Security and SSI move a regularly scheduled payment that falls on a weekend or legal public holiday to the preceding business day. A holiday elsewhere in the month does not automatically move your payment. Check your own payment group against SSA’s holiday payment rule.

SSI is normally due on the first; Social Security has a third-of-month group and birthday-based Wednesday groups. For the actual dates, use SSA’s 2027 calendar or our benefit payment calendar. Finding your group comes before applying any holiday adjustment.

VA compensation and pension are paid for the previous month. VA’s official payment bulletin says a payment normally due at the start of a month moves to the last business day before the first if necessary. Use the agency’s rule, not the date your bank sometimes makes funds available.

If you receive more than one benefit, label every deposit by program and benefit month. An early SSI payment can belong to the next month. A VA deposit can cover the month just ended. Those labels make it easier to plan spending without mistaking timing changes for extra entitlement.

Does a holiday move military pay?

For covered active-component members and reserve members on qualifying tours, DFAS lists the first and fifteenth as regular paydays. If either falls on a weekend or federal legal holiday, payment generally moves to the preceding business day, within the limits in DFAS’s payday guidance.

DFAS also identifies a special October 1 payroll decision and different arrangements for some drilling members and shorter tours. Check the current DFAS schedule and your pay record for your situation. A general holiday list is a planning aid, not a substitute for a military payroll notice.

Our military pay guide is the place to check the separate pay topic. Keep rates and dates distinct when planning: a holiday adjustment changes when a scheduled payment is issued; it does not, by itself, establish a new pay rate.

Are banks and post offices closed on federal observed dates?

The Federal Reserve’s Saturday rule differs from OPM’s. Reserve Banks remain open the preceding Friday, even when the Board of Governors closes. Sunday holidays are observed Monday. Check the Federal Reserve schedule and the hours of your own bank before making a branch visit.

USPS’s published 2027 list says post offices are open and deliveries occur normally on June 18 and December 24. Its holiday dates are June 19 and December 25. Read the postal schedule and footnote when planning mail, rather than copying a federal employee’s Friday observance.

Use the bank holidays guide for payment-processing questions and the USPS holiday guide for mail. For a combined errand, verify each stop separately and keep a backup plan if one service is unavailable.

Do private employers and states follow this list?

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to give time off for holidays, with or without pay. Your employment agreement, employer policy and applicable state rules matter. The Department of Labor’s holiday guidance explains the federal baseline and directs workers to state law.

Before booking leave, ask which holidays your workplace observes, whether the day is paid and whether you are scheduled to work. Get the answer for your workplace and role. A date being on OPM’s list does not settle those questions for a private-sector employee.

State and local schedules can differ. Check the relevant state, county, city or school calendar for your appointment or service. OPM’s list is a federal employee schedule; it cannot confirm a school closure, municipal collection change or state-office opening time.

Inauguration Day is limited to eligible federal employees in the Washington, DC area in inauguration years. OPM describes the four-year rule; 2027 is not an inauguration year and has no Inauguration Day holiday. See OPM’s Inauguration Day notes.

How to use the holiday list without missing a payment

Start with the exact task: collecting a document, visiting a branch, sending an item or checking a deposit. Then select the calendar that controls that task. Keep the official link with your reminder so you can check for updates close to the date.

For payments, record the normal due date and the official adjusted date separately. For an appointment, record the location and confirmed hours. For work leave, record the date your employer approved. This simple separation helps when a federal Friday observance overlaps with normal bank or postal operations.

If a VA deposit seems missing, compare your bank record with your VA payment history. For another benefit, check that program’s own record. Have the expected date and payment type ready before asking the bank or agency to investigate.