| Home | Calendars *This holiday is designated as "Washington's Birthday"; in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law. **If a holiday falls on a Saturday, for most Federal employees, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).) If a holiday falls on a Sunday, for most Federal employees, the following Monday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See Section 3(a) of Executive Order 11582, February 11, 1971.) See also our Federal Holidays - "In Lieu Of" Determination Fact Sheet at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-sheets/Federal-Holidays-In-Lieu-Of-Determination. OPM web site: "Federal law (5 U.S.C., § 6103) establishes [these] public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonworkday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday)." |
FAQs
Do employers have to respect federal holidays? ›
Private employers aren't required by federal law to give employees any of the federal holidays off. However, many of them offer at least some of the federal holidays as paid time off (PTO).
Can I refuse to work on a federal holiday? ›Can An Employer Force You to Work on a Holiday? In California, your employer is not required to offer you time off for a holiday. Typically, if the employer is open for business and you're scheduled to work, you must work even if it's a holiday.
Is everyone supposed to get federal holidays off? ›Only the federal government is required to provide federal holidays as paid time off to employees. There's no legal requirement for private businesses to give federal holidays as paid time off to their employees.
What are the 13 federal holidays? ›- New Year's Day January 1.
- Martin Luther King's Birthday 3rd Monday in January.
- Washington's Birthday 3rd Monday in February.
- Memorial Day last Monday in May.
- Juneteenth National Independence Day June 19.
- Independence Day July 4.
- Labor Day 1st Monday in September.
- Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October.
In general, yes, employers may require the use of vacation/paid time off (PTO) and restrict its use.
Is it illegal to not have Juneteenth off? ›Though Juneteenth is a recognized federal and state holiday, California law does not require employers to give days off for Juneteenth. However, private employers can choose to observe the holiday, CalChamber Alert reported.
What happens if you work on a federal holiday? ›Employees who are required to work on a holiday receive their rate of basic pay, plus holiday premium pay, for each hour of holiday work—i.e., double or 200 percent of their rate of basic pay.
Do you get time and a half if you work on a federal holiday? ›If you're scheduled to work on a federal holiday, you might figure it'll come with perks – like overtime pay. After all, everyone else in the country gets the day off. Unfortunately, federal law does not require companies to give employees overtime for working on holidays. In fact, holidays are paid as normal workdays.
What is the difference between a public holiday and a federal holiday? ›National holidays and public holidays have a similar definition: they are days established by law for the entire country as non-working days. Federal holidays, as explained above, are holidays that the federal government officially recognizes by closing its offices and giving employees the day off.
Can states ignore federal holidays? ›While the federal government has designated 11 days as holidays, for the most part, only workers for the federal government get those days off. The same goes for states, counties and cities, which can set their own holidays for their employees but which don't cover private sector workers.
Is Juneteenth a paid federal holiday? ›
In 2021, the federal government recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and California followed suit in 2022.
Why are federal holidays not paid? ›Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), it's not a requirement for private-sector employees to be paid for time not worked. And if they work on a federal holiday, private sector workers aren't entitled to higher-than-usual pay.
Is Lincoln's birthday a federal holiday? ›There were efforts right after Lincoln's death to get this birthday recognized as a holiday, but there has never been a federal Lincoln-birthday holiday. By 1890, Lincoln's birthday was observed as a paid holiday in 10 states.
What state has the most public holidays? ›Here are the state and territories with the most — and least — public holidays. ACT: The ACT has 13 public holidays, thanks to its unique additions of Canberra Day and Reconciliation Day. Victoria: Victoria also has 13 public holidays, including Melbourne Cup Day and the Friday before the AFL Final.
Is Juneteenth a bank holiday? ›Juneteenth is a banking holiday observed by the Federal Reserve.
Can a company not recognize a federal holiday? ›Hours worked on holidays, Saturdays, and Sundays are treated like hours worked on any other day of the week. California law does not require that an employer provide its employees with paid holidays, that it close its business on any holiday, or that employees be given the day off for any particular holiday.
Are federal holidays considered business days? ›The term business day means Monday through Friday, except the legal public holidays specified in 5 U.S.C.
Do states have to observe federal holidays? ›Although many states recognize most or all federal holidays as state holidays, the federal government cannot enact laws to compel them to do so. States can recognize other days as state holidays that are not federal holidays.