List of 2023 U.S. Federal Holidays

Consider these 2023 federal and state holidays when building your company’s holiday schedule and PTO policy.

Here are the U.S. 2023 Federal Holidays:

2023 Holiday Schedule

What about holidays that fall on a weekend?

Normally, if a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes.

Businesses may want to start an “In lieu of” holiday policy for holidays that fall on normal days off, such as weekends.

What is an “In Lieu of ” Holiday?

“In Lieu of” Holidays

An in lieu of holiday policy establishes rules around time off for holidays that do not fall on a typical workweek day. An example could be that all full-time employees, including those on flexible or compressed work schedules, are entitled to an “in lieu of” holiday when a holiday falls on the employee’s non-work day.

Part-time employees are typically not entitled to an “in lieu of” holiday

What exactly is a “Federal” holiday?

Not all holidays are created equal. Some are federal, some are religious, and some are more for fun (you might have seen mentions of National Pie Day or National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day floating around on social media.)

As an employer, the most important 2022 holidays to know will be federal holidays. These are holidays that have been established by federal law and are applicable across the country.

Government offices and banks are closed in observance of these holidays. Because the federal government has deemed these specific days country-wide holidays, it encourages other businesses to also close so that observance of that particular holiday can be experienced by all. That means that many private businesses are often closed on federal holidays as well.

What is the the difference between federal holidays and other holidays?

Other holidays, such as religious holidays, may or may not be considered federal holidays. The U.S. recognizes just 1 religious holiday as a federal holiday – Christmas Day. All other religious holidays across traditions do not have recognition as federal holidays. However, as an employer, it is important to note that by law you have an obligation to make reasonable accommodations for employees celebrating religious holidays.

For example, Muslim employees may wish for time off to celebrate their holidays, 2 of the major ones being Eid Al-Fitr (which will begin the evening of Friday, April 21, 2023, and end the evening of Saturday April 23 2023) and Eid Al-Adha (which will begin the evening of Wednesday, June 28 2023, and end the evening of Thursday, June 29, 2023). To accommodate various religious beliefs and the holidays that come with them, many employers turn to offering floating holidays. Floating holidays are days off that employees can use for time off for a variety of reasons, including observations of their religious holidays.

Which Federal holidays never change?

While some federal holidays land on different days each year (more on that in a bit), there are a handful that fall on the same day each year:

• New Year’s Day – January 1
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – the third Monday in January
• President’s Day – the third Monday in February
• Memorial Day – the last Monday in May
• Juneteenth – June 19
• Independence Day – July 4
• Labor Day – the first Monday in September
• Columbus Day – the second Monday in October*
• Veterans Day – November 11
• Thanksgiving Day – the fourth Thursday in November
• Christmas Day – December 25

Multiple states and the District of Columbia now observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, in place of or in addition to Columbus Day. We recommend checking with your city and/or state to check for updates.

Other resources you may like:

• Learn more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• What are the 2022 US Holidays?
• What are the 2021 Federal Holidays?