Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) establishes the following 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).

Date Observed	Federal Holiday	Notes
Tuesday, January 1	New Year's Day	January 1
Monday, January 21	Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday	3rd Monday in January
Monday, February 18+	Washington's Birthday	3rd Monday in February
Monday, May 27	Memorial Day	Last Monday in May
Thursday, July 4	Independence Day	July 4
Monday, September 2	Labor Day	1st Monday in September
Monday, October 14	Columbus Day	2nd Monday in October
Monday, November 11++	Veteran's Day	November 11
Thursday, November 28	Thanksgiving Day	4th Thursday in November
Wednesday, December 25	Christmas Day	December 25
Wed., January 1, 2014	New Year's Day (2014)	January 1

* January 1, 2012 (the legal public holiday for New Year's Day), falls on a Sunday. For most Federal employees, Monday, January 2, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)

+ 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.

++ November 11, 2012 (the legal public holiday for Veterans Day), falls on a Sunday. For most Federal employees, Monday, November 12, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)