Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) 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 non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).
| Friday, December 31, 2010* | New Year’s Day |
| Monday, January 17 | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Monday, February 21** | Washington’s Birthday |
| Monday, May 30 | Memorial Day |
| Monday, July 4 | Independence Day |
| Monday, September 5 | Labor Day |
| Monday, October 10 | Columbus Day |
| Friday, November 11 | Veterans Day |
| Thursday, November 24 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Monday, December 26*** | Christmas Day |
* January 1, 2011 (the legal public holiday for New Year’s Day), falls on a Saturday. For most Federal employees, Friday, December 31, 2010, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).)
** 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.
*** December 25, 2011 (the legal public holiday for Christmas Day), falls on a Sunday. For most Federal employees, Monday, December 26, will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See section 3(a) of Executive order 11582, February 11, 1971.)
Source: United States Office of Personnel Management