While businesses in the United States are not legally required to observe national, state, or religious holidays, the vast majority of U.S. businesses observe the following seven holidays, usually following the federal holiday calendar.
In United States Legislation such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not state any obligations to employers regarding the time they are not working, as of vacation or holidays.
Employers are offering paid holidays, paid vacation and paid sick leave as part of the employee compensation and benefits package. Normally such details are provided within the employment letter and detailed in the employee handbook.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 77% of full-time private employees had access to paid holidays in March 2017. On average these workers received 8 paid holidays.
Holiday | Date | Day |
New Year's Day | January 2* | Monday |
Memorial Day | May 29 | Monday |
Independence Day | July 4 | Tuesday |
Labor Day | September 4 | Monday |
Thanksgiving Day | November 23 | Thursday |
Friday after Thanksgiving | November 24 | Friday |
Christmas Day | December 25 | Monday |
Holiday | Date | Day |
December 31* | Friday | |
May 30 | Monday | |
July 4 | Monday | |
September 5 | Monday | |
November 24 | Thursday | |
Friday after Thanksgiving | November 25 | Friday |
December 25* | Monday |
** When a legal public holiday falls on a Saturday, it is usually observed on the preceding Friday for pay and leave purposes. When the holiday falls on a Sunday, it is usually observed on the following Monday for pay and leave purposes.
Discover the calendar of public holidays across the world.