What U.S. Federal Holidays Are There in 2023?

It is always useful to know when the federal holidays are each year, so you can plan your trips away or special occasions in advance.

The U.S. federal government recognizes 11 holidays, on which federal workers are all paid, and which apply to all 50 states and to the District of Columbia.

Several factors can affect when you observe the holidays, such as your work schedule or the state you reside in, as there are special rules for state and local holidays.

According to the Office of Human Resources Management, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Federal Holidays for 2023 are:

• 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
• Veterans' Day November 11
• Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in November
• Christmas Day December 25

The newest of the federal holidays is Juneteenth National Independence Day, which commemorates anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in 1865 date in Galveston, Texas.

However, some states have extra federal holidays.

For example, if you live in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in the District of Columbia, you also have Inauguration Day off: the day the president gets inaugurated, where they start a new term of their presidency and give an address on the West Front of the Capitol.

The holiday occurs on January 20 of every fourth year. If you are working in D.C. on this date, it will be a holiday, even if you are usually based elsewhere. If you are not in D.C. on this date, it is not a holiday.

If Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the next day chosen for observance is the holiday day, e.g. Monday. However, if it falls on a Saturday, the holiday will still be on the Saturday.

One example of a state that has many extra holidays is Texas. It has Confederate Heroes' Day, that falls in Texas on January 19. The Lone Star state also has President's Day (February 21), Texas Independence Day (March 2), San Jacinto Day (April 21), Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (August 27), Christmas Eve (December 24) and Day After Christmas (December 26).

However, unlike many other states Texas doesn't offer holidays in lieu if the holiday falls on a weekend. It will not be moved to another date.

To check your state's holidays, please look on the local government's website.