Company Blog


What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend?

June 26, 2020

Occasionally, certain federal holidays can wind up falling on a weekend. When this happens, the holiday is "observed" on a different day of the week so that employees can still enjoy the benefit of a day off to commemorate the holiday. This blog will outline the specific holidays that can fall on a weekend, and the rules for how holidays are observed in these cases.

Note: Federal holidays are holidays that are observed by federal employees, schools, banks, etc. However, these rules are widely adopted by private businesses as well. Check with your HR department for additional information.

Holidays That Can Fall on a Weekend
There are four federal holidays that can fall on a weekend, depending on the year:

    • New Years Day (January 1)
    • Independence Day (July 4)
    • Veterans' Day (November 11)
    • Christmas Day (December 25)

To see examples of upcoming holidays that fall on a weekend, review our federal holiday calendar and notice any holidays with an asterisk - these represent holidays with a different day of observance.

Rules for Observing Weekend Holidays
The rules for how weekend holidays are observed depend on the established employee work schedule.

  • Monday through Friday Employees
    For employees who work a standard Monday through Friday workweek, and who will not be scheduled when a holiday falls on a weekend, holidays that fall on Saturday are usually observed on the preceding Friday and holidays that fall on Sunday are typically observed on the following Monday.
  • Employees with a Non-Standard Workweek
    For employees who work a non-standard workweek, usually the workday immediately before the weekend holiday is the observed holiday for such employees.1

For more information about how your business will observe upcoming holidays that fall on a weekend, please get in touch with your HR department.

1https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/6103