Current federal holidays in the United States 2024
Executive summary
There are either 11 or 12 items commonly listed as “federal holidays” depending on the source: most authoritative federal sources track 11 statutory holidays established under 5 U.S.C. § 6103, while some government portals and guides list 12 when they include quadrennial Inauguration Day; mainstream media summaries for 2024 list the 11 standard federal holidays with their 2024 dates (e.g., Labor Day Sept. 2, Columbus Day Oct. 14, Veterans Day Nov. 11, Thanksgiving Nov. 28, Christmas Dec. 25) [1] [2] [3].
1. What counts as a federal holiday — one law, two interpretations
Federal law (5 U.S.C. § 6103) designates the statutory public holidays for federal employees; the commonly cited canonical list is the set Congress set out, and most references count 11 holidays based on that statute [1]. USA.gov and other federal-facing pages sometimes present a list of “12 federal holidays” because they explicitly show Inauguration Day (Jan. 20) in years when it applies; that makes the public-facing count vary by context [3].
2. The canonical 11: the list you’ll see in most calendars
Authoritative explanations and encyclopedic treatments describe 11 calendar dates as U.S. federal holidays — fixed-date holidays plus “floating” Monday/Thursday observances (e.g., Thanksgiving is always Thursday; five floating holidays are on Mondays) — and note the standard practice that when a fixed-date holiday falls on a weekend the observed day for most Monday–Friday employees shifts to the nearest weekday [1].
3. Practical 2024 dates and reporting: what news outlets published
News outlets that published 2024 federal holiday calendars (for planning and payroll) list concrete 2024 dates for the federal holidays through the year; example items called out in these calendars include Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2, 2024), Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 14, 2024), Veterans Day (Monday, Nov. 11, 2024), Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024) and Christmas Day (Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024) [2]. These pieces are practical guides for employees and consumers and track OPM conventions on observed days [2] [4].
4. Agency-level nuance: banks, Fed, and federal workplaces differ
Operational practice varies across federal entities: the Office of Personnel Management sets the legal framework for federal employee pay and leave and explains the weekday-observed convention for weekend holidays [4]. The Federal Reserve and its banks maintain their own holiday operations guidance (for payment systems and markets), and they note differences — e.g., when a holiday falls on Saturday some Reserve Banks open the preceding Friday while the Board of Governors is closed [5].
5. Public-facing calendars vs. statute — why numbers differ
Commercial and media lists (Timeanddate, OfficeHolidays, FederalPay, etc.) compile statutory holidays and sometimes add context or local observances; they generally replicate the statutory set but may show “12” when including one-off or quadrennial items and they warn that tables may be preliminary [6] [7] [8] [9]. Wikipedia’s entry summarizes the statutory basis and the usual 11-holiday count and explains the historical and legal grounds [1].
6. What reporting omits or glosses over
Available sources do not mention a single, universally authoritative, standalone PDF that labels exactly how many holidays every federal agency must observe in all circumstances; instead, readers must reconcile OPM’s statutory page, agency-specific calendars, and media compilations [4] [5] [2]. Where lists differ, the difference is often a contextual choice — whether to show Inauguration Day in applicable years or to include state/local observances — rather than a substantive legal contradiction [3] [1].
7. Bottom line for readers and planners
For payroll, leave, and federal office closures rely on OPM’s statutory list (as explained on federal pages) and confirm with your employing agency’s calendar; for consumer planning and market operations consult institution-specific guidance such as the Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule [4] [5]. For everyday use, treat the standard “11 federal holidays” as the baseline but expect agencies and calendars to note the occasional extra item (Inauguration Day) or operational exceptions [1] [3].