Direct Deposit Holiday Schedule 2026

Direct deposits don't land on the 11 Federal Reserve holidays. ACH settles only on days the Federal Reserve Banks are open, so a deposit due on a holiday comes the business day before or after, depending on your employer. Three days that look like holidays are not: Friday, July 3 (Independence Day falls on Saturday, and the Reserve Banks stay open), Friday, November 27 and Thursday, December 24. Money due those days lands those days.

Holiday	Date	FedACH stops – restarts (ET)	Due that day, paid early	Paid late
New Year's Day	Thu, Jan 1	Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 11:30 p.m. – Thu, Jan 1, 5:30 p.m.	Wed, Dec 31	Fri, Jan 2
Martin Luther King Jr. Day	Mon, Jan 19	Sat, Jan 17, 3 a.m. – Mon, Jan 19, 5:30 p.m.	Fri, Jan 16	Tue, Jan 20
Presidents Day	Mon, Feb 16	Sat, Feb 14, 3 a.m. – Mon, Feb 16, 5:30 p.m.	Fri, Feb 13	Tue, Feb 17
Memorial Day	Mon, May 25	Sat, May 23, 3 a.m. – Mon, May 25, 5:30 p.m.	Fri, May 22	Tue, May 26
Juneteenth	Fri, Jun 19	Thu, Jun 18, 11:30 p.m. – Sun, Jun 21, 5:30 p.m.	Thu, Jun 18	Mon, Jun 22
Independence Day	Sat, Jul 4	Fri, Jul 3, 11:30 p.m. – Sun, Jul 5, 5:30 p.m.	Friday, July 3 is open: a deposit due July 3 lands July 3
Labor Day	Mon, Sep 7	Sat, Sep 5, 3 a.m. – Mon, Sep 7, 5:30 p.m.	Fri, Sep 4	Tue, Sep 8
Columbus Day	Mon, Oct 12	Sat, Oct 10, 3 a.m. – Mon, Oct 12, 5:30 p.m.	Fri, Oct 9	Tue, Oct 13
Veterans Day	Wed, Nov 11	Tue, Nov 10, 11:30 p.m. – Wed, Nov 11, 5:30 p.m.	Tue, Nov 10	Thu, Nov 12
Thanksgiving Day	Thu, Nov 26	Wed, Nov 25, 11:30 p.m. – Thu, Nov 26, 5:30 p.m.	Wed, Nov 25	Fri, Nov 27
Christmas Day	Fri, Dec 25	Thu, Dec 24, 11:30 p.m. – Sun, Dec 27, 5:30 p.m.	Thu, Dec 24	Mon, Dec 28
New Year's Day 2027	Fri, Jan 1, 2027	Not in the 2026 FedACH schedule	Thu, Dec 31	Mon, Jan 4

Check a payday

Friday, July 3, 2026 is a Federal Reserve business day. A deposit due that day lands that day.

Stop and restart times are the FedACH 2026 holiday schedule published by Federal Reserve Financial Services. Last updated: October 2026.

Why the money stops, and when it starts again

Payroll direct deposit travels over ACH, and FedACH processes nothing between the two times in the table. Look at the restart column: processing comes back on the evening of the holiday itself, 5:30 p.m. Eastern (third file delivery begins at 8:15 p.m.). That restart readies files for the next business day, which is why a paycheck held by a holiday shows up the day after it, not on it.

When deposits pause: January–June. FedACH stop and restart windows for New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Juneteenth, with the landing day for deposits paid early or late. All times are Eastern. The New Year's Day early deposit lands December 31, 2025. — FedACH stop and restart windows for New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Juneteenth, with the landing day for deposits paid early or late. All times are Eastern. The New Year's Day early deposit lands December 31, 2025.

The two Friday holidays stop the longest. For Juneteenth, FedACH closes Thursday, June 18 at 11:30 p.m. and doesn't restart until Sunday, June 21 at 5:30 p.m.; Christmas runs from Thursday, December 24 at 11:30 p.m. to Sunday, December 27 at 5:30 p.m. Nothing goes through Friday or Saturday. A Friday paycheck either lands Thursday or waits until Monday.

When deposits pause: July–December. The remaining six 2026 FedACH holiday windows, July through December, with early and late landing dates where shown in the page table. July 3 is open for a deposit due that Friday; the Independence Day processing pause starts at 11:30 p.m. Eastern that night. — The remaining six 2026 FedACH holiday windows, July through December, with early and late landing dates where shown in the page table. July 3 is open for a deposit due that Friday; the Independence Day processing pause starts at 11:30 p.m. Eastern that night.

July 3, 2026: offices close, the money doesn't stop

Independence Day is Saturday, July 4. Federal offices take Friday, July 3 off. The Federal Reserve's own holiday list, K.8, says: "For holidays falling on Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks and Branches will be open the preceding Friday; however, the Board of Governors will be closed," and its footnote names July 3, 2026. FedACH keeps processing until 11:30 p.m. that Friday. A paycheck due July 3 lands July 3.

July 3: settlement keeps moving. K.8 says “For holidays falling on Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks and Branches will be open the preceding Friday; however, the Board of Governors will be closed,” FedACH processes until 11:30 p.m. Eastern on July 3, 2026; a deposit due July 3 lands July 3. — K.8 says “For holidays falling on Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks and Branches will be open the preceding Friday; however, the Board of Governors will be closed,” FedACH processes until 11:30 p.m. Eastern on July 3, 2026; a deposit due July 3 lands July 3.

Federal employees are the exception that proves the rule. Their agencies observe July 3, so GSA's 2026 payroll calendar sets that week's EFT pay date to Thursday, July 2. A private payroll has no reason to.

Black Friday, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

None of the three is a Federal Reserve holiday. FedACH restarts at 5:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving, so Friday, November 27 is a normal settlement day. On Thursday, December 24 and Thursday, December 31 FedACH runs until 11:30 p.m. Your own bank may cut off earlier: QNB Bank, for one, sets a 2:00 p.m. ACH cutoff on Christmas Eve and 3:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve. That matters mostly for payments sent that afternoon; payroll files usually go out days ahead.

Three dates when deposits still land. November 27, December 24 and December 31, 2026 are normal FedACH settlement days. Bank branch hours and bank submission cutoffs are separate from settlement. — November 27, December 24 and December 31, 2026 are normal FedACH settlement days. Bank branch hours and bank submission cutoffs are separate from settlement.

December 31: 2027's paycheck on 2026's books

New Year's Day 2027 is a Friday. A Friday payroll that pays early sends that check on Thursday, December 31, 2026. Tax forms follow the day wages are paid: the IRS has employers issue Forms W-2 "reporting the wages each entity paid to the employee during the year" (Publication 15). So a paycheck scheduled for 2027 is taxed, withheld and reported in 2026, while the payroll calendar files it under 2027.

A 2027 paycheck. A 2026 W-2. A check scheduled for January 1, 2027 but paid December 31, 2026 belongs to 2026 W-2 reporting. Publication 15 describes W-2s as “reporting the wages each entity paid to the employee during the year”. Paid late, it lands January 4, 2027. — A check scheduled for January 1, 2027 but paid December 31, 2026 belongs to 2026 W-2 reporting. Publication 15 describes W-2s as “reporting the wages each entity paid to the employee during the year”. Paid late, it lands January 4, 2027.

That is where the extra payday comes from. A weekly Friday payroll paid early has 53 paydays in calendar 2026; see the weekly pay schedule 2026. A biweekly payroll that started on January 2 gets 27; see the biweekly pay schedule 2026. Paid late, the same check lands Monday, January 4, 2027 and both years look normal.

Questions

Will my direct deposit come early because of a holiday?

Only if your employer pays early. ACH doesn't move the date on its own; it simply doesn't settle on the holiday. Payroll providers differ: some move the check to the business day before, some to the business day after.

Do direct deposits go through on July 3, 2026?

Yes. The Federal Reserve Banks are open and FedACH runs until 11:30 p.m. Eastern.

Is the Friday after Thanksgiving a bank holiday?

Not for payments. FedACH restarts on Thanksgiving evening, and a deposit due Friday, November 27 lands that day. Whether your branch is open is up to your bank; it has nothing to do with ACH settlement, which follows only the Federal Reserve schedule.

When does a Christmas Day paycheck arrive?

Thursday, December 24 if paid early, Monday, December 28 if paid late. FedACH is down from Christmas Eve at 11:30 p.m. until Sunday evening.

Sources: Federal Reserve Board K.8, Holidays Observed by the Federal Reserve System 2026–2030; Federal Reserve Financial Services, FedACH holiday schedule 2026; GSA 2026 payroll calendar; IRS Publication 15; QNB Bank ACH holiday schedule. Landing dates are computed from the Federal Reserve holiday calendar. Your employer's payroll policy decides early or late, and your bank decides the hour the money posts.