How Many Working Days in a Year
Banks have 1 more: Fri, Jul 3, 2026 (Independence Day falls on a Saturday). Federal offices close that Friday; the Federal Reserve stays open.
261 weekdays (Monday to Friday) minus 11 federal holidays on a weekday = 250.
Why the two counts differ
Federal offices and the Federal Reserve close on the same 11 legal public holidays, with one difference. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, federal offices take the Friday before off, but Federal Reserve Banks and the ACH system stay open that Friday. So in any year, banks have exactly as many extra working days as there are Saturday holidays. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, both move it to Monday.
Working days in each month of 2026
| Month | Federal offices | Banks (ACH) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 20 |
| February | 19 | 19 |
| March | 22 | 22 |
| April | 22 | 22 |
| May | 20 | 20 |
| June | 21 | 21 |
| July | 22 | 23 |
| August | 21 | 21 |
| September | 21 | 21 |
| October | 21 | 21 |
| November | 19 | 19 |
| December | 22 | 22 |
| Year | 250 | 251 |
In 2026 a single month has between 19 and 22 federal working days.
Average work days per month
The average number of work days in a month is the working days in the year divided by 12:
250 ÷ 12 = 20.83 working days per month (federal offices); 251 ÷ 12 = 20.92 (Federal Reserve / ACH).
No real month has 20.83 working days; the average is for budgeting and payroll. The table above gives the actual number of work days per month.
Working days in a year, 2026–2030
| Year | Weekdays | Federal offices | Banks (ACH) | Fridays banks work, federal offices don't |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 261 | 250 | 251 | Fri Jul 3, 2026 (Independence Day on a Saturday) |
| 2027 | 261 | 249 | 252 | Fri Jun 18, 2027 (Juneteenth); Fri Dec 24, 2027 (Christmas); Fri Dec 31, 2027 (New Year's Day 2028) |
| 2028 | 260 | 250 | 251 | Fri Nov 10, 2028 (Veterans Day on a Saturday) |
| 2029 | 261 | 250 | 250 | None |
| 2030 | 261 | 250 | 250 | None |
Why 2027 has only 249: New Year's Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, so federal offices observe it on Friday, December 31, 2027. That day counts against 2027, which therefore loses 12 weekdays to holidays, not 11. 2028 keeps 250 because only 10 of its holidays land on its own weekdays.
Which rules these numbers follow
- Only the legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, on their observed dates.
- Extra days off that a president orders by executive order, such as Christmas Eve, are not included; they are announced each year and are not in the law.
- Inauguration Day (January 20, 2029) is a holiday only for federal employees in the Washington, DC area, and in 2029 it falls on a Saturday. OPM states it is not observed on another day, so it does not change the 2029 count.
- Years before 2026 are not offered: past years had one-off closures that a rule-based count would miss.
Questions
How many work days are in a year?
For a Monday to Friday job, 250 in 2026: 261 weekdays minus 11 federal holidays. From 2026 to 2030 every year has 260 or 261 weekdays and 249 or 250 federal working days. Your own employer's holidays and your paid time off reduce the number of work days in a year further.
How many working days per year do banks have?
251 in 2026 and 252 in 2027 on the Federal Reserve calendar, which ACH payments follow. Whether a bank's branches open is the bank's own decision.
How many work days are in a month?
Between 19 and 23 in 2026–2030. Pick a year above to see the number of work days in each month.
How many work weeks are in a year?
A year has 52 weeks plus 1 day (2 in a leap year). With 250 working days, that is 50 five-day work weeks after holidays.
How many pay days are in a year?
12 if you are paid monthly, 24 if paid twice a month, 26 if paid every two weeks and 52 if paid weekly. Because a year is 52 weeks plus a day or two, a biweekly schedule sometimes has 27 paydays and a weekly one 53.
Can I count working days between two dates instead?
Yes: use the business days calculator, or see a whole month on the business day calendar. The Saturday-holiday Fridays are listed on federal vs bank working days.
Sources: 5 U.S.C. 6103 and the OPM federal holiday schedules for 2026–2030 (including the OPM note on Inauguration Day 2029); Federal Reserve Financial Services holiday schedules. All counts are produced in your browser by the same code as the business days calculator.