Holidays
2026 Holiday Schedule
January 1 New Year’s Day
January 19 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 12 Lincoln’s Birthday (a)
February 16 Washington’s Birthday (Observed)
May 25 Memorial Day
June 19 Juneteenth
July 4 Independence Day (b)
September 7 Labor Day
October 12 Columbus Day
November 3 Election Day
November 11 Veterans’ Day
November 26 Thanksgiving Day
December 25 Christmas Day
(a) The State has designated Lincoln’s Birthday as a floating holiday in 2025 for State employees in certain bargaining units.
(b) Another day will not be designated to be observed as a holiday by State employees in lieu of July 4, 2026.
Full-time employees who are entitled to observe holidays, and for whom Saturday, July 4, is a regular day off, should be credited with compensatory time off in lieu of the holiday either as holiday compensatory time (for all units except for Security Services, Security Supervisors and Agency Law Enforcement Services Units) or as an additional day of vacation (for Security Services, Security Supervisors and Agency Police Services Unit).
Part-time employees who are eligible to observe holidays are entitled to observe only those holidays that fall on days when they are regularly scheduled to work or actually do work.
Employees required to work on Saturday, July 4, 2026, should be paid holiday pay or granted holiday compensatory time off (holiday leave), as appropriate.**
*See NYS DCS Attendance and Leave Manual for further information regarding floating holidays for calendar year 2026.
**See NYS DCS Attendance and Leave Manual Advisory Memorandum No. 2026-03 Section 21.1 regarding Independence Day - July 4, 2026.
2025 Holiday Schedule
January 1 New Year’s Day
January 20 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 12 Lincoln’s Birthday (a)
February 17 Washington’s Birthday (Observed)
May 26 Memorial Day
June 19 Juneteenth
July 4 Independence Day
September 1 Labor Day
October 13 Columbus Day
November 4 Election Day
November 11 Veterans’ Day
November 27 Thanksgiving Day
December 25 Christmas Day
(a) The State has designated Lincoln’s Birthday as a floating holiday in 2025 for State employees in certain bargaining units.*
*See Advisory Memoranda 2024-03 for further information regarding floating holidays for calendar year 2024-2025.
Note: Accrued holidays not used one (1) year after the date it is earned will expire.