How to use
Enter how many PTO days you can take and pick a period. The planner tries every stretch of dates and finds the one where your PTO days connect weekends and holidays into the longest break. Next to it you see the weekend-only baseline: one PTO day on a Friday is always three days off, holidays or not. Only a break longer than that baseline is the holidays working for you.
Federal holidays and the day you get off
These are the dates federal employees get off, from the Office of Personnel Management. A holiday on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, and one on a Sunday on the Monday after (5 U.S.C. 6103(b), Executive Order 11582).
| Date off | Holiday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 12, 2026 | Columbus Day | — |
| Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | Veterans Day | — |
| Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | — |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Christmas Day | — |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | New Year's Day | — |
| Mon, Jan 18, 2027 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | — |
| Mon, Feb 15, 2027 | Washington's Birthday | — |
| Mon, May 31, 2027 | Memorial Day | — |
| Fri, Jun 18, 2027 | Juneteenth | Falls on Saturday — off the Friday before |
| Mon, Jul 5, 2027 | Independence Day | Falls on Sunday — off the Monday after |
| Mon, Sep 6, 2027 | Labor Day | — |
| Mon, Oct 11, 2027 | Columbus Day | — |
| Thu, Nov 11, 2027 | Veterans Day | — |
| Thu, Nov 25, 2027 | Thanksgiving Day | — |
| Fri, Dec 24, 2027 | Christmas Day | Falls on Saturday — off the Friday before |
| Fri, Dec 31, 2027 | New Year's Day | Falls on Saturday — off the Friday before |
| Mon, Jan 17, 2028 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | — |
| Mon, Feb 21, 2028 | Washington's Birthday | — |
| Mon, May 29, 2028 | Memorial Day | — |
| Mon, Jun 19, 2028 | Juneteenth | — |
| Tue, Jul 4, 2028 | Independence Day | — |
| Mon, Sep 4, 2028 | Labor Day | — |
| Mon, Oct 9, 2028 | Columbus Day | — |
| Fri, Nov 10, 2028 | Veterans Day | Falls on Saturday — off the Friday before |
| Thu, Nov 23, 2028 | Thanksgiving Day | — |
| Mon, Dec 25, 2028 | Christmas Day | — |
| Mon, Jan 1, 2029 | New Year's Day | — |
| Mon, Jan 15, 2029 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | — |
| Mon, Feb 19, 2029 | Washington's Birthday | — |
| Mon, May 28, 2029 | Memorial Day | — |
| Tue, Jun 19, 2029 | Juneteenth | — |
| Wed, Jul 4, 2029 | Independence Day | — |
| Mon, Sep 3, 2029 | Labor Day | — |
| Mon, Oct 8, 2029 | Columbus Day | — |
| Mon, Nov 12, 2029 | Veterans Day | Falls on Sunday — off the Monday after |
| Thu, Nov 22, 2029 | Thanksgiving Day | — |
| Tue, Dec 25, 2029 | Christmas Day | — |
Thanksgiving — best PTO for 1 to 5 days
All federal holidays, with and without the day after Thanksgiving off.
| Year | PTO | Days off | Gain | Take these days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 day | 4 days | +1 | Nov 27 |
| 2026 | 2 days | 5 days | +1 | Nov 25, Nov 27 |
| 2026 | 3 days | 6 days | +1 | Nov 23–25 |
| 2026 | 4 days | 9 days | +3 | Nov 23–25, Nov 27 |
| 2026 | 5 days | 10 days | +1 | Nov 20, Nov 23–25, Nov 27 |
| 2026 (+ Friday off) | 1 day | 5 days | +2 | Nov 25 |
| 2026 (+ Friday off) | 2 days | 6 days | +2 | Nov 24–25 |
| 2026 (+ Friday off) | 3 days | 9 days | +4 | Nov 23–25 |
| 2026 (+ Friday off) | 4 days | 10 days | +4 | Nov 20, Nov 23–25 |
| 2026 (+ Friday off) | 5 days | 11 days | +2 | Nov 19–20, Nov 23–25 |
| 2027 | 1 day | 4 days | +1 | Nov 26 |
| 2027 | 2 days | 5 days | +1 | Nov 24, Nov 26 |
| 2027 | 3 days | 6 days | +1 | Nov 22–24 |
| 2027 | 4 days | 9 days | +3 | Nov 22–24, Nov 26 |
| 2027 | 5 days | 10 days | +1 | Nov 19, Nov 22–24, Nov 26 |
| 2027 (+ Friday off) | 1 day | 5 days | +2 | Nov 24 |
| 2027 (+ Friday off) | 2 days | 6 days | +2 | Nov 23–24 |
| 2027 (+ Friday off) | 3 days | 9 days | +4 | Nov 22–24 |
| 2027 (+ Friday off) | 4 days | 10 days | +4 | Nov 19, Nov 22–24 |
| 2027 (+ Friday off) | 5 days | 11 days | +2 | Nov 18–19, Nov 22–24 |
Christmas to New Year — best PTO for 1 to 8 days
All federal holidays. The break can run into January.
| Season | PTO | Days off | Gain | Take these days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026–27 | 1 day | 4 days | +1 | Dec 24 |
| 2026–27 | 2 days | 5 days | +1 | Dec 23–24 |
| 2026–27 | 3 days | 6 days | +1 | Dec 22–24 |
| 2026–27 | 4 days | 10 days | +4 | Dec 28–31 |
| 2026–27 | 5 days | 11 days | +2 | Dec 24, Dec 28–31 |
| 2026–27 | 6 days | 12 days | +2 | Dec 23–24, Dec 28–31 |
| 2026–27 | 7 days | 13 days | +2 | Dec 22–24, Dec 28–31 |
| 2026–27 | 8 days | 16 days | +4 | Dec 21–24, Dec 28–31 |
| 2027–28 | 1 day | 4 days | +1 | Dec 23 |
| 2027–28 | 2 days | 5 days | +1 | Dec 22–23 |
| 2027–28 | 3 days | 6 days | +1 | Dec 21–23 |
| 2027–28 | 4 days | 10 days | +4 | Dec 27–30 |
| 2027–28 | 5 days | 11 days | +2 | Dec 23, Dec 27–30 |
| 2027–28 | 6 days | 12 days | +2 | Dec 22–23, Dec 27–30 |
| 2027–28 | 7 days | 13 days | +2 | Dec 21–23, Dec 27–30 |
| 2027–28 | 8 days | 16 days | +4 | Dec 20–23, Dec 27–30 |
| 2028–29 | 1 day | 4 days | +1 | Dec 22 |
| 2028–29 | 2 days | 5 days | +1 | Dec 21–22 |
| 2028–29 | 3 days | 6 days | +1 | Dec 20–22 |
| 2028–29 | 4 days | 10 days | +4 | Dec 26–29 |
| 2028–29 | 5 days | 11 days | +2 | Dec 22, Dec 26–29 |
| 2028–29 | 6 days | 12 days | +2 | Dec 21–22, Dec 26–29 |
| 2028–29 | 7 days | 13 days | +2 | Dec 20–22, Dec 26–29 |
| 2028–29 | 8 days | 16 days | +4 | Dec 26–29, Jan 2–5 |
What this planner does not know
- Your employer's holidays. Private employers do not have to give federal holidays off — the Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require pay for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays. Choose the preset that fits, or check your policy.
- State and local holidays, floating holidays, half days and company shutdowns. Only the day after Thanksgiving can be added.
- Weekend rules at your company. The planner moves weekend holidays the way federal rules do; some employers do not.
- Years after 2029. New dates are added as OPM publishes them.
Frequently asked questions
How many PTO days do I need for the longest Christmas break in 2027?
Christmas 2027 falls on a Saturday, so the federal holiday is observed on Friday, December 24, and New Year's Day 2028, also a Saturday, is observed on Friday, December 31. Taking December 27–30 off (4 PTO days) gives 10 days in a row, Friday December 24 to Sunday January 2. With 8 PTO days (December 20–23 and 27–30) it becomes 16 days, from Saturday December 18.
Do private employers have to give federal holidays off?
No. The U.S. Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays. Which holidays you get off is up to your employer, so pick the preset that matches your company or check your own policy.
What if a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday?
For federal employees, a holiday on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before and a holiday on a Sunday on the Monday after (5 U.S.C. 6103(b) and Executive Order 11582). In 2027 that moves Juneteenth to Friday, June 18, Independence Day to Monday, July 5, and Christmas to Friday, December 24. This planner uses the same rule; your employer may handle it differently.
What does "+N days vs. just a weekend" mean?
Taking one PTO day on a Friday always gives you three days off, holidays or not. The baseline is the longest break the same PTO days would give with weekends alone — 3 days for 1 PTO day, 9 for 5 (a full week), 16 for 10 (two full weeks). The gain is how many extra days the holidays add, so a gain of zero means the date is no better than an ordinary long weekend.
Does it count state holidays, half days or company shutdowns?
No. It counts whole PTO days on weekdays around federal holidays only. State and local holidays, floating holidays, half days and company-wide shutdowns are not included, apart from the optional day after Thanksgiving.