How many federal public holidays are there in the US?

There are 11 federal public holidays in the US, including New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Which is the best week to take PTO in the US for maximum time off?

Thanksgiving week is consistently one of the best opportunities — taking just Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week can give you a 9-day break. The Christmas–New Year period and the Fourth of July week are also excellent.

Is annual leave a legal requirement in the US?

No. Unlike most other developed countries, the US does not have a federal law requiring employers to provide paid annual leave. Paid time off is at the employer's discretion, though most competitive employers offer 10–15 days per year.

Can I use PocketLeave for the United States?

Yes. PocketLeave supports the United States and fetches live, official public holiday data from the Nager.Date API. Select the US in the calculator to get your personalised leave plan with all opportunities ranked by ROI.

What does leave ROI mean?

Leave ROI (return on investment) is the ratio of total consecutive days off to annual leave days required by that break. A 3× ROI means taking 1 day of leave gives you 3 days off in total.

Annual Leave Calculator United States 2026 — Maximise Your Days Off

In United States in 2026, the best annual leave opportunity is Lincoln's Birthday & Presidents Day Bridge (12 February – 16 February), where just 1 leave day delivers 5 consecutive days off — a 5.0× ROI. There are 17 public holidays in United States in 2026, with New Year's Day Break and Thanksgiving Day Break also offering strong returns.

The United States has 11 federal public holidays, and while paid leave is not federally mandated, strategic planning around Thanksgiving week, the Fourth of July and the Christmas–New Year period can turn a handful of PTO days into genuinely impressive stretches of time off. Use PocketLeave to calculate your best leave opportunities for 2026 and get the most out of every day off.

Top 3 Leave Opportunities in 2026

5.0× ROI

Lincoln's Birthday & Presidents Day Bridge

12 Feb – 16 Feb

Use 1d leaveGet 5 days off

4.0× ROI

New Year's Day Break

1 Jan – 4 Jan

Use 1d leaveGet 4 days off

4.0× ROI

Thanksgiving Day Break

26 Nov – 29 Nov

Use 1d leaveGet 4 days off

United States Public Holidays 2026

Date	Holiday	Day
1 Jan 2026	New Year's Day	Thursday
19 Jan 2026	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day	Monday
12 Feb 2026	Lincoln's Birthday	Thursday
16 Feb 2026	Presidents Day	Monday
3 Apr 2026	Good Friday	Friday
3 Apr 2026	Good Friday	Friday
8 May 2026	Truman Day	Friday
25 May 2026	Memorial Day	Monday
19 Jun 2026	Juneteenth National Independence Day	Friday
3 Jul 2026	Independence Day	Friday
7 Sept 2026	Labour Day	Monday
12 Oct 2026	Columbus Day	Monday
12 Oct 2026	Columbus Day	Monday
12 Oct 2026	Indigenous Peoples' Day	Monday
11 Nov 2026	Veterans Day	Wednesday
26 Nov 2026	Thanksgiving Day	Thursday
25 Dec 2026	Christmas Day	Friday

Frequently Asked Questions — United States

Ready to maximise your leave in United States?

Enter your leave balance and let PocketLeave find every high-ROI break in the 2026 calendar for United States.

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Best Days to Take Annual Leave in United States 2026