Business days are the working days of the week, Monday through Friday, not counting weekends and usually not counting public holidays. In the US that means the 11 federal holidays are typically skipped too, so a week with Thanksgiving in it has four business days, not five.
The term shows up in shipping estimates, bank transfers, refund windows and contract deadlines, and the exact rules vary a little between companies and countries. This guide explains what counts as a business day, works through what “3–5 business days” means from a real order date, lists the holidays that pause banks and mail, and shows which countries have a different weekend. To skip the counting, the business days calculator steps forward from today and can skip US federal holidays as well.
What counts as a business day
In the US and most of the world, a business day is any day that is:
- a weekday, Monday to Friday, and
- not a public holiday that the business in question closes for.
The second part is where answers differ. Many banks follow the Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule, federal agencies and the Postal Service close on the federal holidays, and many private employers and retailers stay open on some of them, such as Columbus Day or Veterans Day. When a company says “business days”, it means its own working days, so check its terms if a day or two matters.
“Business days” and “working days” are usually used to mean the same thing. “Calendar days” is the opposite: every day counts, weekends and holidays included.
How to count business days: use the calculator
Enter a number in the business days from today calculator and it shows the date that many weekdays ahead, with Saturdays and Sundays skipped, plus a second date that also skips the US federal holidays. You can change the start date, and quick-answer pages such as 5 business days from today and 10 business days from today show common counts with the matching spreadsheet formula.
The counting rule is the same one Excel and Google Sheets use in WORKDAY: the start day itself isn’t counted. One business day after a Wednesday is Thursday, and one business day after a Friday is the following Monday. If you start on a Saturday or Sunday, the first business day is Monday.
What “3–5 business days” means in practice
Shipping and refund estimates count from the day the order is processed, which is often the order date but not always: orders placed late in the day or on a weekend may not start until the next business day. Here are three sample orders, counted the standard way:
| Order placed | 3 business days | 5 business days | Skipping the federal holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, March 3, 2027 (no holiday) | Monday, March 8 | Wednesday, March 10 | Same dates |
| Wednesday, November 25, 2026 (Thanksgiving on Thursday) | Monday, November 30 | Wednesday, December 2 | Tuesday, December 1 and Thursday, December 3 |
| Friday, January 15, 2027 (MLK Day on Monday) | Wednesday, January 20 | Friday, January 22 | Thursday, January 21 and Monday, January 25 |
So “3–5 business days” from a Wednesday order in an ordinary week means the following Monday to Wednesday, five to seven calendar days later. A weekend in the middle always adds two calendar days, and a holiday adds one more. Over a holiday weekend, a “5 business day” window can stretch to eight calendar days, as the Thanksgiving example shows.
Holidays that pause banks and mail
The Federal Reserve observes the 11 federal holidays, and its published holiday schedule explains the weekend rule: when a holiday falls on a Sunday, Fed offices close the following Monday, and when it falls on a Saturday, the Reserve Banks stay open the Friday before. Because many bank payments are processed through the Federal Reserve, transfers and deposits generally aren’t processed on those days either. Individual banks set their own branch hours, so check yours.
The Postal Service closes Post Offices on federal holidays as well. Its announcement for Columbus Day 2025 is typical: Post Offices closed, only Priority Mail Express delivered, and regular service back the next day. Private carriers publish their own holiday schedules, which don’t always match, so check the carrier’s site before a holiday weekend.
The 2027 federal holidays, as the government observes them:
| Holiday | Date in 2027 |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Friday, January 1 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday, January 18 |
| Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day) | Monday, February 15 |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 31 |
| Juneteenth | Saturday, June 19 (observed Friday, June 18) |
| Independence Day | Sunday, July 4 (observed Monday, July 5) |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 6 |
| Columbus Day | Monday, October 11 |
| Veterans Day | Thursday, November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 25 |
| Christmas Day | Saturday, December 25 (observed Friday, December 24) |
New Year’s Day 2028 is a Saturday, so the federal government observes it on Friday, December 31, 2027. Because of the Fed’s Saturday rule, the bank schedule can differ from the federal one on these Saturday holidays; the bank holidays 2027 guide goes through each one. The full list with countdowns is on the 2027 holidays page.
How many business days are in a year
A year has 260 to 262 weekdays, depending on which weekday it starts on and whether it’s a leap year. 2026 has 261 weekdays; take away the 11 federal holidays that land on weekdays and 250 working days are left. 2027 also has 261 weekdays, but 12 federal days off fall on them, counting the December 31 observance of New Year’s Day 2028, leaving 249. Month by month, a typical month has 20 to 23 weekdays: March 2027 has 23 and none of them is a federal holiday, while January 2027 has 21 weekdays and 19 working days. The 2026 holidays page shows where this year’s days off fall.
Business days in other countries
Not every country has a Saturday–Sunday weekend, so “Monday to Friday” doesn’t hold everywhere. In the holiday data behind our country pages:
- Friday and Saturday weekend: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Bangladesh and several others. Business days there run Sunday to Thursday.
- Friday only: Iran.
- Sunday only: a few places, including Hong Kong and Venezuela.
- Saturday and Sunday: most countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
Practices change, and some businesses keep different hours from the official weekend, so confirm with the company or bank you’re dealing with. For an international deadline, also check that country’s public holidays, for example Saudi Arabia’s 2026 holidays or Israel’s 2026 holidays, since our calculator only skips US federal holidays.
Frequently asked questions
What are business days?
Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays. In the US, the 11 federal holidays are usually excluded, though some private businesses stay open on a few of them.
Is Saturday a business day?
Usually not. Banks and most offices treat Saturday as part of the weekend, even if some branches or stores open. A few businesses, and some delivery services, do work on Saturdays, so check their own terms.
How long is 3–5 business days?
Usually five to seven calendar days when the window includes one weekend, and longer if a holiday falls in it. From a Wednesday order with no holiday, it means the next Monday to Wednesday.
Does the day I order count as a business day?
Normally no. The count starts the next business day, the same way WORKDAY works in a spreadsheet. Orders placed after a cutoff time or on a weekend may start a day later.
Are federal holidays business days?
Not for banks, federal offices or the Postal Service, which close on them. Many private employers and stores stay open on some federal holidays, so whether a holiday counts depends on who you’re dealing with.