New Year’s Eve is not a federal holiday. Thursday, December 31, 2026 is a normal workday for federal offices, banks and the stock market. The federal holiday is New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2027, when federal offices, the Postal Service, most banks and the stock exchanges close.
The one exception comes a year later. New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, so federal employees get Friday, December 31, 2027 off instead, and New Year’s Eve 2027 works like a holiday for federal offices but not for markets or the Federal Reserve. This guide covers what is open on each day, the 2027 quirk, the dates through 2031 and what time midnight arrives across the US.
Is New Year’s Eve a holiday?
Not under federal law. The list of legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103 includes “New Year’s Day, January 1” and nothing for December 31. That means:
- Federal offices are open on Thursday, December 31, 2026.
- Private employers decide for themselves. Some close early or give the whole day; many don’t. Your company holiday list is the only reliable answer.
- Schools are usually already on winter break, but that is a district decision, not a holiday rule.
New Year’s Day itself is one of the 11 federal holidays, and in 2027 it lands on a Friday, which gives a three-day weekend from Friday, January 1 to Sunday, January 3. Count down to it with the New Year’s Day countdown, or to the evening before with the New Year’s Eve countdown.
What’s open on December 31, 2026 and January 1, 2027
| Who | Thursday, December 31, 2026 | Friday, January 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Open | Closed |
| Postal Service | Open | Closed |
| Federal Reserve Banks | Open | Closed |
| NYSE and Nasdaq | Open, regular hours | Closed |
| Bond market (SIFMA recommendation) | Early close at 2:00 p.m. ET | Closed |
The New York Stock Exchange lists New Year’s Day, January 1, 2027 as a market holiday on its official holiday calendar and lists no early close for December 31, 2026, so stocks trade the normal 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET session that day. The bond market is different: the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends a 2:00 p.m. ET close on December 31, 2026.
The Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule closes the Reserve Banks on January 1, and many banks follow it. If you need a transfer to land before the new year, send it on Thursday, December 31 at the latest, and earlier if your bank has a cut-off time.
The 2027 quirk: New Year’s Day 2028 is observed on December 31
When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday, 5 U.S.C. 6103(b) moves it to the Friday before for most federal employees. New Year’s Day 2028 is Saturday, January 1, 2028, so the observed holiday is Friday, December 31, 2027. The Office of Personnel Management lists that date at the top of its 2028 holiday schedule.
Not everyone follows the move:
- Federal offices close on Friday, December 31, 2027.
- The Postal Service uses the same Friday rule in its employee manual, so expect a holiday schedule; check usps.com for local hours.
- The Federal Reserve Banks stay open. Their schedule says that for holidays falling on Saturday, the Reserve Banks will be open the preceding Friday.
- The stock market stays open. The NYSE calendar states that because the holiday falls on Saturday, January 1, 2028, no New Year’s Day holiday is observed.
So December 31, 2027 is a day off for federal workers while banks and markets run as usual. For many households it also means two Friday holidays in a row, since Christmas 2027 is observed on Friday, December 24. The full list of 2027 federal holidays shows every observed date.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day dates, 2026 to 2031
| New Year’s Eve | New Year’s Day | Federal observed day |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, December 31, 2026 | Friday, January 1, 2027 | Same day |
| Friday, December 31, 2027 | Saturday, January 1, 2028 | Friday, December 31, 2027 |
| Sunday, December 31, 2028 | Monday, January 1, 2029 | Same day |
| Monday, December 31, 2029 | Tuesday, January 1, 2030 | Same day |
| Tuesday, December 31, 2030 | Wednesday, January 1, 2031 | Same day |
A New Year’s Day on Sunday would move to Monday, January 2, but none of these years has one. The midweek years, 2030 and 2031, give only a single day off unless you add leave around it.
What time is midnight across the US?
Midnight arrives at different moments depending on the time zone. When the clock strikes midnight in New York on January 1, 2027, here is the local time elsewhere in the US (all of these places are on standard time in winter):
| Place | Local time at midnight Eastern | Their own midnight, in Eastern time |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago (Central) | 11:00 p.m. December 31 | 1:00 a.m. January 1 |
| Denver and Phoenix (Mountain) | 10:00 p.m. December 31 | 2:00 a.m. January 1 |
| Los Angeles (Pacific) | 9:00 p.m. December 31 | 3:00 a.m. January 1 |
| Anchorage (Alaska) | 8:00 p.m. December 31 | 4:00 a.m. January 1 |
| Honolulu (Hawaii) | 7:00 p.m. December 31 | 5:00 a.m. January 1 |
| American Samoa | 6:00 p.m. December 31 | 6:00 a.m. January 1 |
Kiritimati in Kiribati, at UTC+14, is among the first inhabited places to reach 2027, at 5:00 a.m. Eastern on December 31. London gets there at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. To plan a call with family abroad, use the time zone converter, which uses each date’s own offset.
Planning around the holiday
- Turn three days into four. Taking Thursday, December 31, 2026 off gives a four-day break from Thursday to Sunday, January 3. Our guide to the best days to take off in 2027 shows how to stretch it to ten days.
- Deadlines. A deadline counted in business days skips January 1. The business days calculator shows the date with and without federal holidays.
- Payroll. A payday that would fall on January 1, 2027 is usually moved to a nearby business day. If it moves back to December 31, 2026, it counts as 2026 income, because IRS rules base Form W-2 on wages paid during the calendar year.
- Week numbers. Under ISO 8601, Friday, January 1, 2027 still belongs to week 53 of 2026. Week 1 of 2027 starts on Monday, January 4.
Frequently asked questions
Is New Year’s Eve a federal holiday in 2026?
No. Thursday, December 31, 2026 is a regular workday for federal employees. Only New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2027, is a federal holiday.
Is the stock market open on New Year’s Eve?
Yes. The NYSE and Nasdaq trade regular hours on Thursday, December 31, 2026, and the NYSE will also be open on Friday, December 31, 2027. The bond market is recommended to close at 2:00 p.m. ET on December 31, 2026.
Are banks open on New Year’s Eve?
Yes, in both years. The Federal Reserve Banks are open on December 31, 2026 and on December 31, 2027, even though the 2027 date is a federal holiday. Individual branches can set shorter hours, so check yours.
Why is December 31, 2027 a federal holiday?
Because New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday. Federal law moves a Saturday holiday to the Friday before, so federal employees are off on Friday, December 31, 2027.
Is the post office open on New Year’s Day?
No. Post offices close and there is no regular mail delivery on New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2027.