How business days are counted
The calculator walks through every date in the range, skipping Saturdays and Sundays and — if selected — the observed dates of U.S. federal holidays. Both endpoints are included when counting.
U.S. federal holidays 2026
| Holiday | Observed date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thu, January 1 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Mon, January 19 |
| Washington’s Birthday | Mon, February 16 |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 25 |
| Juneteenth | Fri, June 19 |
| Independence Day | Fri, July 3 |
| Labor Day | Mon, September 7 |
| Columbus Day | Mon, October 12 |
| Veterans Day | Wed, November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, November 26 |
| Christmas Day | Fri, December 25 |
State and local holidays, and company-specific closures (such as the day after Thanksgiving), are not included. Need calendar days instead? Use the days between dates calculator.
How to use the calculator
- Choose whether to count business days between two dates or add business days to a date.
- Enter the dates (and number of days when adding). Use a negative number to count backward.
- Choose whether to exclude public holidays, then read the total, plus the weekends and holidays that were skipped.
Business days per month in 2026 (U.S. federal holidays)
Weekdays minus federal holidays falling on weekdays. Banks and government offices follow this calendar; many private employers observe fewer holidays.
| Month | Weekdays | Federal holidays | Business days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | 2 | 20 |
| February | 20 | 1 | 19 |
| March | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| April | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| May | 21 | 1 | 20 |
| June | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| July | 23 | 1 | 22 |
| August | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| September | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| October | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| November | 21 | 2 | 19 |
| December | 23 | 1 | 22 |
| Total 2026 | 261 | 11 | 250 |
U.S. federal holidays
- New Year’s Day (January 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (3rd Monday in January), Presidents’ Day (3rd Monday in February)
- Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4)
- Labor Day (1st Monday in September), Columbus / Indigenous Peoples’ Day (2nd Monday in October)
- Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November), Christmas Day (December 25)
When a fixed-date holiday falls on a Saturday, federal offices observe it on the Friday before; on a Sunday, on the following Monday.
Is the start date counted?
Conventions vary. When counting between two dates, this calculator includes both the start and end dates if they are business days. When adding business days, it starts counting from the next business day — so 1 business day after Friday is Monday, the usual meaning of “next business day” for shipping and banking. Contracts and court rules may define the count differently, so check the wording.
Common uses
- Shipping and delivery estimates: “ships in 3–5 business days”.
- Payment terms and bank transfers: ACH and wire transfers settle on banking days only.
- Payroll and HR: working days in a pay period, notice periods and leave balances.
- Project planning: how many working days remain before a deadline.
A typical year has 260 or 261 weekdays; subtracting the 11 federal holidays leaves about 249–251 business days.