TL;DR: Most full-time US employees get somewhere around 6-8 paid holidays a year. New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the six holidays offered by nearly every employer that provides any paid holidays at all. No federal law requires private employers to offer paid holidays, it's entirely discretionary, and part-time workers are frequently excluded. Here's which holidays are actually common, how holiday pay works if you have to work one, and what to expect if your employer offers few or none.
Everyone assumes their employer's holiday calendar is standard, right up until they compare notes with a friend at a different company and realize it isn't. [AGREE] This guide breaks down which paid holidays are genuinely near-universal versus optional extras, how paid holidays interact with your PTO bank, what "holiday pay" actually means if you're required to work on one, and what your options are if your employer offers few or no paid holidays at all. [PROMISE] You'll get the full list ranked by how common each one is, the difference between a paid holiday and a floating holiday, overtime and holiday-pay rules, and the honest answer on whether any of this is legally required. [PREVIEW]
No Federal Law Requires Paid Holidays
Start here, because it surprises a lot of people: there is no federal law requiring private-sector employers to give employees any day off (paid or unpaid) for a holiday, including federal holidays like Independence Day or Thanksgiving. The Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets the rules for minimum wage and overtime, is silent on holidays entirely. Even Christmas Day carries no special legal protection for private-sector workers.
What is required: if a non-exempt employee actually works on a holiday, they're entitled to their regular pay for those hours (plus overtime if the hours push them over 40 for the week), under the same FLSA rules that apply to any other worked hours. There's no federal requirement for extra "holiday pay", time-and-a-half or double-time for working a holiday is a benefit some employers choose to offer, not a legal mandate. Federal government employees are a separate case: they're covered by a specific statutory list of federal holidays with paid time off guaranteed under federal personnel law, which is a different legal framework from private-sector employment.
This is another area where the US differs from much of Europe, where several countries mandate specific public holidays as paid days off by statute, a distinction worth knowing if you're comparing benefits with an international employer.
Which Holidays Are Actually Common
Employer holiday calendars vary, but a consistent core shows up almost everywhere that offers paid holidays at all:
The "core six", offered by nearly every employer with a paid holiday policy
New Year's Day (January 1)
Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
Independence Day (July 4)
Labor Day (first Monday in September)
Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
Christmas Day (December 25)
These six are close to a de facto standard among employers that offer paid holidays, most full-time office and professional jobs include all six as a baseline, and many add the day after Thanksgiving as a seventh, either as a full paid holiday or a half-day.
Common but not universal
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, increasingly common, especially at larger employers and in the public sector, but still far from universal in the private sector.
Juneteenth, became a federal holiday in 2021 and has been adopted by a fast-growing share of private employers since, though adoption is still uneven and newer than the core six.
Presidents Day, offered by some employers, especially banks and government-adjacent industries, but skipped by many others.
Veterans Day, more commonly observed by government employers, defense contractors, and financial institutions than by the private sector broadly.
Less common in the private sector
Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day, one of the least commonly observed as a private-sector paid holiday, though it remains a federal and, in some states, state-government holiday.
Good Friday, Easter Monday, and other religiously-linked days, occasionally offered, especially in regions or industries with specific cultural or religious workforce concentrations, but not broadly standard.
Exact adoption percentages for each specific holiday shift from year to year and survey to survey, so treat the categories above as a reliability ranking rather than precise figures, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks overall paid holiday access as part of its National Compensation Survey benefits data if you want the most current official numbers.
How Many Paid Holidays Is Typical
Most full-time employees at employers offering any paid holidays land somewhere around 6-8 per year, generally the core six, plus one or two of the "common but not universal" days depending on the employer and industry. Retail, hospitality, and healthcare frequently offer fewer, since those industries often need to stay staffed on major holidays regardless; some retail and food service employers offer none at all, instead relying on holiday-pay premiums (like time-and-a-half) as compensation for working through them.
Paid Holidays vs. Floating Holidays
A floating holiday is a flexible paid day off that an employee can schedule on a date of their own choosing, often used to accommodate employees who observe religious or cultural holidays that don't align with the employer's fixed holiday calendar (Diwali, Eid, Yom Kippur, Lunar New Year, and similar). Employers that offer floating holidays typically provide one to three per year, separate from the fixed holiday calendar and separate from the general PTO bank. If your employer's fixed calendar doesn't cover a holiday that matters to you personally, ask whether floating holidays are available before assuming you'd need to use regular PTO for it.
Do Paid Holidays Come Out of Your PTO Bank?
This depends entirely on the employer's policy, and it's worth confirming rather than assuming. In most companies with a defined holiday schedule, paid holidays are separate from PTO, you get both the holiday and your PTO allotment independently. Some smaller employers, particularly those without a formal holiday calendar, instead ask employees to use PTO if they want a specific day off around a holiday. If you're evaluating a job offer, ask specifically whether the listed PTO number is inclusive of holidays or separate from them, see our PTO policy guide for the other policy details worth confirming at the same time.
What Happens If a Holiday Falls on a Weekend
Most employers observe a "nearest weekday" rule: if a holiday falls on a Saturday, the paid day off typically moves to the preceding Friday; if it falls on a Sunday, it typically moves to the following Monday. This isn't legally required (it's a common convention, not a mandate) so confirm your specific employer's practice rather than assuming.
What "Holiday Pay" Means If You Have to Work
If your job requires you to work on a recognized holiday, common in healthcare, retail, hospitality, emergency services, and manufacturing with continuous operations, "holiday pay" usually refers to a pay premium above your normal rate, most often time-and-a-half or, less commonly, double-time. This premium is not federally required; it's a benefit some employers choose to offer to compensate for the inconvenience of working a day most of the workforce has off. Non-exempt employees are still owed their regular FLSA overtime if worked holiday hours push their total hours for the week above 40, regardless of whether the employer offers an additional holiday premium.
What to Do If Your Employer Offers Few or No Paid Holidays
If you work for an employer with a thin or nonexistent paid holiday calendar, you have a few realistic options: ask whether the company offers a holiday-pay premium for working recognized holidays instead of a day off, ask whether unused PTO can be applied to cover the days you'd want off, or, if you're negotiating a new offer, treat the holiday calendar as a real benefit to negotiate, not just a formality. It's reasonable to ask a recruiter directly: "How many paid holidays does this role include, and is that separate from PTO?"
Frequently Asked Questions
How many paid holidays do most jobs give?
Most full-time jobs that offer paid holidays provide somewhere around 6-8 per year. The six holidays observed almost universally are New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Are paid holidays required by law?
No. There is no federal law requiring private employers to provide paid holidays, including widely-recognized ones like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's entirely at the employer's discretion. Federal government employees are covered separately under federal personnel law with a defined statutory list of paid holidays.
Do part-time employees get paid holidays?
Usually not, though it varies by employer. Most companies that offer paid holidays reserve that benefit for full-time employees. Some prorate holiday pay for part-time staff based on scheduled hours, but that's the exception rather than the norm.
Do I get paid extra for working on a holiday?
Only if your employer chooses to offer a holiday-pay premium (commonly time-and-a-half) since federal law doesn't require extra pay just for working on a holiday. What federal law does require is your normal pay for hours worked, plus standard FLSA overtime if those hours push your total for the week above 40.
What are the most common paid holidays?
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (often called the "core six") are observed by nearly every employer that offers any paid holidays.
Is Juneteenth a paid holiday?
It's increasingly common. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, and a growing share of private employers have added it to their paid holiday calendar since, though adoption is still less universal than the core six.
What is a floating holiday?
A floating holiday is a flexible paid day off an employee can schedule on a date of their own choosing, often used to observe a religious or cultural holiday not included on the employer's fixed calendar. Employers that offer them typically provide one to three per year, separate from the standard holiday schedule.
Do paid holidays come out of my PTO balance?
It depends on the employer. Most companies with a formal holiday calendar treat paid holidays as separate from PTO, you get both independently. Some smaller employers without a defined holiday schedule may expect you to use PTO to take a specific day off. Confirm directly with your HR department or handbook.
What happens if a paid holiday falls on a weekend?
Most employers move the observed day to the nearest weekday, typically the preceding Friday if the holiday falls on a Saturday, or the following Monday if it falls on a Sunday. This is a common practice, not a legal requirement, so it varies by employer.
Do all states require the same paid holidays?
No state requires private employers to provide any paid holidays, this is not a state-by-state legal mandate the way some other leave categories are. State government employees may have a state-specific statutory holiday schedule, but that applies to public-sector state employment, not private employers generally.
Can my employer make me work on a holiday?
Generally, yes, for most private-sector jobs, there's no blanket legal right to have holidays off. Some exceptions exist around religious accommodation requirements under federal and state anti-discrimination law, which may require an employer to make reasonable scheduling accommodations for an employee's sincerely held religious practice, though this is a narrower legal question than a general right to holidays off.
How many paid holidays does the average American get compared to other countries?
The US has no federal minimum, so the number varies entirely by employer, typically landing around 6-8 among employers that offer paid holidays. Many countries, including much of the EU, mandate a minimum number of paid public holidays and paid vacation days by law, a structural difference from the discretionary US system, though exact country-by-country figures vary and are worth checking against a current, country-specific source if you need precise numbers.
Key Takeaways
6-8 paid holidays is typical for full-time employees among employers that offer any.
The "core six", New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, are close to universal where paid holidays exist.
No federal law requires paid holidays for private-sector employees; it's entirely discretionary.
"Holiday pay" for working a holiday is a benefit, not a legal requirement, federal law only guarantees your regular pay (plus standard overtime) for hours actually worked.
Part-time workers are frequently excluded, so confirm eligibility rather than assuming.
