SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Alabama State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/alabama/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 4 Alabama state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Alabama Holidays 2026 Alabama has 11 federal holidays and 4 state holidays in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in Alabama | Holiday | Date | Day of week | Notes | Type | Paid by law? | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | New Year's Day | 2026-01-01 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 2026-01-19 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Washington's Birthday | 2026-02-16 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Mardi Gras (State holiday in Baldwin and Mobile Counties only; other state employees get a personal leave day) | 2026-02-17 | Tuesday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Easter Sunday | 2026-04-05 | Sunday | | Observance | Not a day off | | Confederate Memorial Day | 2026-04-27 | Monday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Memorial Day | 2026-05-25 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Jefferson Davis' birthday | 2026-06-01 | Monday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Juneteenth | 2026-06-19 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Independence Day | 2026-07-04 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Fri Jul 3 | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Labor Day | 2026-09-07 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Columbus Day | 2026-10-12 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Veterans Day | 2026-11-11 | Wednesday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Thanksgiving Day | 2026-11-26 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Day after Thanksgiving (On the 2026 state holiday list, upon designation by the Governor) | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Mrs. Rosa L. Parks Day (Commemoration only; not a day off) | 2026-12-01 | Tuesday | | Observance | Not a day off | | Christmas Day | 2026-12-25 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | New Year's Eve | 2026-12-31 | Thursday | | Commonly given | Not required | ## What employers need to know **Paid holidays.** Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require Alabama employers to pay for holidays that aren't worked. Holiday pay is a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee. **Working on a holiday.** Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require overtime pay just because an employee works on a holiday. Overtime is owed for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. **No state wage and hour law.** Alabama has no state laws on wage and hour issues. Employers in Alabama follow the federal guidelines of the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** Alabama law does not require employers to pay out accrued vacation or other PTO when employment ends. Unused vacation must be paid only if the company's own policy or employment contract promises it. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/alabama/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** No Alabama law requires private sector employers to provide sick leave, paid or unpaid. Private sector employees in Alabama have only the rights guaranteed by federal FMLA. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/alabama/#sick-leave-in-alabama) Full rules: Alabama leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/alabama/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Alabama. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Alabama state offices close for: Confederate Memorial Day, Jefferson Davis' birthday and Day after Thanksgiving. Take all 14 suggested PTO days and you get **54 days off across 13 breaks**, including 11 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - Take Wednesday, November 25 off to get a 5-day break from November 25 to 29 (Thanksgiving Day and Day after Thanksgiving). - Take Friday, January 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 1 to 4 (New Year's Day). - Take Friday, January 16 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 16 to 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). - Take Friday, February 13 off to get a 4-day weekend from February 13 to 16 (Washington's Birthday). - Take Friday, April 24 off to get a 4-day weekend from April 24 to 27 (Confederate Memorial Day). - Take Friday, May 22 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 22 to 25 (Memorial Day). - Take Friday, May 29 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 29 to June 1 (Jefferson Davis' birthday). - Take Thursday, June 18 off to get a 4-day weekend from June 18 to 21 (Juneteenth). - Take Thursday, July 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from July 2 to 5 (Independence Day). - Take Friday, September 4 off to get a 4-day weekend from September 4 to 7 (Labor Day). - Take Friday, October 9 off to get a 4-day weekend from October 9 to 12 (Columbus Day). - Take Thursday, December 24 off to get a 4-day weekend from December 24 to 27 (Christmas Day). - Take Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 off to get a 5-day break from November 7 to 11 (Veterans Day). ## When US teams take time off The national pattern from Vacation Tracker data. We don't have enough Alabama data for a state view yet. - Dec 21 – 27 (Week 52): 2.5× a normal week - Jun 29 – Jul 5 (Week 27): 1.5× a normal week - Jul 6 – 12 (Week 28): 1.5× a normal week - Jul 27 – Aug 2 (Week 31): 1.5× a normal week - Aug 3 – 9 (Week 32): 1.5× a normal week ## How Alabama holidays differ **State holidays.** Alabama has 4 holidays of its own in 2026 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; 5 have more and 37 have fewer. **Only in Alabama.** Only Alabama has Jefferson Davis' birthday as a holiday in 2026. **Shared with a few states.** Mardi Gras is also a state holiday in Louisiana. Confederate Memorial Day is also a state holiday in Mississippi and South Carolina. **Federal holidays.** Alabama state offices observe all 11 federal holidays. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Florida](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/florida/2026/): 3 holidays of its own - [Georgia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/georgia/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Mississippi](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/mississippi/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Tennessee](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/tennessee/2026/): 4 holidays of its own Compare all 50 states and DC: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/2026/#compare ## Frequently asked questions Q: Do private employers in Alabama have to give paid holidays? Not under federal law: the FLSA doesn't require pay for holidays that aren't worked, so holiday pay is a matter of agreement between employer and employee. Alabama has no state wage and hour laws of its own. Q: What are the Alabama state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Alabama has the 11 federal holidays and 4 state holidays: Mardi Gras (February 17), Confederate Memorial Day (April 27), Jefferson Davis' birthday (June 1) and Day after Thanksgiving (November 27). Q: Is Juneteenth an Alabama state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and an Alabama state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day an Alabama state holiday? Yes. Columbus Day is a federal holiday and an Alabama state holiday, where it's called Columbus Day, Fraternal Day and American Indian Heritage Day. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Alabama? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is an Alabama state holiday. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in Alabama have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Not under federal law. The FLSA doesn't require overtime pay for holiday work as such; overtime is owed only for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Alabama has no state wage and hour law that adds a holiday premium. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Alabama? No, under federal law (the FLSA), which is what Alabama employers follow. Paid time off for a holiday isn't hours worked, so it doesn't have to be counted toward the 40 hours that trigger overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Alabama? Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. In 2026, Independence Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, July 3. ## Sources - State Holidays - State of Alabama Personnel Department (2026 and 2027 official state holidays): https://personnel.alabama.gov/state-holidays/ - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Holiday Pay | U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/holidays - Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA | U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/23-flsa-overtime-pay - Wage and Hour Info | Alabama Department of Labor: https://labor.alabama.gov/Wage_and_Hour_Info.pdf - FLSA Hours Worked Advisor: Holidays, Vacations and Sick Time | U.S. Department of Labor: https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/hoursworked/screenEE14.asp Holiday calendar data includes date-holidays (CC BY-SA 3.0), checked against the official sources above. Holiday dates come from public sources. Check your employment contract and the official sources above before you rely on them. CSV: https://vacationtracker.io/static/data/holiday-pages/united-states/alabama-holidays-2026.csv