SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Arizona State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/arizona/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal holidays in Arizona for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Arizona Holidays 2026 Arizona has 11 federal holidays in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in Arizona | 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 | | Easter Sunday | 2026-04-05 | Sunday | | Observance | Not a day off | | Memorial Day | 2026-05-25 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Juneteenth | 2026-06-19 | Friday | Not an Arizona state holiday: A.R.S. 1-315 says Juneteenth day is not a legal holiday | 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 | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | Commonly given | Not required | | Christmas Eve | 2026-12-24 | Thursday | | Commonly given | Not required | | 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 Arizona employers to pay for holidays that aren't worked. Holiday pay is a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee. **Earned paid sick time.** Arizona employees earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Employers with 15 or more employees can cap accrual and use at 40 hours a year, and smaller employers at 24 hours, unless they set a higher limit. **Holidays and overtime.** Under federal law (the FLSA), paid holiday, vacation and sick time off isn't hours worked, so Arizona employers don't have to count it toward the 40 hours that trigger overtime. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. Under A.R.S. 1-301, a holiday that falls on a Sunday is observed the following Monday. If New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day or Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, the Friday before is observed. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** Arizona law does not expressly provide for vacation payout. Whether unused PTO is paid when someone leaves depends on the employer's written policy or agreement. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/arizona/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) Full rules: Arizona leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/arizona/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Arizona. Arizona state offices don't close for any extra full days in 2026, so these use the 11 federal holidays. Take all 12 suggested PTO days and you get **45 days off across 11 breaks**, including 10 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - 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, May 22 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 22 to 25 (Memorial Day). - 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 Friday, November 27 off to get a 4-day weekend from November 26 to 29 (Thanksgiving 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 Arizona 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 Arizona holidays differ **State holidays.** Arizona has no holidays of its own in 2026, only the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for Arizona state employees: Juneteenth. Neighboring states in 2026: - [California](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/california/2026/): 3 holidays of its own - [Colorado](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/colorado/2026/): 3 holidays of its own - [Nevada](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/nevada/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [New Mexico](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/new-mexico/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Utah](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/utah/2026/): 1 holiday 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 Arizona have to give paid holidays? Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require pay for holidays that aren't worked; it's a matter of agreement between employer and employee. Check your own policy or contracts for any holiday pay you've promised in Arizona. Q: What are the Arizona state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Arizona has the 11 federal holidays and no state holidays of its own. Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but not an Arizona state holiday. Q: Is Juneteenth an Arizona state holiday? No. Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but it isn't an Arizona state holiday. A.R.S. 1-315 says Juneteenth day is not a legal holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day an Arizona state holiday? Yes. Columbus Day is a federal holiday and an Arizona state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Arizona? No. It isn't an Arizona state holiday, so private employers don't have to give it. In 2026 it falls on Friday, November 27. Q: Do employers in Arizona 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, so Arizona employers only owe time-and-a-half if the employee works more than 40 hours in the workweek. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Arizona? Not under federal law. Paid time off for a holiday isn't hours worked under the FLSA, so Arizona employers don't have to count it toward the 40 hours that trigger overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Arizona? Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. Under A.R.S. 1-301, a holiday that falls on a Sunday is observed the following Monday. If New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day or Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, the Friday before is observed. In 2026, Independence Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, July 3. ## Sources - A.R.S. 1-301 Holidays enumerated: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/1/00301.htm - Laws 2016 ch.40 (A.R.S. 1-315): Juneteenth Day is not a legal holiday: https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/52leg/2r/laws/0040.PDF - 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 - A.R.S. 23-372 - Accrual of earned paid sick time (Arizona State Legislature): https://www.azleg.gov/ars/23/00372.htm - elaws - FLSA Hours Worked Advisor (U.S. Department of Labor): https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/hoursworked/screenEE14.asp - 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 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/arizona-holidays-2026.csv