SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Georgia State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/georgia/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 2 Georgia state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Georgia Holidays 2026 Georgia has 11 federal holidays and 2 state holidays in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in Georgia | 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 | Georgia state offices observe it on Thursday, December 24 instead | Federal | Not required for private employers | | State Holiday (Known as Confederate Memorial Day prior to 2016) | 2026-04-03 | Friday | | State | 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 | | 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 | | State Holiday (Known as Robert E. Lee's Birthday prior to 2016) | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Washington's Birthday (Georgia state offices observe Washington's Birthday in December) | 2026-12-24 | Thursday | | State | Not required for private employers | | 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 leave.** The Georgia Department of Labor says neither federal nor Georgia law requires employers to provide vacation, sick or personal leave. **Working on a holiday.** The Georgia Department of Labor notes that federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require overtime pay for work on holidays or weekends. Overtime is owed only when the hours worked count as overtime. **Holidays and overtime.** Under federal law (the FLSA), paid holiday, vacation and sick time off isn't hours worked, so Georgia 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. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** No Georgia law requires employers to pay out accrued vacation at termination. An employer must pay it only if the company's policy or contract requires it. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/georgia/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) Full rules: Georgia leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/georgia/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Georgia. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Georgia state offices close for: State Holiday (April 3), State Holiday (November 27) and Washington's Birthday (December 24). Take all 13 suggested PTO days and you get **51 days off across 12 breaks**, including 9 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 State Holiday). - Take Wednesday, December 23 off to get a 5-day break from December 23 to 27 (Washington's Birthday and Christmas Day). - 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 Thursday, April 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from April 2 to 5 (State Holiday). - 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 Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 off to get a 5-day break from November 7 to 11 (Veterans Day). ## When Georgia teams take time off The 5 weeks when the most Georgia employees using Vacation Tracker were off, compared with an average week. - Dec 21 – 27 (Week 52): 2.6× a normal week - Jul 6 – 12 (Week 28): 2.1× a normal week - Sep 21 – 27 (Week 39): 1.8× a normal week - Jul 13 – 19 (Week 29): 1.6× a normal week - Jun 15 – 21 (Week 25): 1.5× a normal week ## How Georgia holidays differ **State holidays.** Georgia has 2 holidays of its own in 2026 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; 20 have more and 16 have fewer. **Federal holidays.** Georgia state offices observe Washington's Birthday on December 24. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Alabama](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/alabama/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [Florida](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/florida/2026/): 3 holidays of its own - [North Carolina](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/north-carolina/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [South Carolina](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/south-carolina/2026/): 4 holidays 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 Georgia 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 Georgia. Q: What are the Georgia state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Georgia has the 11 federal holidays and 2 state holidays: State Holiday (April 3) and State Holiday (November 27). Georgia state offices observe Washington's Birthday on Thursday, December 24 instead of its federal date. Q: Is Juneteenth a Georgia state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a Georgia state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a Georgia state holiday? Yes. Columbus Day is a federal holiday and a Georgia state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Georgia? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is a Georgia state holiday. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in Georgia have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Not under federal law. The Georgia Department of Labor notes the FLSA doesn't require overtime pay for work on holidays unless overtime is worked on those days, i.e. more than 40 hours in the workweek. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Georgia? Not under federal law. Paid time off for a holiday isn't hours worked under the FLSA, so Georgia 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 Georgia? 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 of Georgia Holiday Schedule (Team Georgia; Governor's memo dates for 2026 and 2027): https://team.georgia.gov/all-articles/state-georgia-holiday-schedule - Governor Kemp 2027 State Holidays memo: https://team.georgia.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/2027%20State%20Holidays%20Memo.pdf - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Individuals FAQs - Fair Labor Standards Act | Georgia Department of Labor: https://dol.georgia.gov/faqs-individuals/individuals-faqs-fair-labor-standards-act - DOL-224 Employer Handbook | Georgia Department of Labor: https://dol.georgia.gov/documents/employer-handbook - elaws - FLSA Hours Worked Advisor (U.S. Department of Labor): https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/hoursworked/screenEE14.asp - Holiday Pay | U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/holidays 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/georgia-holidays-2026.csv