SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Maryland State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/maryland/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 2 Maryland state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Maryland Holidays 2026 Maryland 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 Maryland | 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 | | 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 | | Election Day (State employee holiday for the statewide general election (even years only)) | 2026-11-03 | Tuesday | | State | 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 | | American Indian Heritage Day | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | 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.** Unless a contract, agreement or policy provides it, Maryland law doesn't guarantee private-sector employees days off for holidays or holiday pay. One exception: retail employees who give prior written notice get an unpaid religious day of rest each week. **Working on a holiday.** Maryland employers can require employees to work on a holiday and don't have to pay extra for it. **Holidays and overtime.** In Maryland, holiday, vacation and sick hours don't count toward the weekly hours for overtime. Overtime is calculated on hours actually worked. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** Maryland employers pay out unused vacation when someone leaves unless they have a written forfeiture policy and told employees in writing at hiring that unused vacation is forfeited. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/maryland/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** Under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act, employers with 15 or more employees must offer paid sick leave, accrued at 1 hour per 30 hours worked up to 40 hours a year. Smaller employers must provide unpaid sick leave. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/maryland/#sick-leave-in-maryland) Full rules: Maryland leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/maryland/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Maryland. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Maryland state offices close for: Election Day and American Indian Heritage Day. Take all 13 suggested PTO days and you get **50 days off across 12 breaks**, including 10 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 American Indian Heritage 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 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 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from October 31 to November 3 (Election 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 Maryland 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 Maryland holidays differ **State holidays.** Maryland 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. **Only in Maryland.** Only Maryland has American Indian Heritage Day as a holiday in 2026. **Federal holidays.** Maryland state offices observe all 11 federal holidays. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Delaware](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/delaware/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [District of Columbia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/district-of-columbia/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Pennsylvania](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/pennsylvania/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Virginia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/virginia/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [West Virginia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/west-virginia/2026/): 6 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 Maryland have to give paid holidays? No. Unless a contract, agreement or policy provides it, Maryland law doesn't guarantee private-sector employees holidays off or holiday pay. Q: What are the Maryland state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Maryland has the 11 federal holidays and 2 state holidays: Election Day (November 3) and American Indian Heritage Day (November 27). Q: Is Juneteenth a Maryland state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a Maryland state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a Maryland state holiday? Yes. Columbus Day is a federal holiday and a Maryland state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Maryland? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is a Maryland state holiday, American Indian Heritage Day. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in Maryland have to pay extra for working on a holiday? No. Maryland employers can require holiday work and aren't required to pay extra for it. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Maryland? No. In Maryland, holiday leave hours don't count toward the weekly total for overtime, which is calculated on hours actually worked. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Maryland? 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 - Maryland Secretary of State: https://sos.maryland.gov/pages/state-holidays.aspx - Maryland Manual - State Employee Holidays 2026 (Maryland State Archives): https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/holidaye.html - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Maryland Department of Labor: Holidays and Holiday Pay: No Entitlement: https://labor.maryland.gov/labor/wagepay/wpholpay.shtml - Maryland Department of Labor: The Maryland Guide to Wage Payment and Employment Standards: https://labor.maryland.gov/labor/wagepay/mdguidewagepay.pdf 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/maryland-holidays-2026.csv