SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Michigan State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/michigan/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 4 Michigan state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Michigan Holidays 2026 Michigan 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 Michigan | 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 | Legal holiday under MCL 435.101, but not a paid holiday for Michigan state employees | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Election Day (Michigan state holiday in even-numbered 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 | | Day after Thanksgiving (State of Michigan offices closed.) | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Eve | 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 | | State | Not required for private employers | ## What employers need to know **Working on a holiday.** Michigan doesn't require employers to pay double time or triple time for holiday work. If your written contract or policy promises holiday premium pay, you must pay it. **Holidays and overtime.** Michigan overtime is weekly: covered employees get at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. **Holiday pay in a written policy.** Michigan's Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefits Act treats holiday pay owed under a written contract or written policy as a fringe benefit, separate from wages. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** Michigan doesn't require PTO payout at termination, but accrued vacation must be paid if the employer's policy or contract requires it or is silent. Employers may deny payout through a policy employees have agreed to in writing. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/michigan/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** Michigan's paid sick leave law covers all employers with one or more employees as of 2025, with 1 hour accrued for every 30 hours worked. Employers with 11 or more employees have a 72-hour annual usage cap. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/michigan/#sick-leave-in-michigan) Full rules: Michigan leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/michigan/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Michigan. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Michigan state offices close for: Election Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Take all 14 suggested PTO days and you get **56 days off across 13 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 Day after Thanksgiving). - Take Wednesday, December 23 off to get a 5-day break from December 23 to 27 (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). - Take Wednesday, December 30 off to get a 5-day break from December 30 to January 3 (New Year's Eve and New Year's 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 Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 off to get a 5-day break from November 7 to 11 (Veterans Day). ## When Michigan teams take time off The 5 weeks when the most Michigan employees using Vacation Tracker were off, compared with an average week. - Jun 29 – Jul 5 (Week 27): 2.8× a normal week - Aug 17 – 23 (Week 34): 1.9× a normal week - Dec 21 – 27 (Week 52): 1.7× a normal week - Sep 14 – 20 (Week 38): 1.6× a normal week - Jul 27 – Aug 2 (Week 31): 1.5× a normal week ## How Michigan holidays differ **State holidays.** Michigan 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. **Shared with a few states.** New Year's Eve is also a state holiday in Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for Michigan state employees: Columbus Day. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Indiana](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/indiana/2026/): 4 holidays of its own - [Ohio](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/ohio/2026/): no holidays of its own - [Wisconsin](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/wisconsin/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 Michigan have to give paid holidays? Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require pay for holidays not worked; it treats holiday pay as a matter of agreement between employer and employee. Q: What are the Michigan state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Michigan has the 11 federal holidays and 4 state holidays: Election Day (November 3), Day after Thanksgiving (November 27), Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year's Eve (December 31). Q: Is Juneteenth a Michigan state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a Michigan state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a Michigan state holiday? Partly. Columbus Day is a federal holiday. Legal holiday under MCL 435.101, but not a paid holiday for Michigan state employees. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Michigan? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is a Michigan state holiday. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in Michigan have to pay extra for working on a holiday? No. Michigan's Wage and Hour Division says employers aren't required to pay double or triple time for holidays, but must pay it if a written contract or policy promises it. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Michigan? Under federal law (the FLSA), paid holiday time off isn't hours worked and doesn't have to be counted toward overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Michigan? 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 - michigan.gov: https://www.michigan.gov/som/government/state-holidays - Michigan LEO memorandum: State of Michigan Observed Holidays Calendar Year 2026: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MILEO/2025/10/22/file_attachments/3431570/Calendar_Year_2026_State%20Holidays_Memorandum-ADA.pdf - Michigan Civil Service Commission Regulation 5.08 Paid Holidays: https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/mdcs/REGS/Reg508.pdf - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity: Wage and Hour FAQs: https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/wage-and-hour/frequently-asked-questions/wage-and-hour/deductions - Michigan Compiled Laws 408.934a (Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, overtime): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-408-934a - Michigan Compiled Laws 408.471 (Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefits Act, definitions): https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-408-471 - Holiday Pay | U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/holidays - 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/michigan-holidays-2026.csv