SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: New Mexico State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/new-mexico/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 1 New Mexico state holiday for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # New Mexico Holidays 2026 New Mexico has 11 federal holidays and 1 state holiday in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in New Mexico | 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 | New Mexico state offices observe it on Friday, November 27 instead | 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 | Not a New Mexico state holiday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Indigenous Peoples' Day | 2026-10-12 | Monday | | 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 | | Presidents' Day (observed) (New Mexico moves Presidents' Day to the day after Thanksgiving) | 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.** No New Mexico statute requires employers to pay holiday, vacation or severance pay, according to the state's Department of Workforce Solutions. **Holidays and overtime.** New Mexico employers can require hourly employees to work overtime, including on a holiday, but must pay time and a half the regular rate for hours over 40 in a seven-day period. **Paid sick leave is required.** New Mexico's Healthy Workplaces Act requires employers in the state to provide earned sick leave, which is separate from any holidays you give. You don't have to pay out unused earned sick leave when an employee leaves. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** New Mexico law doesn't require payout of unused benefits. But if an employer's PTO policy lets employees accrue vacation or other PTO, the unused amount counts as earned wages and must be paid in the final paycheck. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/new-mexico/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) Full rules: New Mexico leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/new-mexico/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in New Mexico. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days New Mexico state offices close for: Indigenous Peoples' Day and Presidents' Day (observed) (November 27). Take all 12 suggested PTO days and you get **46 days off across 11 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 Presidents' 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 and Indigenous Peoples' 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico holidays differ **State holidays.** New Mexico has 1 holiday of its own in 2026 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; 35 have more and 4 have fewer. **Only in New Mexico.** Only New Mexico has Presidents' Day (observed) as a holiday in 2026. **Shared with a few states.** Indigenous Peoples' Day is also a state holiday in the District of Columbia, Maine and Vermont. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for New Mexico state employees: Columbus Day. New Mexico state offices observe Washington's Birthday on November 27. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Arizona](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/arizona/2026/): no holidays of its own - [Colorado](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/colorado/2026/): 3 holidays of its own - [Oklahoma](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/oklahoma/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Texas](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/texas/2026/): 10 holidays 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 New Mexico have to give paid holidays? No. New Mexico's Department of Workforce Solutions says no statute requires employers to pay holiday, vacation or severance pay. Earned sick leave under the Healthy Workplaces Act is a separate requirement. Q: What are the New Mexico state holidays in 2026? In 2026, New Mexico has the 11 federal holidays and 1 state holiday: Indigenous Peoples' Day (October 12). New Mexico state offices observe Washington's Birthday on Friday, November 27 instead of its federal date. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but not a New Mexico state holiday. Q: Is Juneteenth a New Mexico state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a New Mexico state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a New Mexico state holiday? No. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but it isn't a New Mexico state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. New Mexico marks October 12 as Indigenous Peoples' Day, a New Mexico state holiday. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in New Mexico? No. It isn't a New Mexico state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, November 27. Q: Do employers in New Mexico have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require extra pay for work on holidays as such; holiday hours only earn overtime when they push an employee past 40 hours in the workweek. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in New Mexico? Under federal law (the FLSA), a paid holiday the employee takes off is not hours worked, so it doesn't have to count toward overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in New Mexico? 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 - NM State Personnel Office - 2026 Paid Holiday Schedule: https://www.spo.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2026-Paid-Holiday-Schedule-1.pdf - New Mexico State Personnel Office: General Memorandum 2025-015 (2026 holiday schedule): https://www.spo.state.nm.us/2025/12/12/general-memorandum-2025-015/ - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Overview of Labor Law (FAQ) | New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions: https://www.dws.state.nm.us/Portals/0/DM/LaborRelations/labor%20law%20FAQs.pdf - 11.1.6 NMAC, Healthy Workplaces Act rules | New Mexico State Records Center and Archives: https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title11/11.001.0006.html - 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 - 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/new-mexico-holidays-2026.csv