SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: South Carolina State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/south-carolina/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 4 South Carolina state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # South Carolina Holidays 2026 South Carolina 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 South Carolina | 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 | | Confederate Memorial Day | 2026-05-11 | Monday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Memorial Day | 2026-05-25 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Juneteenth | 2026-06-19 | Friday | Not a South Carolina state 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 | Not a South Carolina state holiday | 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 | | 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 | | Day after Christmas | 2026-12-26 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Mon Dec 28 | State | Not required for private employers | | New Year's Eve | 2026-12-31 | Thursday | | Commonly given | Not required | ## What employers need to know **Paid holidays.** South Carolina law does not require private employers to give holiday pay. If you choose to offer it, you must give employees written notice of the policy and follow it. **Working on a holiday.** Federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require overtime pay just because an employee works on a holiday. Overtime is owed for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. **No state overtime law.** South Carolina has no state law on minimum wage or overtime pay. Those rules come from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, enforced by the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** South Carolina employers must include accrued, unused vacation in final wages only if company policy or the employment contract requires it. State law gives no clear directive when the policy or contract is silent. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/south-carolina/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** South Carolina has not passed a paid sick leave law and doesn't mandate paid or unpaid sick days. Employers that decide to offer sick days must stick to their company policy or employment agreement. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/south-carolina/#sick-leave-in-south-carolina) Full rules: South Carolina leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/south-carolina/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in South Carolina. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days South Carolina state offices close for: Confederate Memorial Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day after Christmas. Take all 13 suggested PTO days and you get **52 days off across 12 breaks**, including 9 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - Take Wednesday, December 23 off to get a 6-day break from December 23 to 28 (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Day after Christmas). - Take Wednesday, November 25 off to get a 5-day break from November 25 to 29 (Thanksgiving Day and Day after Thanksgiving). - 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 8 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 8 to 11 (Confederate Memorial Day). - 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 US teams take time off The national pattern from Vacation Tracker data. We don't have enough South Carolina 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 South Carolina holidays differ **State holidays.** South Carolina 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.** Confederate Memorial Day is also a state holiday in Alabama and Mississippi. Day after Christmas is also a state holiday in Texas. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for South Carolina state employees: Juneteenth and Columbus Day. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Georgia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/georgia/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [North Carolina](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/north-carolina/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 South Carolina have to give paid holidays? No. No South Carolina law requires holiday pay, but if you offer it, you must give employees written notice of the policy and follow it. Q: What are the South Carolina state holidays in 2026? In 2026, South Carolina has the 11 federal holidays and 4 state holidays: Confederate Memorial Day (May 11), Day after Thanksgiving (November 27), Christmas Eve (December 24) and Day after Christmas (December 26). Juneteenth and Columbus Day are federal holidays, but not South Carolina state holidays. Q: Is Juneteenth a South Carolina state holiday? No. Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but it isn't a South Carolina state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a South Carolina state holiday? No. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but it isn't a South Carolina state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in South Carolina? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is a South Carolina state holiday. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in South Carolina have to pay extra for working on a holiday? No. South Carolina has no state overtime law, and federal law (the FLSA) doesn't require overtime pay for holiday work as such; overtime is owed for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in South Carolina? No, under federal law (the FLSA), which governs overtime in South Carolina. Paid time off for a holiday isn't hours worked, so it doesn't have to be counted toward overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in South Carolina? 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; Day after Christmas falls on a Saturday and is observed on Monday, December 28. ## Sources - Holiday Leave - SC Department of Administration (2026 & 2027 Holiday Schedule): https://admin.sc.gov/services/state-human-resources/benefits-and-leave/holiday-leave - Legal Holidays in S.C. (Code §53-5-10) - SC Legislative Manual: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/man25/34_LegalHolidays.pdf - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - S.C. Wages and Child Labor brochure | SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: https://llr.sc.gov/wage/pdf/lsbro.pdf - 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 - Employee/Employer Rights and Responsibilities Under S.C. and Federal Law | SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: https://llr.sc.gov/wage/pdf/employee.pdf - 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/south-carolina-holidays-2026.csv