SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: South Dakota State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/south-dakota/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 1 South Dakota state holiday for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # South Dakota Holidays 2026 South Dakota 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 South Dakota | 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 | Not a South Dakota state holiday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Native Americans' 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 | | Day after Thanksgiving | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | Commonly given | Not required | | 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 **Holiday pay.** South Dakota has no law requiring holiday pay. Whether to offer paid holidays is the employer's decision. **Holidays and overtime.** South Dakota has no state law on overtime or comp time. Overtime is governed by federal law (the FLSA). **Paid leave.** South Dakota has no law requiring paid vacation or sick time. Paid leave is a matter of employer policy. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** South Dakota statutes don't address vacation payout at termination, so employers are free to set their own vacation leave and PTO payout policies. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/south-dakota/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) Full rules: South Dakota leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/south-dakota/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in South Dakota. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days South Dakota state offices close for: Native Americans' Day. Take all 12 suggested PTO days and you get **45 days off across 11 breaks**, including 10 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - 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 Native Americans' Day). - Take Friday, November 27 off to get a 4-day weekend from November 26 to 29 (Thanksgiving 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 South Dakota 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 Dakota holidays differ **State holidays.** South Dakota 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 South Dakota.** Only South Dakota has Native Americans' Day as a holiday in 2026. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for South Dakota state employees: Columbus Day. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Iowa](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/iowa/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Minnesota](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/minnesota/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Montana](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/montana/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Nebraska](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/nebraska/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [North Dakota](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/north-dakota/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Wyoming](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/wyoming/2026/): no 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 Dakota have to give paid holidays? No. South Dakota has no law requiring holiday pay; it's the employer's decision. Q: What are the South Dakota state holidays in 2026? In 2026, South Dakota has the 11 federal holidays and 1 state holiday: Native Americans' Day (October 12). Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but not a South Dakota state holiday. Q: Is Juneteenth a South Dakota state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a South Dakota state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a South Dakota state holiday? No. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but it isn't a South Dakota state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. South Dakota marks October 12 as Native Americans' Day, a South Dakota state holiday. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in South Dakota? No. It isn't a South Dakota state holiday, so private employers don't have to give it. In 2026 it falls on Friday, November 27. Q: Do employers in South Dakota have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Not under federal law. The FLSA doesn't require overtime pay for work on holidays as such; covered non-exempt employees get time and a half for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in South Dakota? Not under federal law. Under the FLSA, paid time off for a holiday isn't hours worked and doesn't have to be counted toward overtime. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in South Dakota? 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 - Schedule of Office Closures for State-recognized Holidays - SD Dept. of Labor & Regulation: https://dlr.sd.gov/holiday_closures.aspx - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Employment Laws - Holiday Pay | South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation: https://dlr.sd.gov/employment_laws/holiday_pay.aspx - Employment Laws - Comp Time and Overtime | South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation: https://dlr.sd.gov/employment_laws/comp_time_overtime.aspx - South Dakota Labor and Employment Laws: What You Need to Know (SD Department of Labor and Regulation, rev. 01/2026): https://dlr.sd.gov/employment_laws/publications/what_need_know_laws.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 - 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-dakota-holidays-2026.csv