SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Texas State Holidays 2027: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/texas/2027/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 10 Texas state holidays for 2027, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Texas Holidays 2027 Texas has 11 federal holidays and 10 state holidays in 2027. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2027 holidays in Texas | Holiday | Date | Day of week | Notes | Type | Paid by law? | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | New Year's Day | 2027-01-01 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 2027-01-18 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Confederate Heroes Day (State holiday; agencies stay open with a skeleton crew) | 2027-01-19 | Tuesday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Washington's Birthday | 2027-02-15 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Texas Independence Day (State holiday; agencies stay open with a skeleton crew) | 2027-03-02 | Tuesday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Good Friday (Optional state holiday, taken in place of a skeleton-crew holiday) | 2027-03-26 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Easter Sunday | 2027-03-28 | Sunday | | Observance | Not a day off | | Cesar Chavez Day (Optional state holiday, taken in place of a skeleton-crew holiday) | 2027-03-31 | Wednesday | | State | Not required for private employers | | San Jacinto Day (State holiday; agencies stay open with a skeleton crew) | 2027-04-21 | Wednesday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Memorial Day | 2027-05-31 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Juneteenth | 2027-06-19 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Fri Jun 18. State agencies stay open with a skeleton crew; Texas state offices don't move it to a weekday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Independence Day | 2027-07-04 | Sunday | Falls on a Sunday. Observed Mon Jul 5. Texas state offices don't move it to a weekday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (State holiday; agencies stay open with a skeleton crew) | 2027-08-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Labor Day | 2027-09-06 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Columbus Day | 2027-10-11 | Monday | Not a Texas state holiday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Yom Kippur (Optional state holiday (Gov't Code 662.003(c))) | 2027-10-11 | Monday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Veterans Day | 2027-11-11 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Thanksgiving Day | 2027-11-25 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Day after Thanksgiving | 2027-11-26 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Eve | 2027-12-24 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Day | 2027-12-25 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Fri Dec 24. Texas state offices don't move it to a weekday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Day after Christmas | 2027-12-26 | Sunday | Falls on a Sunday | State | Not required for private employers | | New Year's Day (observed) (Observed for New Year's Day on Sat Jan 1, 2028) | 2027-12-31 | Friday | Texas state offices don't move it to a weekday | Federal | Not required for private employers | ## What employers need to know **Paid holidays.** Texas law doesn't require employers to observe any holidays or to pay employees for holiday time off. If you do offer paid holidays, put the policy in writing: Texas payday law enforces what the written policy says. **Working on a holiday.** In Texas, holiday pay for an employee who works on the holiday is required only if your written policy expressly promises it. Spell out in the policy what happens when someone works a paid holiday. **Holidays and overtime.** The Texas Workforce Commission advises employers not to count paid holiday hours as hours worked for overtime or FMLA eligibility. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. Texas state offices don't close on another day when a state or national holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** Texas has no law requiring PTO payout at termination. Employers are required to pay unused PTO to a departing employee only if a policy, employment contract or established practice provides for it. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/texas/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** Texas law doesn't require private employers to offer sick leave, paid or unpaid. Dallas, Austin and San Antonio passed their own paid sick leave laws, but the state prevented them from taking effect. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/texas/#sick-leave-in-texas) Full rules: Texas leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/texas/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2027 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Texas. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Texas state offices close for: Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day after Christmas. Take all 12 suggested PTO days and you get **49 days off across 12 breaks**, including 11 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - Take Wednesday, November 24 off to get a 5-day break from November 24 to 28 (Thanksgiving Day and Day after Thanksgiving). - Take Monday, January 4 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 1 to 4 (New Year's Day). - Take Friday, January 15 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 15 to 18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). - Take Friday, February 12 off to get a 4-day weekend from February 12 to 15 (Washington's Birthday). - Take Friday, May 28 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 28 to 31 (Memorial Day). - Take Thursday, June 17 off to get a 4-day weekend from June 17 to 20 (Juneteenth). - Take Friday, July 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from July 2 to 5 (Independence Day). - Take Friday, September 3 off to get a 4-day weekend from September 3 to 6 (Labor Day). - Take Friday, October 8 off to get a 4-day weekend from October 8 to 11 (Columbus Day). - Take Friday, November 12 off to get a 4-day weekend from November 11 to 14 (Veterans Day). - Take Thursday, December 23 off to get a 4-day weekend from December 23 to 26 (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Day after Christmas). - Take Thursday, December 30 off to get a 4-day weekend from December 30 to January 2 (New Year's Day). ## When Texas teams take time off The 5 weeks when the most Texas employees using Vacation Tracker were off, compared with an average week. - Dec 27 – Jan 2 (Week 52): 1.7× a normal week - Jul 26 – Aug 1 (Week 30): 1.6× a normal week - Aug 2 – 8 (Week 31): 1.4× a normal week - May 31 – Jun 6 (Week 22): 1.4× a normal week - May 24 – 30 (Week 21): 1.3× a normal week ## How Texas holidays differ **State holidays.** Texas has 10 holidays of its own in 2027 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; no other state has more. **Only in Texas.** Only Texas has Confederate Heroes Day, Texas Independence Day, Cesar Chavez Day, San Jacinto Day, Lyndon Baines Johnson Day and Yom Kippur as holidays in 2027. **Shared with a few states.** Christmas Eve is also a state holiday in Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Day after Christmas is also a state holiday in South Carolina. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for Texas state employees: Columbus Day. Neighboring states in 2027: - [Arkansas](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/arkansas/2027/): 1 holiday of its own - [Louisiana](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/louisiana/2027/): 2 holidays of its own - [New Mexico](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/new-mexico/2027/): 2 holidays of its own - [Oklahoma](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/oklahoma/2027/): 2 holidays of its own Compare all 50 states and DC: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/2027/#compare ## Frequently asked questions Q: Do private employers in Texas have to give paid holidays? No. The Texas Workforce Commission says Texas law doesn't require employers to observe any holidays or to pay employees for holiday time off. Q: What are the Texas state holidays in 2027? In 2027, Texas has the 11 federal holidays and 10 state holidays: Confederate Heroes Day (January 19), Texas Independence Day (March 2), Good Friday (March 26), Cesar Chavez Day (March 31), San Jacinto Day (April 21), Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (August 27), Yom Kippur (October 11), Day after Thanksgiving (November 26), Christmas Eve (December 24) and Day after Christmas (December 26). Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but not a Texas state holiday. Q: Is Juneteenth a Texas state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a Texas state holiday, where it's called Emancipation Day in Texas. In 2027 it falls on Saturday, June 19, and federal offices observe it on Friday, June 18. State agencies stay open with a skeleton crew. Texas state offices don't move it to a weekday. Q: Is Columbus Day a Texas state holiday? No. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but it isn't a Texas state holiday. In 2027 it falls on Monday, October 11. Texas marks October 11 as Yom Kippur, a Texas state holiday. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Texas? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 26) is a Texas state holiday. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in Texas have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Only if your written policy promises it. The Texas Workforce Commission says holiday pay is required only when the written policy expressly promises it, including for employees who work that day. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Texas? No. The Texas Workforce Commission tells employers not to count paid holiday hours as hours worked for overtime purposes. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Texas? Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. Texas state offices don't close on another day when a state or national holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday. In 2027, Juneteenth falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, June 18; Independence Day falls on a Sunday and is observed on Monday, July 5; Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 24; Day after Christmas falls on a Sunday. ## Sources - State of Texas Holiday Schedule - Fiscal 2027 (Comptroller): https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/holidays.php - TDCJ – Holiday Schedule for State Employees FY 2027: https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/divisions/hr/hr-home/holiday27.html - State of Texas Holiday Schedule - Fiscal 2026 (Comptroller): https://comptroller.texas.gov/about/holidays-fy26.php - Official Texas State Holidays – Texas State Library: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/holidays - Texas Government Code ch. 662 (holidays): https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.662.htm - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Holiday Policies | Texas Guidebook for Employers (Texas Workforce Commission): https://efte.twc.texas.gov/holiday_policies.html 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/texas-holidays-2027.csv