SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: West Virginia State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/west-virginia/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 6 West Virginia state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # West Virginia Holidays 2026 West Virginia has 11 federal holidays and 6 state holidays in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in West Virginia | 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 | | Primary Election Day (Statewide primary election day is a West Virginia legal holiday) | 2026-05-12 | Tuesday | | 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 West Virginia state holiday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | West Virginia Day | 2026-06-20 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Fri Jun 19 | State | 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 | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Election Day (General election day is a WV legal holiday) | 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 | | Lincoln's Day | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Eve (Half day off for state employees) | 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 (Half day off for state employees) | 2026-12-31 | Thursday | | State | Not required for private employers | ## What employers need to know **Paid holidays.** West Virginia's Wage Payment and Collection Act doesn't require fringe benefits such as paid holidays. If you offer them, you must set the terms in a written policy and tell employees those terms in writing. **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. **Paid holidays and overtime.** Under West Virginia's overtime law, paid holiday hours aren't hours worked. An employee who works 40 hours and also gets 8 hours of holiday pay is owed no overtime for that week. **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** West Virginia has no law requiring payout of accrued, unused vacation at termination. Employers can still be responsible for paying it if a company policy requires it. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/west-virginia/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** West Virginia doesn't have a sick leave law, so beyond federal FMLA, employers aren't required to provide sick leave benefits. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/west-virginia/#sick-leave-in-west-virginia) Full rules: West Virginia leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/west-virginia/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in West Virginia. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days West Virginia state offices close for: Primary Election Day, West Virginia Day, Election Day and Lincoln's Day. Take all 14 suggested PTO days and you get **54 days off across 13 breaks**, including 11 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 Lincoln'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 Monday, May 11 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 9 to 12 (Primary Election 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 and West Virginia Day). - 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 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia holidays differ **State holidays.** West Virginia has 6 holidays of its own in 2026 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; 2 have more and 48 have fewer. **Only in West Virginia.** Only West Virginia has West Virginia Day and Lincoln's Day as holidays in 2026. **Shared with a few states.** Primary Election Day is also a state holiday in Indiana and Wisconsin. New Year's Eve is also a state holiday in Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for West Virginia state employees: Juneteenth. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Kentucky](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/kentucky/2026/): 5 holidays of its own - [Maryland](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/maryland/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Ohio](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/ohio/2026/): no holidays of its own - [Pennsylvania](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/pennsylvania/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Virginia](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/virginia/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 West Virginia have to give paid holidays? No. West Virginia's Wage Payment and Collection Act doesn't require fringe benefits, which include holidays. If you offer paid holidays, the terms must be in a written policy that employees are told about in writing. Q: What are the West Virginia state holidays in 2026? In 2026, West Virginia has the 11 federal holidays and 6 state holidays: Primary Election Day (May 12), West Virginia Day (June 20), Election Day (November 3), Lincoln's Day (November 27), Christmas Eve (December 24) and New Year's Eve (December 31). Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but not a West Virginia state holiday. Q: Is Juneteenth a West Virginia state holiday? No. Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but it isn't a West Virginia state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a West Virginia state holiday? Yes. Columbus Day is a federal holiday and a West Virginia state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in West Virginia? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is a West Virginia state holiday, Lincoln's Day. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in West Virginia have to pay extra for working on a holiday? Not under federal law. The FLSA doesn't require overtime pay for holiday work as such; overtime is owed only for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. In West Virginia's own example, an employee who works a regular 8-hour shift on a paid holiday and 40 hours that week is owed no overtime. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in West Virginia? No. Under West Virginia's overtime law, holiday pay and other paid leave aren't hours worked, so they don't count toward the 40 hours. Federal law (the FLSA) treats paid holiday time the same way. Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in West Virginia? Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. In 2026, West Virginia Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, June 19; Independence Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, July 3. ## Sources - W. Va. Code §2-2-1 Legal holidays: https://code.wvlegislature.gov/2-2-1/ - WV Division of Personnel - Paid Leave Information (Holidays section): https://personnel.wv.gov/employee-resources/paid-leave-information-and-forms - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - WPCA Fact Sheet 8: When Employee Fringe Benefits are Considered Wages | West Virginia Division of Labor: https://labor.wv.gov/media/47/download?inline= - 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 - Overtime Wages Fact Sheet 2: State Overtime Requirements | West Virginia Division of Labor: https://labor.wv.gov/media/45/download?inline= 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/west-virginia-holidays-2026.csv