New Year’s Day 2027 is Friday, January 1, 2027. It is a federal holiday and, because it falls on a Friday, it opens the year with a three-day weekend from January 1 through January 3.
What is closed on January 1, 2027
- Federal offices: closed.
- Post offices: closed; USPS lists Friday, January 1 as a 2027 postal holiday, so there is no regular mail.
- Banks: the Federal Reserve is closed and nearly all banks follow it.
- Stock market: the NYSE is closed.
- State offices, DMVs and schools: closed in every state; most school districts are still on winter break.
New Year’s Eve, Thursday, December 31, 2026, is an ordinary business day for federal offices, banks, the postal service and the stock market.
How the date is set
The holiday is fixed to January 1 by 5 U.S.C. 6103. It has been on the federal list since the first holiday law of 1870, alongside Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Since the date never moves, the weekday does, and New Year’s Day is the one holiday whose observed date can fall in the previous calendar year. That happens next for 2028: January 1 is a Saturday, and federal employees are off on Friday, December 31, 2027.
New Year’s Day dates, 2026–2031
| Year | Date | Day | Federal day off (observed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | January 1 | Thursday | Same day |
| 2027 | January 1 | Friday | Same day |
| 2028 | January 1 | Saturday | Friday, December 31, 2027 |
| 2029 | January 1 | Monday | Same day |
| 2030 | January 1 | Tuesday | Same day |
| 2031* | January 1 | Wednesday | Same day |
*2031: calculated from the statute; not yet published by OPM.
The December 31, 2027 observance
For federal workers, 2027 both starts and ends with a New Year’s day off. The second one, Friday, December 31, 2027, belongs to the 2028 holiday. It is not shared widely outside government: the Federal Reserve Banks open that Friday, and the NYSE has announced that no New Year’s Day holiday is observed in 2028, so the market trades a full session on December 31, 2027. The complete year is on federal holidays 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Is New Year’s Eve a federal holiday?
No. December 31 is a regular workday unless it happens to be the observed date for a Saturday New Year’s Day, as on December 31, 2027.
Is mail delivered on New Year’s Day 2027?
No regular mail is delivered on Friday, January 1, 2027. Normal delivery resumes on Saturday, January 2.
Is January 2, 2027 a holiday?
No. It is a Saturday with normal weekend services.
Why is the stock market open on December 31, 2027?
The NYSE calendar states that because the holiday falls on Saturday, January 1, 2028, no New Year’s Day holiday is observed. The exchange did the same at the end of 2021, when December 31 was a full trading day.
Next on the calendar: Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Last checked: 12 November 2026 — dates verified against OPM