What counts as a business day
A business day is a weekday, Monday through Friday, that isn't a holiday. With "weekends only" selected, the calculator counts every Monday to Friday. With federal holidays selected, it also skips the 11 legal public holidays set by federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103), on the day federal employees actually get off.
Federal holidays apply to federal employees, and the Federal Reserve, banks, courts and many employers follow a similar calendar — but not all. Private employers choose their own holidays, and some businesses close on the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve, which aren't federal holidays. Presidents also sometimes give federal employees an extra day off by executive order; those one-off closures aren't included.
The 11 federal holidays and the weekend rule
Fixed-date holidays: New Year's Day (January 1), Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Veterans Day (November 11) and Christmas Day (December 25). Floating holidays: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday (third Monday in January), Washington's Birthday (third Monday in February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Labor Day (first Monday in September), Columbus Day (second Monday in October) and Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November).
When a fixed-date holiday falls on a Saturday, most federal employees get the Friday before off; when it falls on a Sunday, they get the Monday after. In 2026, Independence Day is a Saturday, so the federal holiday is observed on Friday, July 3. When New Year's Day is a Saturday, the day off is Friday, December 31 of the year before — the calculator handles that too.
The 2026 federal holidays, as published by the Office of Personnel Management: January 1, January 19, February 16, May 25, June 19, July 3 (observed), September 7, October 12, November 11, November 26 and December 25.
Counting conventions
When counting the business days between two dates, the default counts both the start and end date, so Monday to Friday of one week is 5 business days — the same convention as spreadsheet functions like NETWORKDAYS. Choose "start date only" to count Monday to Friday as 4.
When adding business days, the start date is day 0 and isn't counted: 1 business day after Friday is Monday. That is how "allow 10 business days" is normally meant. Contracts, courts and agencies can define deadlines differently, so if a deadline matters, check the rule that governs it.
How the count is calculated
Business days = weekdays in the period − observed federal holidays in the periodWeekdays = 5 × full weeks + the weekdays in the remaining 0–6 daysObserved holiday = Friday before if the holiday is a Saturday; Monday after if a Sunday- The period runs from the start date through the end date (or to the day before it with "start date only").
- Observed holidays always fall on a weekday, so each one removes exactly one business day.
Worked examples
- Count business days from Monday, March 2, 2026 through Tuesday, June 30, 2026 (both dates counted).
- That is 121 calendar days. 17 full weeks (119 days) contain 85 weekdays, and the last 2 days, Monday June 29 and Tuesday June 30, add 2 more: 87 weekdays.
- Two federal holidays fall in the period — Memorial Day (Monday, May 25) and Juneteenth (Friday, June 19) — so there are 87 − 2 = 85 business days.
- Adding: 10 business days after Friday, November 20, 2026. Without holidays the answer would be Friday, December 4. Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) is skipped, so the answer is Monday, December 7, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many business days are in 2026?
2026 has 261 weekdays. All 11 federal holidays fall on weekdays once the observed-day rule is applied (Independence Day moves to Friday, July 3), so there are 250 federal business days.
Is a holiday on Saturday observed on Friday?
For most federal employees, yes: a holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed the Friday before, and one on a Sunday is observed the Monday after. Private employers set their own policy.
How many business days is 10 days from today?
Choose "add business days", enter 10, and the calculator skips weekends and (optionally) federal holidays. Ten business days usually spans 14 calendar days, or more when a holiday intervenes.
Does the day after Thanksgiving count as a business day?
For federal purposes, yes — it isn't a federal holiday, so the calculator counts it. Many private employers give it off, so adjust if that matters to you.
Are business days the same as banking days?
Close, but not identical. Banks generally close on federal holidays and weekends, but a bank's own schedule and cutoff times decide when a payment actually processes.
Sources
Last reviewed for 2026. How we calculate.