Is Easter a Federal Holiday? No — March 28, 2027
No, Easter is not a federal holiday: 5 U.S.C. 6103(a) lists 11 legal public holidays and Easter is not one of them. In 2027 Easter is Sunday, March 28 (computed with the Gregorian computus). Neither 6103(a) nor OPM's 2027 table lists it, and it is on no Federal Reserve, USPS or NYSE holiday list.
The number of days to Sunday, March 28, 2027 appears here once the page loads in your browser.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Federal sources checked November 1, 2026 · Methodology & sources
All dates for the year: federal holidays 2027. To check any other day, use the federal holiday checker.
The law: what 5 U.S.C. 6103(a) says about Easter
5 U.S.C. 6103(a), quoted below, lists the legal public holidays. There are 11, and Easter is not one of them. OPM's federal holidays tables for 2026 through 2030 have no row for Easter either.
(a) The following are legal public holidays: New Year's Day, January 1. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday in January. Washington's Birthday, the third Monday in February. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May. Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19. Independence Day, July 4. Labor Day, the first Monday in September. Columbus Day, the second Monday in October. Veterans Day, November 11. Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November. Christmas Day, December 25.
Source: 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays (GovInfo), OPM: Federal Holidays (2026 to 2030 tables)
Who gets the day off on Easter 2027
Easter is not a legal public holiday, so it does not change a federal employee's holiday schedule. The table shows what the Federal Reserve, USPS, NYSE and SIFMA lists say for Sunday, March 28, 2027; each row names its source.
OPM's rule for a holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday, quoted below, applies to legal public holidays. Easter is not in 6103(a) or in OPM's tables, so the rule does not apply to it.
If a holiday falls on a Saturday, for most Federal employees, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).) If a holiday falls on a Sunday, for most Federal employees, the following Monday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. (See Section 3(a) of Executive Order 11582, February 11, 1971.)
| Who | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Federal offices and agencies | Normal schedule (no holiday listed) | Easter Sunday (Sunday, March 28, 2027) is not in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a) and has no row in OPM's 2027 holiday table, so federal offices keep their normal schedule for a Sunday.Source: OPM: Federal Holidays (2026 to 2030 tables), 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays (GovInfo) |
| Federal Reserve Banks | Normal schedule (no holiday listed) | Easter Sunday is not on the Federal Reserve Financial Services holiday schedule or the Board's K.8 table, so Federal Reserve Banks keep their normal schedule for a Sunday. Whether a bank or credit union branch is open is up to each bank: each bank sets its own hours, so check with yours.Source: Federal Reserve Financial Services: Holiday Schedules, Federal Reserve Board: Holidays Observed (K.8) |
| USPS Post Offices and delivery | Normal schedule (no holiday listed) | USPS's 2027 holidays page does not list Easter Sunday. USPS says: "Regular mail delivery occurs Monday through Saturday, with the exception of postal holidays." Confirm local Post Office hours with USPS.Source: USPS: holidays and events, USPS FAQ: No mail delivery? |
| Stock market (NYSE) | Normal schedule (no holiday listed) | NYSE's 2027 holiday list does not list Easter Sunday. This page covers NYSE; check your exchange or broker for its own calendar.Source: NYSE: holidays and trading hours |
| Bond market (SIFMA) | Normal schedule (no holiday listed) | SIFMA's 2027 holiday recommendations do not list Easter Sunday.Source: SIFMA: U.S. holiday schedule |
To check another day, use the bank holiday checker, Post Office holiday checker or the stock market holidays list.
Source: OPM: Federal Holidays (2026 to 2030 tables), Federal Reserve Financial Services: Holiday Schedules, Federal Reserve Board: Holidays Observed (K.8), USPS: holidays and events, NYSE: holidays and trading hours, SIFMA: U.S. holiday schedule
Private employers and holiday pay
Federal holiday law covers federal employees, and Easter is not on its list. Whether a private employer gives Easter off or pays for it is generally a matter of agreement. The U.S. Department of Labor says this about holiday pay, and about government contracts:
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays (federal or otherwise). These benefits are generally a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee's representative).
On a government contract to which the labor standards of the McNamara O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) apply, holiday and/or vacation fringe benefit requirements are stated in the SCA wage determinations in contracts that exceed $2,500. On a government contract to which the labor standards of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts apply, holiday pay and/or vacation pay is required for specific classifications of workers only if the Davis-Bacon wage determination in the covered contract specifies such requirements for workers employed in those classifications.
Federal premium pay for holiday work, quoted below, applies to work on a holiday designated by Federal statute, Executive order, or (for District of Columbia government employees) by order of the District of Columbia Council. Easter is not in 6103(a) or OPM's tables; ask your HR office which pay rules apply to your schedule.
(b) An employee who performs work on a holiday designated by Federal statute, Executive order, or with respect to an employee of the government of the District of Columbia, by order of the District of Columbia Council, is entitled to pay at the rate of his basic pay, plus premium pay at a rate equal to the rate of his basic pay, for that holiday work which is not— (1) in excess of 8 hours; or (2) overtime work as defined by section 5542(a) of this title.
Pay periods and pay dates: 2027 federal pay period calendar.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Holiday Pay, 5 U.S.C. 5546: Pay for Sunday and holiday work (GovInfo)
Easter dates, 2027 to 2030
Easter Sunday changes every year. Every date in the table is computed with the Gregorian computus; the rows are labeled as computed.
| Year | Easter | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | Computed: Gregorian computus |
| 2028 | Sunday, April 16, 2028 | Computed: Gregorian computus |
| 2029 | Sunday, April 1, 2029 | Computed: Gregorian computus |
| 2030 | Sunday, April 21, 2030 | Computed: Gregorian computus |
Source: OPM: Federal Holidays (2026 to 2030 tables), NYSE: holidays and trading hours
How the Easter date is computed
Easter Sunday 2027 is Sunday, March 28, 2027. We computed it with the Gregorian computus, a calendar rule, not a figure from an agency. As a check, NYSE lists Good Friday 2027 on Friday, March 26, 2027, two days before Sunday, March 28, 2027; NYSE's 2026 and 2025 Good Friday dates also sit two days before the computed Easter dates.
Easter is always a Sunday. The OPM weekend rule quoted above is about a legal public holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Easter is not in 6103(a), so nothing in 6103(a) makes Monday, March 29, 2027 a holiday.
The computation matches known Easter dates for 2024 through 2030, and for every year from 1900 through 2100 it returns a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. The table lists Easter Sunday, the Friday two days before it, and whether NYSE publishes that Friday as a closure.
| Year | Easter Sunday (computed) | Good Friday | Good Friday basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | Friday, March 26, 2027 | NYSE 2027 holiday list |
| 2028 | Sunday, April 16, 2028 | Friday, April 14, 2028 | NYSE 2028 holiday calendar |
| 2029 | Sunday, April 1, 2029 | Friday, March 30, 2029 | Computed: Easter Sunday (Gregorian computus) minus 2 days; not an NYSE-published date |
| 2030 | Sunday, April 21, 2030 | Friday, April 19, 2030 | Computed: Easter Sunday (Gregorian computus) minus 2 days; not an NYSE-published date |
Source: NYSE: holidays and trading hours, 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays (GovInfo), OPM: Federal Holidays (2026 to 2030 tables)
More federal holiday questions
Questions
Do federal employees get Easter off?
No, not as a holiday. 5 U.S.C. 6103(a) does not list Easter and OPM's 2027 holiday table has no row for it, so Easter is not a legal public holiday for federal employees. Ask your agency about your own schedule and leave.
Is the post office open on Easter 2027?
USPS's 2027 holidays page does not list Easter Sunday. USPS says: "Regular mail delivery occurs Monday through Saturday, with the exception of postal holidays." Confirm local Post Office hours with USPS.
Is the stock market open on Easter 2027?
Easter 2027 is a Sunday. NYSE's 2027 holiday list does not list Easter Sunday. This page covers NYSE; check your exchange or broker for its own calendar. SIFMA's 2027 holiday recommendations do not list Easter Sunday.
Are Federal Reserve Banks closed on Easter 2027?
Easter Sunday is not on the Federal Reserve Financial Services holiday schedule or the Board's K.8 table, so Federal Reserve Banks keep their normal schedule for a Sunday. Whether a bank or credit union branch is open is up to each bank: each bank sets its own hours, so check with yours.
Do private employers have to give Easter off?
Not under federal law for most private employers. Federal holidays bind federal employees, not private employers. The Department of Labor says: "The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays (federal or otherwise)." On government contracts the rules can differ, and DOL says: "On a government contract to which the labor standards of the McNamara O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) apply, holiday and/or vacation fringe benefit requirements are stated in the SCA wage determinations in contracts that exceed $2,500." The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts can require holiday pay the same way, for specific classifications of workers and only if the wage determination specifies it. Check your employer and state law.
When is Easter 2028?
Easter 2028 is Sunday, April 16, 2028 (computed with the Gregorian computus). It is still not a federal holiday.
How is the date of Easter calculated?
This page computes Easter Sunday with the Gregorian computus and checks it against NYSE's Good Friday dates, which fall two days before. Easter Sunday 2027 is Sunday, March 28, 2027.
Sources: 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays (GovInfo) · 5 U.S.C. 5546: Pay for Sunday and holiday work (GovInfo) · OPM: Federal Holidays (2026 to 2030 tables) · U.S. Department of Labor: Holiday Pay · Federal Reserve Financial Services: Holiday Schedules · Federal Reserve Board: Holidays Observed (K.8) · USPS: holidays and events · USPS FAQ: No mail delivery? · NYSE: holidays and trading hours · SIFMA: U.S. holiday schedule