Tools · Holiday pay
Holiday pay calculator
Holiday pay is your hourly rate times the hours worked on the holiday, times any holiday premium, plus any paid holiday hours. Federal law requires neither the premium nor the paid day; overtime still applies to hours worked over 40 in the week.
Pay for the holiday
$240.008 hours at time and a half ($30.00 an hour)
| Hours worked, straight time8 h × $20.00 | $160.00 |
|---|---|
| Holiday premium8 h × $10.00 extra | $80.00 |
| Paid holiday hours0 h × $20.00 | $0.00 |
| Effective hourly on the holidayHoliday pay ÷ hours worked that day | $30.00 |
| Hours worked that weekPaid holiday hours not worked are not counted | 40 h |
|---|---|
| Overtime hoursHours worked over 40 | 0 h |
| Overtime still owedNo overtime: 40 hours or fewer worked | $0.00 |
| Gross pay for the weekOther hours at straight time + holiday pay + overtime owed | $880.00 |
Assumes one hourly rate for all work and no other pay that week. Federal law sets the floor; your state, contract or employer policy can require more.
Worked example
How holiday pay is calculated
A worker earning $20.00 an hour works 8 hours on a holiday. The employer pays time and a half for holiday work and also gives 8 hours of holiday pay on top.
- Straight time: 8 h × $20.00 = $160.00.
- Holiday premium: 8 h × $10.00 = $80.00, so the hours worked pay $240.00.
- Paid holiday hours: 8 h × $20.00 = $160.00.
- Pay for the holiday: $400.00, or $50.00 for each hour worked.
With 32 other hours that week, the worker has 40 hours worked; the 8 paid holiday hours are not counted, so no overtime is due and the week grosses $1,040.00. With 40 other hours, the 8 holiday hours are overtime: $80.00 of half-time is due, and the $80.00 holiday premium is credited against it, so nothing more is owed and the week grosses $1,200.00.
For overtime outside holidays, see the overtime calculator and the time and a half calculator.
Federal law and states
Is holiday pay required?
Under federal law, no. State rules in our dataset are listed below.
No pay is required for a holiday not worked. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as holidays; paid holidays are a matter of agreement between employer and employee. It also does not require employers to give holidays off.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Holiday Pay
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).
- Source
- agency page
Verified October 3, 2026
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, elaws FLSA Hours Worked Advisor
The Fair Labor Standards Act [does] not require employers to give their employees time off for holidays, vacations, or sick leave - either with or without pay.
- Source
- agency page
Verified October 3, 2026
No premium is required for working a holiday. The FLSA does not require overtime pay for work on holidays as such. Time and a half is due only for hours worked over 40 in the workweek.
Source: 29 U.S.C. § 207
Unless specifically exempted, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay. There is no limit in the Act on the number of hours employees aged 16 and older may work in any workweek. The Act does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, as such.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
Verified September 26, 2026
Paid holiday hours do not count toward overtime. Time off for a holiday, even when paid, is not hours worked and need not be counted toward the 40 hours. Pay for that time stays out of the regular rate and cannot be credited toward overtime owed.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, elaws FLSA Hours Worked Advisor
If your employer allows you to take time off for a holiday, a vacation, or because you are sick, the time off, even though you are paid for the time, is not hours worked and need not be included in the total hours worked for overtime purposes.
- Source
- agency page
Verified October 3, 2026
Source: 29 C.F.R. § 778.218(a)
Payments which are made for occasional periods when the employee is not at work due to vacation, holiday, illness, failure of the employer to provide sufficient work, or other similar cause, where the payments are in amounts approximately equivalent to the employee's normal earnings for a similar period of time, are not made as compensation for his hours of employment. Therefore, such payments may be excluded from the regular rate of pay under section 7(e)(2) of the Act and, for the same reason, no part of such payments may be credited toward overtime compensation due under the Act.
- Source
- regulation
Verified October 3, 2026
A premium of time and a half or more counts as overtime pay. Extra pay for holiday work at 1.5× or more can be credited toward overtime owed that week. A premium under 1.5× must be included in the regular rate instead.
Source: 29 C.F.R. § 778.203
Under section 7(e)(6) and 7(h) of the Act, extra compensation provided by a Premium rate of at least time and one-half which is paid for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest or on the sixth or seventh day of the workweek (hereinafter referred to as “special days”) may be treated as an overtime premium for the purposes of the Act. If the premium rate is less than time and one-half, the extra compensation provided by such rate must be included in determining the employee's regular rate of pay and cannot be credited toward statutory overtime due, unless it qualifies as an overtime premium under section 7(e)(5).
- Source
- regulation
Verified October 3, 2026
State rules on holiday work
States in our dataset with a rule on holiday work. Other states may have rules we have not yet recorded.
Rhode Island. Work performed on Sundays and holidays must generally be paid at least 1.5 times the normal rate, except for employer classes exempted by statute or DLT regulation.
Source: 260-RICR-30-05-2
The purpose of § 2.6 of this Part is to identify classes of employers, either because of the nature of their operations or their size, that are exempt from the requirement that work performed by employees on Sundays and holidays must be paid for at least one and one half (1 1/2) times the normal rate of pay for the work performed.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 27, 2026
- Notes
- R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 25-3 (Work on Holidays and Sundays); 260-RICR-30-05-2 § 2.6 lists the exempt employer classes.
Verified September 27, 2026
Massachusetts. Under the Massachusetts minimum fair wage law, an employer does not have to pay extra for weekend, holiday or night work.
Source
Extra pay for weekend, holiday, or night work Under the minimum fair wage law, an employer does not have to pay extra for weekend, holiday, or night work.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
- Notes
- The retail Sunday and holiday premium under M.G.L. c. 136 was phased out by Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2018 (ended January 1, 2023).
Verified September 27, 2026
Connecticut. Employers must pay 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek; Connecticut requires no daily, weekend or holiday overtime unless agreed.
Source
Each employer shall pay 1-1/2 times the employee's regular rate of pay after 40 hours in the workweek. Overtime pay is due for actual hours worked over 40. No requirement to pay overtime on a daily basis, weekends, or holidays except by agreement.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
- Notes
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-76c. The restaurant and hotel wage order (Regs. § 31-62-E) also requires 1.5 times the minimum rate for all time worked on the seventh consecutive day.
Verified September 26, 2026
Illinois. Non-exempt employees must be paid 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek; working a holiday or Sunday earns no premium unless it pushes hours past 40 or the employer's policy promises one.
Source
You are entitled to pay at time and one-half your regular rate of pay if you worked over 40 hours in a workweek. You will need to ask your employer for their definition of a workweek. For more information, visit the Minimum Wage/Overtime Law page. (820 ILCS 105/4a (1)) (56 Ill. Adm. Code 210.400) Does my employer have to pay me time and one half or double time for working a legal holiday or a Sunday? No. If working the legal holiday or Sunday puts you over 40 hours in a workweek, then your employer must pay you at time and one-half of your regular rate of pay for those hours over 40. However, if your employer's policy allows for payment of time and one half or double time, then the employer must honor the agreement.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
New Jersey. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours of actual work in a seven-day workweek; New Jersey requires no daily, holiday, Saturday or Sunday overtime.
Source
A. Overtime is paid at the rate of time and one half after forty hours of actual work in a seven-day workweek, with the exception of certain salaried employees who meet the definition of an executive, administrative or professional. Q. Does my employer have to pay me overtime or double time for working on a holiday, Saturday, or Sunday? A. No. Overtime must be paid at a rate of time and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay for each hour actually worked in excess of 40 hours in the workweek.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
North Dakota. Employees must be paid 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a week; paid holidays, paid time off and sick leave do not count toward overtime hours.
Source: N.D. Admin. Code ch. 46-02-07 (Minimum Wage and Work Conditions Order)
4. Overtime pay must be paid at one and one-half times the regular rate of pay to any employee for hours worked in excess of forty hours in any one week. Paid holidays, paid time off, or sick leave are not counted in computing overtime hours. Overtime is computed on a weekly basis
- Source
- statute
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
2026 and 2027
Federal holidays this year and next
The eleven legal public holidays. When one falls on a weekend, most federal employees get the nearest weekday off.
| Holiday | Date | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu, January 1 | Same day |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Mon, January 19 | Same day |
| Washington's Birthday | Mon, February 16 | Same day |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 25 | Same day |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Fri, June 19 | Same day |
| Independence Day | Sat, July 4 | Fri, July 3 |
| Labor Day | Mon, September 7 | Same day |
| Columbus Day | Mon, October 12 | Same day |
| Veterans Day | Wed, November 11 | Same day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, November 26 | Same day |
| Christmas Day | Fri, December 25 | Same day |
| Holiday | Date | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fri, January 1 | Same day |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Mon, January 18 | Same day |
| Washington's Birthday | Mon, February 15 | Same day |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 31 | Same day |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Sat, June 19 | Fri, June 18 |
| Independence Day | Sun, July 4 | Mon, July 5 |
| Labor Day | Mon, September 6 | Same day |
| Columbus Day | Mon, October 11 | Same day |
| Veterans Day | Thu, November 11 | Same day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, November 25 | Same day |
| Christmas Day | Sat, December 25 | Fri, December 24 |
These are the holidays for federal employees. Private employers are not required to observe them and set their own holiday calendars.
Source: 5 U.S.C. § 6103(a)
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
- statute
Verified October 3, 2026
Source: OPM, Federal Holidays (5 U.S.C. § 6103(b); Executive Order 11582)
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. 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.
- Source
- agency page
Verified October 3, 2026
4 questions
Questions
How much is holiday pay?
It depends on the employer's policy or contract. Federal law does not require pay for a holiday you take off or a premium for working one. Where an employer pays a premium it is set as a multiple of the hourly rate: at $20.00 an hour, 8 hours at time and a half (1.5×) is $240.00 and 8 hours at double time (2×) is $320.00. Paid holiday hours for a day off, where an employer gives them, are added on top at the regular rate.
Is holiday pay time and a half?
Not under federal law. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require premium pay for work on holidays as such; time and a half is required only for hours worked over 40 in the workweek. Rhode Island is an exception: work performed on Sundays and holidays must generally be paid at least 1.5 times the normal rate, except for employer classes exempted by statute or DLT regulation. Elsewhere, a holiday premium comes from employer policy or a contract.
Does holiday pay count toward overtime?
Hours paid for a holiday you do not work are not hours worked, so they do not count toward the 40 hours for federal overtime, and that pay cannot be credited toward overtime owed. Hours you do work on a holiday count like any other hours. A holiday premium of at least time and a half can be credited toward overtime owed that week; a smaller premium goes into the regular rate used to calculate overtime.
Do private employers have to give federal holidays off?
No. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to give time off for holidays, paid or unpaid. The legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. § 6103 set the days off for federal employees; private employers choose their own holidays.
Tools
Other calculators
- Hourly to salary calculatorTurn an hourly wage into yearly, monthly, biweekly, weekly and daily pay, and see how it compares to minimum wages.
- Salary to hourly calculatorTurn a yearly salary into an hourly rate and monthly, biweekly, weekly and daily pay.
- Pay raise calculatorWork out new pay from a raise in percent or dollars, or the raise percent from a new hourly rate or salary.
- Overtime calculatorWeekly pay with overtime and double time under federal law or any state's overtime rule, including daily overtime.
- Time and a half calculatorTime-and-a-half and double-time rates for any hourly wage, and the pay for a number of overtime hours.
- No tax on overtime calculatorEstimate the federal overtime deduction (2025 to 2028): the qualified premium, the cap and income phase-out, and the income tax it saves.
- PTO accrual calculatorWork out paid time off or sick leave earned per pay period, per year and to date, with caps, or start from a state's paid sick leave rule.