Work Days in a Year Calculator
2026 has 261 weekdays and 250 work days after US federal holidays. Pick any year, remove the holidays your company observes, add your PTO, and get your exact number of working days and hours.
Total work days in 2026
250
2,000 work hours at 8 hours/day
Calendar days
365
Weekend days
104
Holidays
11
Avg days/month
20.8
Planning capacity around working days? HiveDesk tracks attendance, leave, and actual hours worked across your team.
Track it automatically →How Many Work Days Are in 2026?
2026 has 365 calendar days. It starts on a Thursday and ends on a Thursday, which gives it 52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays, or 104 weekend days. That leaves 261 weekdays.
All 11 US federal holidays land on, or are observed on, a weekday in 2026. Subtract them and you get 250 work days. At 8 hours a day that is 2,000 work hours, which is 80 hours fewer than the 2,080-hour figure payroll systems use as a default.
Take off 10 days of PTO and a full-time employee actually works about 240 days, or 1,920 hours. Take off 15 and it is 235 days, or 1,880 hours. The sections below show the same numbers for every year from 2024 to 2030 and for each month of 2026 and 2027.
Work Days in Each Year, 2024 to 2030
Weekdays are Monday through Friday. Federal holidays are counted on their observed dates, so a holiday that falls on a Saturday is counted on the Friday before and one that falls on a Sunday is counted on the Monday after. Work hours assume an 8-hour day.
| Year | Calendar days | Weekend days | Weekdays | Federal holidays | Work days | Work hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 366 | 104 | 262 | 11 | 251 | 2,008 |
| 2025 | 365 | 104 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
| 2026 | 365 | 104 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
| 2027* | 365 | 104 | 261 | 12 | 249 | 1,992 |
| 2028* | 366 | 106 | 260 | 10 | 250 | 2,000 |
| 2029 | 365 | 104 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
| 2030 | 365 | 104 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
* January 1, 2028 falls on a Saturday, so the federal government observes New Year's Day on Friday, December 31, 2027. That gives 2027 twelve non-working holiday dates (249 work days) and 2028 only ten (250 work days, despite being a leap year that starts on a Saturday and has only 260 weekdays).
Weekdays vs Business Days vs Work Days
The three terms get used interchangeably, but they describe different counts. Using the wrong one is the most common reason two people get different answers for the same year.
Weekdays: 261 in 2026
Every Monday through Friday on the calendar, holidays included. This is the number you get from a calendar alone: 365 days minus 104 weekend days. It is the right figure for questions like “how many weekdays are in a year” and for counting days in a lease, a notice period, or a school schedule that does not observe federal holidays.
Business days: 250 in 2026
Weekdays minus public holidays. Banks, courts, government agencies, and shipping carriers count in business days, which is why “3 to 5 business days” can stretch across a long weekend. In the US, business days follow the 11 federal holidays. Use our business days calculator to count them between two specific dates.
Work days: 250 in 2026, minus your PTO
The days a specific person or company is actually working. For payroll and capacity planning it starts from business days and then subtracts vacation, sick days, and any company holidays beyond the federal list. A full-time employee with 15 PTO days has 235 work days in 2026. Companies that observe only six federal holidays have 255.
Work Days in Each Month of 2026
Monthly counts drive payroll accruals, billing forecasts, and project schedules. 2026 ranges from 19 work days in November to 22 in March, April, July, and December. The average is 20.8 work days and 167 work hours per month.
| Month | Calendar days | Weekdays | Federal holidays | Work days | Work hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 22 | New Year's Day (Thu Jan 1), MLK Day (Mon Jan 19) | 20 | 160 |
| February | 28 | 20 | Washington's Birthday (Mon Feb 16) | 19 | 152 |
| March | 31 | 22 | None | 22 | 176 |
| April | 30 | 22 | None | 22 | 176 |
| May | 31 | 21 | Memorial Day (Mon May 25) | 20 | 160 |
| June | 30 | 22 | Juneteenth (Fri Jun 19) | 21 | 168 |
| July | 31 | 23 | Independence Day (observed Fri Jul 3) | 22 | 176 |
| August | 31 | 21 | None | 21 | 168 |
| September | 30 | 22 | Labor Day (Mon Sep 7) | 21 | 168 |
| October | 31 | 22 | Columbus Day (Mon Oct 12) | 21 | 168 |
| November | 30 | 21 | Veterans Day (Wed Nov 11), Thanksgiving (Thu Nov 26) | 19 | 152 |
| December | 31 | 23 | Christmas Day (Fri Dec 25) | 22 | 176 |
| Total | 365 | 261 | 11 holidays | 250 | 2,000 |
Work Days in Each Month of 2027
2027 starts on a Friday and has 261 weekdays. Christmas falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 24, and New Year's Day 2028 is observed on Friday, December 31, so December 2027 loses two working days and the year finishes with 249.
| Month | Calendar days | Weekdays | Federal holidays | Work days | Work hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 21 | New Year's Day (Fri Jan 1), MLK Day (Mon Jan 18) | 19 | 152 |
| February | 28 | 20 | Washington's Birthday (Mon Feb 15) | 19 | 152 |
| March | 31 | 23 | None | 23 | 184 |
| April | 30 | 22 | None | 22 | 176 |
| May | 31 | 21 | Memorial Day (Mon May 31) | 20 | 160 |
| June | 30 | 22 | Juneteenth (Fri Jun 18) | 21 | 168 |
| July | 31 | 22 | Independence Day (observed Mon Jul 5) | 21 | 168 |
| August | 31 | 22 | None | 22 | 176 |
| September | 30 | 22 | Labor Day (Mon Sep 6) | 21 | 168 |
| October | 31 | 21 | Columbus Day (Mon Oct 11) | 20 | 160 |
| November | 30 | 22 | Veterans Day (Thu Nov 11), Thanksgiving (Thu Nov 25) | 20 | 160 |
| December | 31 | 23 | Christmas Day (observed Fri Dec 24), New Year's Day 2028 (observed Fri Dec 31) | 21 | 168 |
| Total | 365 | 261 | 12 observed dates | 249 | 1,992 |
How to Calculate Work Days in a Year
Follow these steps to determine the number of work days in any given year:
Start with total calendar days
A standard year has 365 days. A leap year (divisible by 4, except centuries not divisible by 400) has 366 days. 2028 is the next leap year.
Subtract weekend days
Count all Saturdays and Sundays. Most years have 104 weekend days. A leap year that starts on a Saturday or Sunday has 106, and a common year that starts on a Saturday or Sunday has 105.
Subtract public holidays
Remove federal or company-observed holidays that fall on weekdays. If a holiday falls on a weekend, its observed date shifts to a weekday, so it still counts.
Subtract PTO and vacation
Deduct any planned time off, sick days, or personal days to get your actual available work days.
The formula
Work Days = Calendar Days - Weekend Days - Holidays - PTO
Example (2026): 365 calendar days - 104 weekend days - 11 federal holidays - 15 PTO days = 235 actual work days (1,880 hours).
Work Hours in a Year: 2,080 or 2,000?
Payroll software, salary-to-hourly conversions, and FTE calculations almost always use 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours a week times 52 weeks. It is a convenient constant because it does not change from year to year, and because holidays are paid, a salaried employee's pay still covers all 2,080 hours.
The calendar tells a different story. 250 work days times 8 hours is 2,000 hours in 2026, and every paid holiday, vacation day, and sick day pulls the real number lower. That gap matters when you are estimating how many billable hours a consultant can deliver, how much output a production team can schedule, or what an employee's effective hourly rate is.
For a full breakdown by week, month, and quarter, including part-time schedules, see how many work hours are in a year. To convert an annual salary into an hourly figure, use the salary to hourly calculator.
Why This Matters
Knowing the exact number of work days in a year is critical for several business functions:
Payroll planning
Salaried employees get the same pay regardless of work days per month, but hourly employees need accurate day counts for budgeting and forecasting labor costs. A 19-day November costs less than a 23-day March.
Project planning
Estimating project timelines requires knowing available work days. A project that needs 60 work days will take roughly 3 months, not 2, and longer if it spans November and December.
PTO budgeting
If you offer 15 PTO days per year, employees have about 235 actual work days. Understanding this ratio helps set realistic expectations for team capacity.
Resource allocation
Staffing plans, contractor budgets, and capacity planning all depend on accurate work day counts across the fiscal year.
For teams that need precise time tracking, automatic time tracking software records actual work hours without manual entry, giving you real data instead of estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many work days are in a year?
A typical year has 261 weekdays (365 days minus 104 weekend days). After removing the 11 US federal holidays that fall or are observed on weekdays, you get 250 work days. Leap years and the way holidays land on the calendar shift the total between 249 and 252 in any given year. 2026 has exactly 250 work days.
How many weekdays are in a year?
A 365-day year has 261 weekdays when it starts on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, and 260 weekdays when it starts on a Saturday or Sunday. It has 261 weekdays with 104 weekend days when it starts on a Monday, since the year ends on a Monday too. A leap year has 262 weekdays if it starts on a weekday and 260 if it starts on a weekend. 2026 starts on a Thursday, so it has 261 weekdays and 104 weekend days.
How many business days are in a year?
Business days and work days are the same count for most purposes: weekdays minus public holidays. In the United States that is 250 business days in 2026 (261 weekdays minus 11 federal holidays). Banks and courts follow the federal calendar, so 250 is the figure to use for deadlines and settlement periods.
How many work days are in 2027?
2027 has 261 weekdays but only 249 work days. The 11 usual federal holidays all fall on weekdays, and because January 1, 2028 lands on a Saturday, its federal observance moves to Friday, December 31, 2027. That gives 2027 twelve non-working holiday dates and 249 work days, or 1,992 work hours at 8 hours a day.
How many work hours are in a year?
The standard payroll figure is 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours a week times 52 weeks. It ignores holidays. Using the actual calendar, 2026 has 250 work days times 8 hours, which is 2,000 work hours. Subtract another 80 hours for 10 days of PTO and a full-time employee is on the job for about 1,920 hours.
How many work days are in a month?
Between 19 and 23. The average is 20.8 work days per month (250 divided by 12). In 2026, November has the fewest work days at 19 because of Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, while March, April, July and December each have 22.
Do federal holidays that fall on a weekend count?
They are still observed, just on a different day. When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday, federal employees and most banks observe it on the preceding Friday. When it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday. In 2026, Independence Day is a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday, July 3. The calculator above applies these observed dates automatically.
How many work days are in a year with PTO?
Start from 250 work days and subtract your paid time off. With 10 PTO days you have 240 work days; with 15 you have 235; with 20 you have 230. If your employer also gives paid sick days, subtract those too. The calculator lets you enter any number of PTO days and see the result in days and hours.
Does every company observe all 11 federal holidays?
No. Federal offices, banks and the postal service close on all 11. Many private employers observe only six to nine, most often skipping Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Washington's Birthday. Uncheck the holidays your company does not observe in the calculator to get an accurate count for your workplace.
Related Calculators
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Also see: How Many Work Hours in a Year? and the complete list of US holidays.
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