Are federal offices open on New Year's Eve?
Federal Offices · New Year's Eve
Varies
It depends — December 31 is normally a regular workday for federal offices, but in some years it's the observed holiday.
New Year's Eve isn't one of the eleven federal holidays, so most years it's a normal business day. Social Security offices, IRS assistance centers, and passport agencies keep regular hours, which matters for anything that has to be on the record before the year turns.
The exception is the calendar. When New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, federal employees take the Friday before — December 31 — and offices close. Banks do the opposite and stay open that Friday. The table below shows which years land that way.
| Holiday | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Friday, January 1, 2027 | Closed |
| New Year's Day | Friday, December 31, 2027 | Closed New Year's Day 2028 falls on Saturday, so federal employees get Friday December 31 off. |
What else on New Year's Eve?
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Banks | Open Yes — banks are open on New Year's Eve. |
| Mail & the Post Office | Open Yes — mail is delivered on New Year's Eve and post offices are open. |
| The Stock Market | Open Yes — the stock market is open a full day on New Year's Eve. |
| UPS | Varies It depends on the service — Air deliveries run on New Year's Eve, but Ground doesn't move in either direction. |
| FedEx | Varies Yes — FedEx delivers on New Year's Eve, with Ground pickups modified. |
| Schools | Closed No — December 31 falls inside winter break in nearly every district. |
Questions people ask
Is New Year's Eve a federal holiday?
No. It's a day off for federal employees only when January 1 falls on a Saturday and the holiday moves back to Friday December 31.
Checked against the OPM federal holiday schedule, verified August 2026. When a schedule for a new year has not been published yet, this page says so — it never guesses.