What's open and closed on Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving closes everything on this page — banks, the post office, the stock and bond markets, UPS, FedEx, federal offices, and schools — and nearly every city skips collection for the day. It's also a one-day closure, which is the part people get wrong. Wednesday is a full working day everywhere, and most of the list is back on Friday, with the stock market running a shortened session and federal offices open at their desks.
Plan around the two ends of it. On the Wednesday, banks keep normal hours, stocks run a full 9:30am to 4pm ET session, and a package handed to a carrier that morning is the last comfortable hand-off before the weekend. On the Friday, the truck on your street is usually Thursday's route running a day late rather than Friday's, so a Friday collection often lands on Saturday. All fifty state DMVs close for Thanksgiving, and over half stay closed the day after; the state pages here have each one.
| Year | Falls on | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, November 26, 2026 | Same day |
| 2027 | Thursday, November 25, 2027 | Same day |
| Who | Status |
|---|---|
| Banks | Closed — every branch takes the day, and it's Thursday only: banks are open Wednesday and open again on Black Friday. |
| Mail & the Post Office | Closed — no delivery, no window service, no collection pickups; mail runs Wednesday and runs again the day after. |
| The Stock Market | Closed — and the day after is a shortened session ending at 1pm ET rather than a normal full day. |
| The Bond Market | Closed — with a 2pm ET early close on SIFMA's recommendation the day after. |
| UPS | Closed — no pickup, delivery, or drop-box collection; deliveries due Thursday move to Friday, when UPS runs a full day. |
| FedEx | Closed — no pickup or delivery; Wednesday is a normal service day and the Friday after runs modified service. |
| Federal Offices | Closed — Thursday only; both the Wednesday and the Friday after are regular federal workdays, though often thinly staffed. |
| Trash Pickup | Varies by city — nearly every hauler skips Thanksgiving, and the usual result is a one-day slide, with Thursday's route running Friday and Friday's on Saturday. |
| Schools | Closed — every district is out; what differs is how much of the week goes with it, from Thursday and Friday to the full week. |
Questions people ask
If payday falls on Thanksgiving, when does my direct deposit arrive?
Generally Wednesday or Friday, depending on how your employer runs payroll. The Federal Reserve doesn't settle payments on the holiday itself, so nothing posts on the Thursday.
Is mail delivered the day after Thanksgiving?
Yes — the day after isn't on the USPS holiday schedule, so it's a regular delivery day with post offices open. Only Thanksgiving itself closes the Postal Service.
My trash pickup is Friday — when does it run Thanksgiving week?
Most often Saturday, because the missed Thursday route takes Friday. Some cities keep Friday on Friday and simply skip Thursday's collection for that week; your hauler publishes which it does.