Monthly Working Day Count Excluding Federal Holidays
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The Core Formula For Monthly Work Days
Each month’s work-day count is just the weekday count minus any federal holiday observed that month.
Formula = Weekdays in month − Federal holidays observed in month = Work days that month
For a 31-day month that starts on a Thursday (like January 2026), you get 22 weekdays. Subtract New Year’s Day and MLK Day, both observed on weekdays, and you land at 20 work days.
Step By Step: How To Count A Single Month
Let’s walk through November 2026, since it’s the trickiest month of the year.
- List the calendar: November 2026 has 30 days, starting on Sunday Nov 1.
- Count weekdays: Nov 2–6, 9–13, 16–20, 23–27, and Nov 30 = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 1 = 21 weekdays.
- Find federal holidays in November: Veterans Day (Nov 11, Wednesday) and Thanksgiving (Nov 26, Thursday).
- Both land on weekdays, so subtract 2.
- 21 − 2 = 19 work days in November 2026.
If your office also closes the day after Thanksgiving (Nov 27, a Friday), you drop to 18 — that’s the catch a lot of monthly billing runs miss.
2026 Real Case: A Bookkeeper’s November Surprise
A bookkeeper I know at a small law firm in Pennsylvania got burned by this back in 2024. She ran monthly client retainers as “monthly rate ÷ 22 work days” every month, treating November like any other. That November had 19 work days, not 22, so she under-billed hourly clients by roughly 14%. By the time anyone caught it, the firm had eaten the difference. For 2026 she rebuilt her rate sheet using the actual per-month counts.
The Full 2026 Monthly Work-Day Table
Here is every month of 2026 with weekdays and the federal holidays observed in each.
| Month | Weekdays | Federal holidays observed | Work days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | New Year’s, MLK Day | 20 |
| February | 20 | Presidents Day | 19 |
| March | 22 | — | 22 |
| April | 22 | — | 22 |
| May | 21 | Memorial Day | 20 |
| June | 22 | Juneteenth | 21 |
| July | 23 | Independence Day (obs Jul 3) | 22 |
| August | 21 | — | 21 |
| September | 22 | Labor Day | 21 |
| October | 22 | Columbus Day | 21 |
| November | 21 | Veterans Day, Thanksgiving | 19 |
| December | 23 | Christmas | 22 |
| Total | 261 | 11 | 250 |
Add the column and you get 250 work days for the full year, which matches the annual count.
Why The Number Moves Year To Year
The weekday count per month depends on where the month “starts” in the week and whether it’s a 28, 30, or 31-day month. A 31-day month with 23 weekdays is the max you’ll see; a 28-day February with 20 weekdays is the floor (19 after Presidents Day). Holidays then punch holes in whichever month they land in.
Where do people mess this up? They apply last year’s monthly table to this year’s calendar. January 2026 had 20 work days; January 2025 had 21. Same month, different answer, just because the weekday pattern rotated.
Tools For Monthly Planning
If you’re building a 12-month billing or staffing plan, the work-day counter returns the exact count for any custom month range, including holiday subtraction. For client deadlines that span multiple months, the project deadline countdown calculator rolls weekends and holidays out of the gap. And if a deadline crosses a federal holiday, the US holiday work pay calculator flags whether premium pay applies for anyone working that day.
For more context, see our annual breakdown of how many work days are in a year and our month-level guide on how many work days are in each month.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many work days are in each month of 2026?
It ranges from 19 in November to 22 in several months. The 2026 totals, after subtracting weekends and federal holidays, are 20 in January, 19 in February, 22 in March, 22 in April, 20 in May, 21 in June, 22 in July, 21 in August, 21 in September, 21 in October, 19 in November, and 22 in December.
Which month has the fewest work days in 2026?
November 2026 has only 19 work days, because both Veterans Day (Nov 11) and Thanksgiving (Nov 26) fall on weekdays. February also has 19 due to Presidents Day and the short 28-day month.
Do federal holidays always reduce the monthly count?
Only when the holiday falls on or is observed on a weekday in that month. In 2026 all 11 federal holidays are observed on weekdays, so each one trims a work day from its month.
Should floating company holidays be subtracted too?
Yes. If your employer closes for Black Friday, Christmas Eve, or a floating personal day, subtract those from the month’s total. They are not federal holidays but they still remove a paid work day.
The Bottom Line
In 2026, monthly work-day counts run from 19 (February and November) up to 22, and they total 250 for the year once weekends and federal holidays are stripped out. Build your monthly billing, accrual, and scheduling math off the real per-month number — then double-check your range with the work-day counter so a single missed holiday doesn’t quietly cost you money.