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How Many Business Days Are in a Year?

Working days in each year, with weekends and U.S. federal holidays taken out, and how the count is reached.

Working days by year

Year Calendar days Weekends Weekdays Holidays Business days
2020 366 − 104 262 − 10 252
2021 365 − 104 261 − 12 249
2022 365 − 105 260 − 10 250
2023 365 − 105 260 − 11 249
2024 366 − 104 262 − 11 251
2025 365 − 104 261 − 11 250
2026 365 − 104 261 − 11 250
2027 365 − 104 261 − 12 249
2028 366 − 106 260 − 10 250
2029 365 − 104 261 − 11 250
2030 365 − 104 261 − 11 250
2031 365 − 104 261 − 11 250
2032 366 − 104 262 − 12 250
2033 365 − 105 260 − 10 250
2034 365 − 105 260 − 11 249
2035 365 − 104 261 − 11 250
How we calculate: every day of the year, minus Saturdays and Sundays, minus each federal holiday observed on a weekday inside that year. Last reviewed 16 October 2026

Where the number comes from

A calendar year has 365 days, or 366 in a leap year. Of those, 104 or 105 are Saturdays and Sundays — 106 in a leap year that starts on a Saturday. That leaves 260, 261 or 262 weekdays.

From the weekdays come the federal holidays. There are eleven of them, and ten before 2021, when Juneteenth was added. A holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before; one that falls on a Sunday is observed on the Monday after. Either way the day off lands on a weekday and costs a working day — which is why the holiday column above is never the same as the number of holidays.

Formula
Business days = Calendar days − Weekends − Weekday holidays

The federal holidays

Set by 5 U.S.C. § 6103. Dates shown for each year in the table are the observed ones.

  • New Year's Day — January 1
  • Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. — third Monday in January
  • Washington's Birthday — third Monday in February
  • Memorial Day — last Monday in May
  • Juneteenth National Independence Day — June 19, from 2021
  • Independence Day — July 4
  • Labor Day — first Monday in September
  • Columbus Day — second Monday in October
  • Veterans Day — November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day — fourth Thursday in November
  • Christmas Day — December 25

Inauguration Day is a federal holiday only for employees in the Washington DC area, so it is not counted here. Source: the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and 5 U.S.C. § 6103; this site is not affiliated with either.

Frequently asked questions

How many business days are in a year?

Between 248 and 252, depending on how the calendar falls. A year has 260, 261 or 262 weekdays, and 10 to 12 federal holiday dates land on a weekday inside it. The table above gives the exact figure for each year.

Why does the number change from year to year?

Two reasons. A year starting on a particular weekday has 261 weekdays rather than 260, and a leap year can have 262. And a federal holiday that falls on a Saturday or a Sunday is observed on the nearest weekday, which costs a working day — while one that simply falls on a weekend in a year with no shift does not.

Why do some years have 12 holiday dates when there are 11 holidays?

When 1 January falls on a Saturday it is observed on 31 December of the year before, so that year gets an extra day off and the new year gets one fewer. 2021 has eleven holidays but twelve holiday dates inside it; 2022 has eleven holidays and ten dates.

Does this include state holidays?

No. Only the federal holidays set by 5 U.S.C. § 6103. States, employers and contracts add their own, and those are not counted here.

Why is there no Juneteenth before 2021?

It became a federal holiday in June 2021. Years up to 2020 have ten federal holidays, not eleven, which is why their working-day counts run slightly higher.