The Illinois Juneteenth holiday falls on Friday, June 19, 2026. State offices, Illinois courts, public K-12 schools, banks, the U.S. Postal Service, and the stock exchanges all close for the day. Private employers in Illinois are not required to close, give you the day off, or pay a holiday premium.
What Closes on June 19, 2026
All Illinois state offices shut down, and every state employee receives a paid day off.1Illinois Department of Central Management Services. State Holidays That includes the Secretary of State’s offices and administrative agencies. County and municipal offices that follow the state calendar generally close too, though counties have some discretion over which holidays they observe.
Illinois courts are closed. The Illinois Supreme Court’s 2026 holiday order designates June 19 as a court holiday, so no hearings, trials, or in-person filings take place in circuit, appellate, or Supreme Court that day.2Illinois Courts. Holidays and Closings Federal courts are also closed; the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure list Juneteenth as a legal holiday.3Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 26 – Computing and Extending Time
Public K-12 schools must close. Section 24-2 of the Illinois School Code lists June 19 as a legal school holiday, so students do not attend and school employees receive the day off without a pay reduction.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 105 ILCS 5/24-2 Because June 19 lands during summer break for most districts, the practical effect is limited, but any summer programming running that day still has to close. Public universities and community colleges observe the holiday as well, with administrative offices and libraries typically closed.
Banks, both federally regulated and Illinois-chartered, are closed. Public Act 102-0014 amended the Illinois Promissory Note and Bank Holiday Act to add Juneteenth.5Illinois General Assembly. Public Act 102-0014 The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq close for the full day, and no equity, options, or bond trading takes place.6NYSE. 2026 Yearly Trading Calendar The U.S. Postal Service suspends delivery, and post offices are closed.7USPS. Holidays and Events
How the Closures Affect Deadlines and Payments
If a court filing deadline or other legal due date lands on Juneteenth, it rolls to the next business day. That applies in state court under the Illinois Supreme Court’s holiday order and in federal court under Rule 26.3Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 26 – Computing and Extending Time
Electronic payments stall. The Federal Reserve is closed, so FedACH processing ends the evening of June 18 and does not resume until the evening of June 21.8Federal Reserve. Holiday Schedules Wire transfers, direct deposits, and interbank payments scheduled for June 19 will not settle until the following business day. If payroll or a bill payment is timed for that Friday, plan around it. Pending stock trades execute when markets reopen Monday.
Do Private Employers Have to Give You the Day Off?
No. Private businesses in Illinois have no legal obligation to close on Juneteenth, provide paid time off, or pay a holiday premium. Neither Illinois law nor the federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires private employers to give paid time off for any holiday, Juneteenth included.9U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay Whether you get the day off, and whether you get paid for it, depends on your employer’s policy, your employment contract, or a collective bargaining agreement.
An employer that stays open on June 19 follows the same wage and hour rules as any other workday. There is no state-mandated time-and-a-half rate for working Juneteenth. Standard overtime rules apply when weekly hours exceed 40, but that is unrelated to the holiday. One narrow exception: private contractors working on federal government contracts covered by the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act or Davis-Bacon Act may owe holiday pay if the contract’s wage determination requires it.9U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay
The Statute Making Juneteenth an Illinois Holiday
Illinois made Juneteenth an official state holiday through Public Act 102-0014, which added Section 63 to the State Commemorative Dates Act. The law took effect January 1, 2022, and names the observance “Juneteenth National Freedom Day.”5Illinois General Assembly. Public Act 102-0014 Federally, Juneteenth National Independence Day has been a legal public holiday since 2021, which is what triggers federal office, postal, and bank closures.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
One quirk worth knowing for future years: when June 19 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, Illinois does not shift the paid holiday to the adjacent Friday or Monday for state employees.11Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 490/63 – Juneteenth National Freedom Day That makes Juneteenth different from most other state holidays. In 2026 the point is moot, because June 19 is a Friday and state employees get a regular paid day off.