Michigan state holidays are set by MCL 435.101, which recognizes twelve public holidays plus Saturday afternoons as half-holidays. The statute is narrower than the name suggests: it controls when checks, promissory notes, and court deadlines roll forward, but it does not require any private employer to close, give paid time off, or pay a premium for holiday work. Whether you get Thanksgiving off with pay depends on your employer’s policy, your contract, or a union agreement, not on the state holiday list.
The Twelve Official Holidays
MCL 435.101 designates the following as public holidays in Michigan:1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 435.101 – Public Holidays as to Bills, Checks, Notes, and Holding of Courts
- New Year’s Day, January 1
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day, third Monday in January
- Lincoln’s Birthday, February 12
- Washington’s Birthday, third Monday in February
- Memorial Day, last Monday in May
- Juneteenth, June 19
- 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
- Saturday half-holidays, every Saturday from noon to midnight
A couple of details catch people off guard. The statute uses “Washington’s Birthday,” not the more common “Presidents’ Day.” And Michigan’s list includes two days the federal calendar doesn’t: Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12 and the Saturday half-holiday.
What the Holiday Statute Actually Does
MCL 435.101 does not order anyone to close or take the day off. It treats each listed holiday the way it treats Sundays for two specific purposes: negotiable instruments and court proceedings.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 435.101 – Public Holidays as to Bills, Checks, Notes, and Holding of Courts
When a check, promissory note, or bill of exchange comes due on a listed holiday, the payment deadline moves automatically to the next business day. When a court hearing, filing deadline, or adjournment falls on a holiday, the matter continues on the next secular day. Nobody loses a legal right because a deadline landed on a holiday.
The statute also lets counties and cities pass ordinances closing municipal offices on Saturdays, but that is permissive. Nothing in MCL 435.101 forces a state agency, school district, or private business to close on any of the listed days.
Do Private Employers Have to Give the Day Off or Pay Extra?
No. No Michigan statute requires a private employer to offer paid holidays, premium pay for holiday work, or even an unpaid day off on any state-listed holiday. Whether employees get Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Juneteenth off is entirely a matter of company policy, an employment contract, or a collective bargaining agreement.
Federal law does not close the gap. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked on holidays. The U.S. Department of Labor states that holiday benefits “are generally a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee (or the employee’s representative).”2U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay There is no federal mandate for holiday closures or premium pay rates either.
Most employers do offer some combination of paid holidays, floating holidays, or premium pay for holiday shifts. Those benefits are enforceable because they become part of the employment relationship through a handbook, offer letter, or union contract. If your handbook promises time-and-a-half for working Christmas, that promise binds the employer. If the handbook says nothing about holiday pay, neither Michigan nor federal law creates the right.
Union Contracts
Collective bargaining agreements often spell out which holidays are paid, which trigger premium rates, and how holiday scheduling works. In a unionized workplace, those terms carry contract force, and deviating from them opens the door to grievances and arbitration. Union-covered workers get their holiday rights from the agreement itself, not from any state or federal holiday statute.
Holiday Pay and Overtime
When an employer does offer paid holidays, one question comes up constantly: do those paid hours count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold?
Under the FLSA, they do not. The Department of Labor treats payments for holidays, vacations, and sick days as compensation for time not worked, and those hours are excluded from “hours worked” for overtime purposes.3U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 23 – Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA An employee who receives eight hours of holiday pay Thursday and then works 36 hours the rest of the week has logged 36 work hours, not 44. No FLSA overtime is owed.
Holiday pay also stays out of the “regular rate” used to calculate the overtime premium. Under 29 C.F.R. ยง 778.219, when an employee forgoes a holiday and receives extra pay on top of normal wages, that additional holiday payment can be excluded from the regular rate, but it cannot be credited against overtime owed.4eCFR. 29 CFR 778.219 – Pay for Forgoing Holidays and Unused Leave Holiday pay cannot offset overtime obligations.
Some employers voluntarily count paid holiday hours toward the 40-hour threshold as a benefit. That is legal, but it is a policy choice, not a legal requirement, and it should be stated in writing so it applies consistently.
State Employees and Public Schools
State workers and public schools follow separate rules that are not driven by MCL 435.101.
For classified state employees, paid holidays come from Michigan Civil Service Commission Regulation 5.08, which delegates to the state personnel director the authority to set holiday observation dates and eligibility standards.5Michigan.gov. Civil Service Commission Regulation 5.08 – Paid Holidays State offices generally close on most of the statutory holidays, but the closure authority runs through Civil Service rules and executive directives, not the holiday statute. Agencies such as the Secretary of State publish their own closure schedules in advance.
Public school calendars are governed by Michigan’s Revised School Code and local school board decisions, not by MCL 435.101. Districts build calendars around instructional-day requirements and negotiated schedules. Most close for major holidays, but the specific days vary. Check your district’s published calendar rather than assuming schools track the state holiday list.
Religious Holiday Accommodations
The holiday statute does not cover every day that matters to every worker. Federal law does. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to reasonably accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, including observance of religious holidays that never appear on the state calendar, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship. Common accommodations include schedule swaps, flexible start times, and voluntary shift trades.6U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fact Sheet – Religious Accommodations in the Workplace
The undue-hardship standard changed sharply in 2023. In Groff v. DeJoy, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the older rule under which anything more than a trivial cost could justify a denial. The Court held that an employer must show the accommodation would impose “substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.”7Supreme Court of the United States. Groff v. DeJoy, 600 U.S. 447 (2023) Inconvenience or the fact that coworkers would have to cover a shift is unlikely to clear that bar.
An employee does not have to file a written request or use magic words. Once the employer is aware of a religious need for time off, the obligation to engage in an interactive process begins. Refusing to hire, firing, or retaliating against someone for requesting a religious accommodation violates Title VII.6U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Fact Sheet – Religious Accommodations in the Workplace
Banking, Payroll, and Deadline Timing
The holiday statute’s most concrete practical effect shows up in the financial system. When a check, promissory note, or other negotiable instrument comes due on a listed holiday, MCL 435.101 automatically extends the deadline to the next business day.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 435.101 – Public Holidays as to Bills, Checks, Notes, and Holding of Courts Banks are not required to open, and they cannot be penalized for not processing transactions on those days.
At the federal level, the Federal Reserve closes on holidays that largely overlap with Michigan’s list: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. When a Federal Reserve holiday falls on a Saturday, Federal Reserve banks open the preceding Friday; when one falls on a Sunday, they close the following Monday.8Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Federal Reserve Bank Holiday Schedule
For payroll, this matters. ACH direct deposits, wire transfers, and interbank settlements do not process on Federal Reserve holidays. A payroll run submitted the day before a holiday will not reach employee accounts until the next business day. Employers with Friday paydays that coincide with a holiday should submit payroll early or warn employees to expect a delay. Holiday weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas, when consecutive closure days stack up, deserve particular attention.
The pattern across all of this is consistent: Michigan’s holiday statute is a scheduling rule for the financial and court systems, not a labor law. If you are asking whether you are entitled to a paid day off on a state holiday, the answer is in your handbook, your contract, or your union agreement, not in MCL 435.101.