Texas state holidays fall into three legal categories that determine whether government offices close, run short-staffed, or stay fully open: national holidays, state holidays, and optional holidays. The state recognizes 20 holidays a year in total, and the category a date belongs to controls what happens at the office and how state employees are paid.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.003 – Dates and Descriptions of Holidays
2026 Holiday Calendar
The Texas Comptroller publishes the official schedule each year. For 2026, offices close for the following national holidays:
- New Year’s Day — January 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — January 19
- Presidents’ Day — February 16
- Memorial Day — May 25
- Independence Day — July 4 (falls on a Saturday; not observed in 2026)
- Labor Day — first Monday in September
- Veterans Day — November 11
- Thanksgiving Day — fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day — December 25
State holidays, where agencies stay open with reduced staffing:
- Confederate Heroes Day — January 19 (falls on MLK Day in 2026; only MLK Day is observed)
- Texas Independence Day — March 2
- San Jacinto Day — April 21
- Emancipation Day in Texas — June 19
- Lyndon Baines Johnson Day — August 27
- Friday after Thanksgiving
- December 24
- December 26
Optional holidays, taken by swap:
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Good Friday — April 3
- Cesar Chavez Day — March 31
When two holidays land on the same date, only one is observed. In 2026, Confederate Heroes Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day both fall on January 19, so agencies close for MLK Day and Confederate Heroes Day goes unobserved that year.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. State of Texas Holiday Schedule
What Each Category Means
Texas Government Code Section 662.003 divides holidays into three groups, and each triggers a different response from state offices.1State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.003 – Dates and Descriptions of Holidays
National holidays match federal observances. State agencies close entirely.
State holidays recognize dates significant to Texas history, plus the Friday after Thanksgiving and the days flanking Christmas. Most agencies do not close on the historically based state holidays. They operate with reduced staffing while giving most employees the day off.
Optional holidays cover Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday. These are not automatic days off. Employees who want to observe them swap a state holiday to do so. Cesar Chavez Day works on a similar swap basis under a separate provision.
Skeleton Crew Rules on State Holidays
Section 662.004 requires every agency to keep enough employees on duty during state holidays to handle public business. The agency head decides exactly how many people that takes.3State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.004 – Minimum Number of Employees Needed to Conduct Business
The rule has exceptions. It does not apply when a state holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and it does not apply on the Friday after Thanksgiving, December 24, or December 26. On those three dates, agencies can close completely even though they are technically state holidays.3State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.004 – Minimum Number of Employees Needed to Conduct Business
If you plan to visit a state office on Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day, Emancipation Day, or LBJ Day, expect the office to be open but short-staffed. Wait times will likely run longer than usual.
How the Optional Holiday Swap Works
Under Section 662.006, an employee who wants to take Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, or Good Friday off must agree to work on a state holiday during the same fiscal year that would otherwise be a day off. The swap cannot involve the Friday after Thanksgiving, December 24, or December 26.4State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.006 – Optional Holiday
Cesar Chavez Day works the same way under Section 662.013. An agency head can allow the employee to take March 31 off in exchange for working a state holiday where only skeleton crew staffing is required.5Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas Government Code 662.013 – Optional Holiday for Cesar Chavez Day
The total number of paid holidays stays the same regardless of swaps. You are choosing which days you take, not adding to the count.
Weekend Holidays Are Not Shifted
Texas does not move weekend holidays to the nearest weekday for state employees. When a designated holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday, offices do not close on a substitute day. The holiday simply goes unobserved that year. In 2026, Independence Day falls on a Saturday, so state employees lose that day off entirely.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. State of Texas Holiday Schedule
This differs from the federal government’s approach, where Saturday holidays shift to Friday and Sunday holidays shift to Monday.
Holiday Pay and Comp Time for State Employees
Not every state employee automatically qualifies for paid holiday time. Eligibility depends on whether the employee is in paid status on the workdays surrounding the holiday:
- For a mid-month holiday, the employee must be in paid status for at least part of both the workday before and the workday after.
- For a holiday at the start of a month, the employee must be in paid status for part of the workday after.
- For a holiday at the end of a month, the employee must be in paid status for part of the workday before.
An employee on leave without pay for the entire adjacent workday loses the holiday. Part-time employees receive holiday time proportional to their regular schedule; someone working 20 hours per week receives four hours of holiday time rather than eight.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Holidays – Eligibility, Skeleton and Optional Holidays, and Higher Education
State employees required to work on a national or state holiday earn compensatory time off. They have 12 months after the holiday to use it. The employee must give reasonable notice when planning to take the comp time but does not need to explain how they plan to spend it.7State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.007 – Compensatory Time
Higher education institutions have additional flexibility. If granting comp time would disrupt teaching, research, or other critical operations, a university can pay the employee at their regular rate instead of banking the time.7State of Texas. Texas Government Code 662.007 – Compensatory Time
Private Employers Are Not Covered
These rules apply only to state government employees. No federal or Texas law requires private employers to give workers paid holidays, time off on holidays, or premium pay for holiday work. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, holiday pay is a matter of agreement between employer and employee.8U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay
Some private employers voluntarily follow the state schedule, particularly those that do regular business with government offices, but nothing in Texas law requires it.