Central Government Releases 2026 Holiday Calendar: How Many Days Off for Employees Next Year?

Federal Employees Get the Official 2026 Holiday Schedule. Check the Full List of Mandatory and Optional Days Off Now.

If you work for the Central Government, planning your next year just got simpler. The government has released its official 2026 Holiday Calendar. This document outlines mandatory public holidays across the country. It also specifies the days employees can choose as per their preference. All central offices must follow this uniform framework.

Offices located outside Delhi will get an added advantage. They can select three optional holidays based on their specific location. Furthermore, employees have the choice to pick two holidays from the list of Restricted Leaves. In simple terms, the 2026 holiday schedule is very organized. It is also quite flexible. This allows staff to manage their time better for festivals and family. See the complete list of holidays below.

Mandatory Holidays for 2026 Applicable to All Central Government Offices

These holidays are compulsory for all central offices:

• Republic Day
• Independence Day
• Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday
• Buddha Purnima
• Christmas Day
• Dussehra
• Diwali
• Good Friday
• Guru Nanak Jayanti
• Eid-ul-Fitr
• Eid-ul-Zuha
• Mahavir Jayanti
• Muharram
• Eid-e-Milad

Optional Holidays for 2026

The concerned Ministry will decide on three optional holidays for Central Offices situated in Delhi. Offices outside Delhi will choose three days. They will do this in consultation with their Coordination Committee.

• Additional day for Dussehra
• Holi
• Janmashtami
• Ram Navami
• Maha Shivaratri
• Ganesh Chaturthi
• Makar Sankranti
• Rath Yatra
• Onam
• Pongal
• Shri Panchami / Basant Panchami
• Vishu / Baisakhi / Bihu / Ugadi / Chaitra Shukladi / Cheti Chand / Gudi Padwa / 1st Navratra / Nauraj / Chhath Puja / Karva Chauth

Restricted Holidays for 2026

Employees can choose any two days from this extensive list:

• New Year’s Day – January 1, Thursday
• Birthday of Hazrat Ali – January 13, Tuesday
• Makar Sankranti – January 14, Wednesday
• Magh Bihu / Pongal – January 15, Thursday
• Shri Panchami / Basant Panchami – January 16, Friday
• Guru Ravidas Jayanti – February 12, Thursday
• Swami Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti – February 26, Thursday
• Maha Shivratri – February 26, Thursday
• Holika Dahan – March 3, Tuesday
• Doljatra – March 3, Tuesday
• Chaitra Shukladi / Gudi Padwa / Ugadi – March 19, Thursday
• Ram Navami – March 31, Tuesday
• Easter Sunday – April 5, Sunday
• Tamil New Year / Vishu – April 15, Wednesday
• Baisakhi (Bengali New Year) – April 15, Wednesday
• Puthuvarsam (Malayalam New Year) – April 15, Wednesday
• Birthday of Guru Rabindranath Tagore – May 8, Friday
• Rath Yatra – July 16, Thursday
• Parsi New Year / Navroz – August 15, Saturday
• Onam / Thiru Onam – August 6, Wednesday
• Raksha Bandhan – August 26, Wednesday
• Ganesh Chaturthi – September 14, Sunday
• Dussehra (Saptami) – October 18, Sunday
• Dussehra (Maha Ashtami) – October 19, Monday
• Dussehra (Maha Navami) – October 20, Tuesday
• Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti – October 22, Wednesday
• Karva Chauth – October 30, Thursday
• Narak Chaturdasi – November 17, Monday
• Govardhan Puja – November 17, Monday
• Bhai Dooj – November 18, Tuesday
• Chhath Puja – November 19, Wednesday
• Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur – November 24, Monday
• Birthday of Hazrat Ali – December 23, Wednesday
• Christmas Eve – December 24, Thursday