Industry
US and Canada holiday calendars compared for cross-border contract dates
US Canada contract business days turn on two holiday calendars. Compare federal and provincial dates to stop SLA and payment terms slippage each year.
What to take away
- The US federal and Canadian federal holiday lists share five dates in 2026 and four in 2027. Every other public holiday closes an office on one side only.
- Family Day and Washington's Birthday share a Monday. Victoria Day, Canada Day, Truth and Reconciliation Day and Boxing Day do not overlap.
- A 45-business-day term signed on 1 October 2026 ends 4 December in Ontario and 8 December in Michigan.
- The clause, not the schedule, carries the counting rule. The federal holiday business day counts guide sets out the US list.
US federal holiday dates for 2026 and 2027
The Office of Personnel Management publishes the federal list and its weekend rule. Saturday holidays move to the Friday before, Sunday holidays to the Monday after.
| US federal holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Mon 19 Jan | Mon 18 Jan |
| Washington's Birthday | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| Memorial Day | Mon 25 May | Mon 31 May |
| Juneteenth | Fri 19 Jun | Fri 18 Jun (observed) |
| Independence Day | Fri 3 Jul (observed) | Mon 5 Jul (observed) |
| Labor Day | Mon 7 Sep | Mon 6 Sep |
| Columbus Day | Mon 12 Oct | Mon 11 Oct |
| Veterans Day | Wed 11 Nov | Thu 11 Nov |
| Thanksgiving | Thu 26 Nov | Thu 25 Nov |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Fri 24 Dec (observed) |
Canadian federal holiday dates for 2026 and 2027
Employment and Social Development Canada lists the holidays that bind federally regulated employers. Boxing Day is included; Easter Monday is not.
| Canadian federal holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar |
| Victoria Day | Mon 18 May | Mon 24 May |
| Canada Day | Wed 1 Jul | Thu 1 Jul |
| Labour Day | Mon 7 Sep | Mon 6 Sep |
| National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Wed 30 Sep | Thu 30 Sep |
| Thanksgiving | Mon 12 Oct | Mon 11 Oct |
| Remembrance Day | Wed 11 Nov | Thu 11 Nov |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Mon 27 Dec (observed) |
| Boxing Day | Mon 28 Dec (observed) | Tue 28 Dec (observed) |
Where the two federal lists diverge
Canada observes Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Truth and Reconciliation Day, Remembrance Day and Boxing Day. The US federal list has none of them, and Canada has none of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Juneteenth, Columbus Day or Veterans Day.
[figure 1]
US vs Canadian federal holidays
US federal
- New Year's Day
- Yes
- Good Friday
- Yes
- Victoria Day
- No
- Canada Day
- No
- Independence Day
- Yes
- Thanksgiving
- 4th Thu Nov
Canadian federal
- New Year's Day
- Yes
- Good Friday
- Yes
- Victoria Day
- Yes
- Canada Day
- Yes
- Independence Day
- No
- Thanksgiving
- 2nd Mon Oct
The lists meet on New Year's Day, Labour Day, the second Monday of October, 11 November and Christmas Day. Five shared dates in 2026, four in 2027.
Remembrance Day is the near-miss. It is federal in Canada but a working day in Ontario and Quebec, while Veterans Day closes US offices in every state.
The days between dates by country directory keeps the corrected lists for checking one date across jurisdictions.
Provincial statutory holidays and their dates
Employment standards are provincial. A day that closes a Toronto office may leave Calgary open. Family Day shares a Monday with Washington's Birthday, so that date is not a divergence.
| Province | Family Day 2026 | Family Day 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| British Columbia | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| Alberta | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| Saskatchewan | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| Manitoba | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| New Brunswick | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| Nova Scotia | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
| Prince Edward Island | Mon 16 Feb | Mon 15 Feb |
Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador do not observe it. Manitoba calls it Louis Riel Day, Nova Scotia calls it Heritage Day.
Victoria Day has no US counterpart. It falls on Monday 18 May 2026 and Monday 24 May 2027, a week before Memorial Day in both years.
The civic holiday (Monday 3 August 2026, Monday 2 August 2027) is statutory in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Quebec surprises US counterparties most. Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is 24 June, and the construction holiday stops much of the industry in late July. The Quebec construction holiday and statutory holidays piece covers that gap.
Example: a 45-business-day delivery that lands four days apart
A supply contract signed on 1 October 2026 sets delivery at 45 business days. The buyer is in Ontario, the seller in Michigan, and no calendar is named.
- Counting starts on 2 October, the first business day after signature.
- Ontario excludes Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday 12 October. Michigan excludes the same date as Columbus Day.
- Michigan alone excludes Veterans Day, Wednesday 11 November.
- Michigan alone excludes Thanksgiving, Thursday 26 November.
- Ontario reaches day 45 on Friday 4 December. Michigan reaches it on Tuesday 8 December.
- One contract, two dates, four calendar days apart.
Payment terms and bank closures
Payment terms drift the same way. Net 30 usually means 30 calendar days, but supply agreements often write 30 business days, or 30 days from invoice receipt excluding holidays.
A wire sent when one country's banks are closed may not settle until the next common business day. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada publish separate closure schedules, and settlement follows them.
Notice periods, including breach-notification windows, inherit the problem.
Clause wording that removes the ambiguity
A clause that holds up does four things.
- Names the counting calendar by country and province.
- Names the jurisdiction whose holidays apply.
- Says whether the trigger day counts.
- Gives the fallback when a deadline lands on a non-business day on either side.
Federal courts use the same fallback. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6, a period ending on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday runs to the next open day.
Business days are counted on the US federal holiday calendar and the statutory holiday calendar of Ontario. A deadline that is not a business day in both places moves to the next day that is.
For a Montreal counterparty, name Quebec, where the Civil Code governs commercial obligations. The Montreal payroll and Quebec holidays article shows where the count changes.
