Are Banks Closed on Presidents Day?

Washington’s Birthday or Presidents Day?

Both names point to the same Monday. In federal law the holiday is called Washington’s Birthday, set on the third Monday in February by 5 U.S.C. 6103. The Office of Personnel Management notes that this is the designation in the statute, and the Federal Reserve uses the same name in its schedule. “Presidents Day” is the common name; Mount Vernon points out that the federal government never officially changed it.

Washington was born on February 22, but the holiday moved to a Monday under the 1968 Monday holiday law. As the National Archives explains, the third Monday in February cannot fall later than February 21, so the holiday never lands on his actual birthday. It falls between February 15 and February 21, and because it is a Monday it never moves for a weekend. The Federal Reserve and federal offices close on the same day every year.

February 12, Lincoln’s Birthday, is not a federal or Federal Reserve holiday. Some states observe it; Connecticut, for example, lists it among its legal state holidays. Even there, ACH and wire payments settle that day, because the Reserve Banks are open.

Will direct deposit go through on Presidents Day?

Not on the holiday itself. ACH, which carries direct deposits, does not settle on a Federal Reserve holiday. For Presidents Day 2026, Federal Reserve Financial Services stopped FedACH processing at 3:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 14 and resumed it at 5:30 p.m. ET on the holiday. As of October 23, 2026, the windows for 2027 have not been published.

In 2027 the holiday falls on February 15, which is a common payday for companies that pay on the 15th and the last day of the month. That payroll cannot settle on Monday. The employer can pay on Friday, February 12 or on Tuesday, February 16, 2027; which one is a company or payroll-provider policy, not a Federal Reserve rule. Among the years 2026 to 2032, 2027 is the only one in which the holiday lands on the 15th (2031 and 2032 calculated from the statutory rule).

Will my direct deposit be early because of the holiday?

It can be, if your employer moves the pay date forward. In that case the money is due on the new settlement date: under the Nacha Operating Rules in force since September 18, 2026, the receiving bank must make a regular ACH credit available by 9:00 a.m. its local time on the settlement date. Our direct deposit guide covers how payroll handles holidays.

Wires, checks and other payments on Presidents Day

• Wires: the Fedwire Funds Service does not operate on Federal Reserve holidays. A wire that misses your bank’s cut-off on Friday, February 12, 2027 goes out on Tuesday, February 16. See wire transfers.
• ACH bill payments and transfers between banks: a transfer you request on the holiday is processed on the next business day. See ACH on holidays.
• Checks: under Regulation CC, the third Monday in February is not a business day, so it does not count toward a deposit hold.
• ATMs, debit cards and mobile apps: run by banks and card networks, not the Federal Reserve, so a Fed holiday does not switch them off. When a holiday deposit is credited depends on your bank’s cut-off times.
• Instant payments: the FedNow Service runs on holidays, so a FedNow transfer can arrive on Presidents Day if both banks offer it. More on the payments overview.

Is mail delivered on Presidents Day?

No. The Postal Service lists Presidents Day among its holidays with no mail service. The stock market is closed as well: the NYSE holiday calendar shows Washington’s Birthday on Monday, February 15, 2027. If you are waiting for a check by mail, it will not arrive that Monday either.

To count deadlines across the long weekend, use the business days calculator, or see every closure of the year on our 2027 bank holidays page.