Connecticut Legal Holidays Laws

We’ve all been there, the day you show up at the post office or the local courthouse and are confused as to why it’s not open. It’s often a holiday like Columbus Day that your employer may not give you off. To help you avoid awkwardly standing outside a closed state building in the future, the following chart lists the state holidays in Connecticut.

Code Section Connecticut Statutes Section 1-4: Days Designated as Legal Holidays
Holidays The state of Connecticut celebrates the following holidays:
  • New Year's Day – January 1st
  • Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday – First Monday after January 15th
  • Lincoln's Birthday – February 12th
  • Washington's Birthday – Third Monday in February
  • Memorial Day or Decoration Day – Last Monday in May
  • Independence Day – July 4th
  • Labor Day – First Monday in September
  • Columbus Day – Second Monday in October
  • Veterans Day – November 11th
  • Thanksgiving – As appointed by the Governor of Connecticut or President of the United States because the date of Thanksgiving has changed over time. Between 1863 and 1939, Thanksgiving was on the last Thursday of November, but since 1941, it’s officially been the fourth Thursday, in part for a longer holiday shopping season.
  • Christmas – December 25th

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, it’s celebrated on the preceding Friday and when it falls on Sunday, it’s celebrated on the following Monday.

Holiday Pay

Many jobs must continue even if it’s a major holiday, like Thanksgiving or Labor Day. For example, we still need emergency services and hospitals to operate as illnesses and accidents don’t know it’s a holiday. It’s possible your employer provides you additional pay as an incentive to work on that day, or a condolence for being the newest hire or the employee that drew the short end of the stick. Sadly, unless you’re employment agreement states otherwise, you aren’t legally entitled to extra pay or overtime if you’re required to work on a holiday in Connecticut.

Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact an attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.

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