President Trump issued an Executive Order on December 18, 2025, closing executive federal departments and agencies on December 24, 2025, and December 26, 2025, giving most federal employees three consecutive days off around Christmas when combined with Christmas Day on December 25.
The order excuses most federal employees from duty on those two added days and treats them like federal holidays for pay and leave purposes, applying only to the federal workforce rather than the wider public or private employers.
For many Americans, the most immediate effect will be operational rather than financial. Federal services such as post offices, the IRS, and most courts will close across the three-day stretch, delaying non-essential operations and shifting timelines for routine transactions.
The Executive Order was signed by Donald J. Trump at the White House and is framed as a closure of executive federal departments and agencies. It does not add permanent holidays to the standard federal calendar, and it does not create new national federal holidays beyond the existing 11.
The move extends a familiar year-end pattern in Washington, where presidents have sometimes used executive authority to grant additional time off around major holidays. The order builds on past practices, including a reference to EO 11582, while keeping the added days limited to this Christmas period.
The mechanics matter most to the roughly 2.1 million civilian workers across executive agencies who fall under federal pay and leave rules. Under the Executive Order, the days are treated like holidays under 5 U.S.C. 6103(b) and related laws, meaning most employees receive full basic pay without working.
That treatment also covers many employees who had been scheduled for annual leave. Under the guidance described for the Executive Order’s implementation, annual leave is not charged for those excused days, even if an employee was previously scheduled to take leave.
Agency heads retain discretion to determine which positions must still work because they are critical to national security, defense, or public need. Those employees are not excused from duty under the blanket closure, and the order anticipates continued operations in those essential roles.
For employees required to work, the order provides for holiday premium pay. The guidance included with the Executive Order specifies a minimum of at least 2 hours of holiday premium pay for part-timers on scheduled duty.
Full-time federal employees are generally excused from duty and paid as if working, but the effects can vary by schedule, especially for employees on flexible and compressed work arrangements. In those cases, each holiday counts as 8 hours, and some schedules may need adjustments to meet the 80-hour biweekly requirement.
The “in-lieu-of” holiday system also plays a central role, especially when holiday dates fall on nonworkdays. Under the examples described in Office of Personnel Management guidance, employees can receive an “in-lieu-of” holiday on a prior workday, with agency adjustments possible.
One example described in the guidance covers a Sunday-Thursday schedule, in which the “in-lieu-of” day for December 26 would fall on December 23. Another example described covers a Thursday-Monday schedule, in which the “in-lieu-of” day for December 24 would fall on December 22.
Those calendar shifts are aimed at pay equity across different tours of duty, but they also add administrative complexity for payroll and timekeeping offices. The guidance notes that three holidays in the Dec 14-27 pay period require special handling, including premium pay or schedule adjustments.
Part-time and intermittent federal workers face a different set of rules. The guidance described for the Executive Order says they do not receive “in-lieu-of” holidays, and they are paid only if they are regularly scheduled and working on the actual date, with premium pay where applicable.
Agencies may grant discretionary administrative leave to part-time and intermittent workers, but that is not automatic under the framework described. The result is that two employees in the same office may see different outcomes depending on their appointment and schedule.
For Americans who do not work for the federal government, the Executive Order has no direct impact on pay or mandated closures. The added days are not new national federal holidays added to the standard 11, meaning there is no federal requirement that banks, businesses, or schools close, or that private workers receive paid time off.
Some private firms may choose to match the federal schedule, and some already close on December 24, but the order itself does not compel that. State and local governments are also not bound by the Executive Order, leaving their holiday schedules unchanged unless they decide to adopt similar closures.
Federal contractors and vendors fall into a middle category with outcomes that depend on contract terms. The guidance described indicates that many contractors tied to federal schedules may receive time off with pay if their contracts specify that result, while others may not.
In practical terms, the three-day closure could reshape customer-facing federal functions during a period when many people seek year-end documentation, tax forms, or court processing. It also concentrates time pressure into the surrounding days, as offices that normally handle a steady flow of requests close for an extended stretch.
The Executive Order’s scope is limited to executive federal departments and agencies. The description of the closures includes most federal employees, but it also emphasizes exceptions determined by agency heads for work tied to national security, defense, or public need.
Within agencies, managers and human resources offices must translate the Executive Order into day-to-day staffing decisions. That includes defining which duties qualify as essential under the exceptions, ensuring premium pay is applied correctly, and making sure “in-lieu-of” holidays are assigned consistently.
Employees on flexible and compressed schedules may also have to reconcile holiday crediting with their tour requirements. The guidance described indicates they may need extra hours elsewhere in the pay period to satisfy the 80-hour biweekly requirement, even though the day is treated as a holiday and counts as 8 hours.
For part-time staff, the differences can be sharper because “in-lieu-of” holidays do not apply. Workers who are not regularly scheduled on the actual holiday date may see no paid benefit from the closure, unless an agency uses discretionary administrative leave.
The timing of the Executive Order, issued on December 18, 2025, also gives agencies a short runway before December 24, 2025, to adjust schedules and communicate rules to employees and the public. That includes posting closure notices, rescheduling appointments, and revising internal calendars in offices that must keep a minimal operational footprint.
For the general public, the most visible change may be the temporary halt in many federal service channels, from routine mail-handling through government facilities to the processing of non-urgent work. For federal employees, the order effectively creates three consecutive days off around Christmas, while leaving the broader U.S. holiday calendar unchanged.
President Trump’s Executive Order grants federal employees paid time off on December 24 and 26, 2025. Coupled with Christmas, this creates a three-day holiday stretch for executive agencies. The policy affects 2.1 million workers but excludes the private sector. Essential services remain operational, though the public should expect delays in mail and tax processing. This temporary measure provides extra rest without creating new permanent national holidays.
