New Jersey State Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for New Jersey and start planning to make the most of your time off.
Just like most of the states in the country, New Jersey celebrates many of the same holidays as the federal government. On those dates, offices and some businesses are closed. If the holiday falls on a weekend, the holiday is celebrated on either Friday or Monday, depending on the day of the weekend where the holiday falls.
The state of New Jersey includes Saturday after 12 Noon as well as all day Sunday as a legal holiday. In even years, the day of the General Election is considered a holiday. New Jersey celebrates Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 and Washington’s birthday on the third Monday in February. However, state employees are not entitled to Lincoln’s birthday as a paid holiday. The state’s governor is also given authority to name additional holidays throughout the year.
New Jersey state government offices are closed on all holidays and state workers are paid for the time off. Private employers are not required to pay for holidays even if the business closes. In addition, they are not required to pay a higher rate of pay if the employee works on a holiday.
Many employers in New Jersey do offer at least six paid holidays as a benefit to employers even though the law does not require them to do so. Many employers also offer premium pay on holidays or allow employees to take days off at other times during the year to encourage them to work on a holiday if their business must remain open.