# When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

*Federal law sets the holiday on the third Monday in January, so its calendar date changes from year to year.*

- Type: Explainer
- Section: Culture
- By: Culture Desk
- Published: 2026-11-12T01:53:41-05:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T01:53:41-05:00
- URL: https://factsdesk.com/culture/when-is-martin-luther-king-jr-day/

## Key facts

- The next Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, January 18, 2027, on the federal holiday schedule of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Source: [U.S. Office of Personnel Management](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:52:58-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/culture/when-is-martin-luther-king-jr-day/#the-next-martin-luther-king-jr-day-is-monday-january-18-2027
- Federal law lists the holiday as the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sets it on the third Monday in January. Source: [U.S. Government Publishing Office](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title5/html/USCODE-2024-title5-partIII-subpartE-chap61-subchapI-sec6103.htm). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:53:07-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/culture/when-is-martin-luther-king-jr-day/#federal-law-lists-the-holiday-as-the-birthday-of-martin
- The holiday falls on Monday, January 17, in 2028 and on Monday, January 15, in 2029. Source: [U.S. Office of Personnel Management](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:52:58-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/culture/when-is-martin-luther-king-jr-day/#the-holiday-falls-on-monday-january-17-in-2028-and-on-monday
- In 2026 the holiday was observed on Monday, January 19. Source: [U.S. Office of Personnel Management](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:52:58-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/culture/when-is-martin-luther-king-jr-day/#in-2026-the-holiday-was-observed-on-monday-january-19
- Public Law 98-144, dated November 2, 1983, added the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the list of legal public holidays. Source: [U.S. Government Publishing Office](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title5/html/USCODE-2024-title5-partIII-subpartE-chap61-subchapI-sec6103.htm). Confirmed 2026-11-12T01:53:07-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/culture/when-is-martin-luther-king-jr-day/#public-law-98-144-dated-november-2-1983-added-the-birthday

The next Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, January 18, 2027, according to the [federal holiday schedule](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/) of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The schedule and the law both list the holiday under the name Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

## Martin Luther King Jr. Day dates by year

The Office of Personnel Management [schedule](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/) gives these dates for the holiday. The 2026 date has passed.

| Year | Date |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 | Monday, January 19 |
| 2027 | Monday, January 18 |
| 2028 | Monday, January 17 |
| 2029 | Monday, January 15 |

## Why the date changes each year

[Federal law](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title5/html/USCODE-2024-title5-partIII-subpartE-chap61-subchapI-sec6103.htm) does not give the holiday a fixed calendar date. The list of legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103 reads, "Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday in January." The holiday is always on a Monday for that reason, and the day of the month moves from one year to the next.

## When the law added the holiday

The notes to [the same section of the law](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title5/html/USCODE-2024-title5-partIII-subpartE-chap61-subchapI-sec6103.htm) say that Public Law 98-144, dated November 2, 1983, inserted the item for the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. into the list of legal public holidays.

## A federal holiday for federal employees

The Office of Personnel Management [says](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/) the law establishes the public holidays on its schedule for federal employees. The holiday is one of the 11 on the full list of [federal holidays](/culture/what-are-the-federal-holidays/). Separate pages cover [which holidays banks are closed](/culture/what-holidays-are-banks-closed/) and [which holidays the post office is closed](/culture/what-holidays-is-the-post-office-closed/).

This page will be updated at this address with the next date after January 18, 2027.

## Sources

1. [Federal Holidays](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/), U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2026-11-12 (primary source)
2. [5 U.S.C. 6103, Holidays, United States Code, 2024 Edition](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title5/html/USCODE-2024-title5-partIII-subpartE-chap61-subchapI-sec6103.htm), U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2026-11-12 (primary source)