{"id":375446,"date":"2016-03-31T21:36:12","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ability-fl-prod.internetbrands.com\/ability-law\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-legal-holidays-laws.html"},"modified":"2026-09-23T09:29:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:29:51","slug":"north-carolina-legal-holidays-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/north-carolina-law\/north-carolina-legal-holidays-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Legal Holidays and Holiday Pay Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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North Carolina Legal Holidays and Holiday Pay Laws<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Catherine Hodder, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n

The North Carolina<\/span> Wage and Hour Act<\/span> doesn\u2019t require private employers<\/span> to offer any paid holidays<\/span> for their employees. Federal and state government<\/span> workers are paid under the\u00a0North Carolina<\/span>\u00a0Human Resources Act, which limits public holidays to 12.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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North Carolina<\/span> wage laws<\/span> follow the federal Fair Labor Standards Act<\/span> (FLSA<\/span>). Employers are not required to provide paid time off<\/span> for vacation time<\/span> or sick leave<\/span> unless they choose to.<\/p>\n

If a private employer<\/span> designates a legal holiday as a paid holiday<\/span> in an employment contract<\/span>, they can make it exclusive to certain employees, such as full-time<\/span> or part-time workers. When an employer does so, they must continue to abide by the contract terms for all employees covered by the contract.<\/p>\n

Private employers<\/span><\/a> must make their holiday pay<\/span>, overtime pay<\/span>, and sick leave<\/span> policies available to all workers via written notification<\/span> or a posted notice. Public employers<\/span><\/a> must follow state and local law requirements.<\/p>\n

Holiday Leave<\/span><\/h3>\n

The state of <\/span>North Carolina<\/span> recognizes 11 state and federal holidays, including New Year’s Day<\/span>, Martin Luther King, Jr<\/span>.’s Birthday, Memorial Day<\/span>, Independence Day<\/span>, Labor Day<\/span>, Veterans Day<\/span>, Thanksgiving, and Christmas<\/span>. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is the official public holiday.<\/p>\n

North Carolina<\/span> also recognizes several state and regional holidays, including Good Friday<\/span>, Greek Independence Day<\/span>, Yom Kippur, Columbus Day (now federally recognized as Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Day), and the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in election years. However, public offices are open on Greek Independence Day<\/span> and Columbus Day.<\/p>\n

Paid and Unpaid Leave<\/span><\/h3>\n

State employees<\/span> who work on designated holidays receive their regular rate<\/span> of base pay plus premium pay equal to 0.5 times (one-half) their regular hourly rate, alongside holiday compensatory time off (up to eight hours).<\/p>\n

Private employees must receive whatever their employment agreement states. Private employers<\/span> don\u2019t have to pay for breaks and sick leave<\/span>. Under federal law<\/span>, eligible workers can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave<\/span> to care for family members or their own serious health issues through the Family and Medical Leave Act<\/span><\/a> (FMLA<\/span>). All employees who have worked more than 1250 hours in the previous 12 months qualify for unpaid leave<\/span> under FMLA<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Employers can\u2019t fire or discipline employees for exercising their civil rights to vote, attend jury duty<\/span>, or report for military service. Employers don\u2019t have to provide paid or unpaid time<\/span> off for these employee rights<\/span>, but they can\u2019t fire employees for doing so.<\/p>\n

Enforcement<\/h2>\n

North Carolina<\/span> employers<\/span> must follow their own policies when paying workers, providing meal breaks<\/span>, and scheduling holidays and vacation time<\/span>. If you\u2019re not being paid according to your employer\u2019s policies<\/span>, you can file a complaint<\/a> with the North Carolina<\/span> Department of Labor<\/span>, even if your employer is a private company. State employees<\/span> can file a complaint with either the appropriate state agency<\/span> where they are employed or with the North Carolina<\/span> Office of Human Resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n

North Carolina<\/span> Legal Holidays Laws: Related Resources<\/h2>\n