How many work hours are in a year in the US? 2,080, and the real count for 2026 and 2027
A full-time year is 2,080 hours: 52 weeks times 40 hours. That is a convention, not a count of calendar days. In 2026 there are 261 weekdays, or 2,088 hours at 8 a day. Take out the 11 US federal holidays and 250 working days remain, which is 2,000 hours. In 2027 the same method gives 249 days and 1,992 hours. These counts use US federal holidays; other countries have different public holidays, so their yearly totals differ.
Which number to use depends on the question: pay conversion, a staffing plan, or hours you will actually be at work.
The three numbers at a glance
| Count | How it is made | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convention | 52 weeks × 40 hours | 2,080 | 2,080 |
| Weekdays | Monday to Friday days in the year × 8 hours | 2,088 (261 days) | 2,088 (261 days) |
| Weekdays minus federal holidays | Weekdays less the days off on the OPM list × 8 hours | 2,000 (250 days) | 1,992 (249 days) |
A year has 365 days, which is 52 weeks plus one day (366 in a leap year). That extra day is why a year holds 260 or 261 weekdays and 2,080 is only an approximation. Neither 2026 nor 2027 is a leap year, and each holds 261 weekdays.
Why 2,080?
It is arithmetic: 52 × 40 = 2,080. Divide by 12 and a month averages 173.33 hours. Divide by 26 and a biweekly period is 80 hours.
Employers use it to turn a salary into an hourly rate. The US Office of Personnel Management used it for federal pay until 1984. It now divides annual pay by 2,087 hours instead, an average over a 28-year calendar cycle (OPM). The two differ by 7 hours a year, so a federal salary converts to an hourly rate about a third of a percent lower than the 2,080 method gives.
Which days are federal holidays in 2026 and 2027?
Federal law names the holidays (5 U.S.C. 6103). For most federal employees, OPM moves a Saturday holiday to the preceding Friday and a Sunday holiday to the following Monday. The days off, by date:
| Holiday | 2026 day off | 2027 day off |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thursday, January 1 | Friday, January 1 |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Monday, January 19 | Monday, January 18 |
| Washington's Birthday | Monday, February 16 | Monday, February 15 |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 25 | Monday, May 31 |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Friday, June 19 | Friday, June 18 (June 19 is a Saturday) |
| Independence Day | Friday, July 3 (July 4 is a Saturday) | Monday, July 5 (July 4 is a Sunday) |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 7 | Monday, September 6 |
| Columbus Day | Monday, October 12 | Monday, October 11 |
| Veterans Day | Wednesday, November 11 | Thursday, November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 26 | Thursday, November 25 |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25 | Friday, December 24 (December 25 is a Saturday) |
| New Year's Day 2028 | None | Friday, December 31 (January 1, 2028 is a Saturday) |
That last row is easy to miss. OPM lists the 2028 New Year's Day holiday as Friday, December 31, 2027, so 2027 has 12 federal days off, not 11. The count of 249 working days in 2027 includes it. Without it, 2027 would have 250 working days and 2,000 hours, the same as 2026.
Private employers are not bound by this list. The Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act "does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations or holidays", and that these benefits are "generally a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee." Your employer's holiday calendar may be shorter, longer or different. Subtract your own.
Working days by month, 2026
Weekdays are Monday to Friday. Hours are working days × 8.
| Month | Weekdays | Federal holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| February | 20 | 1 | 19 | 152 |
| March | 22 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| April | 22 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| May | 21 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| June | 22 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| July | 23 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| August | 21 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| September | 22 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| October | 22 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| November | 21 | 2 | 19 | 152 |
| December | 23 | 1 | 22 | 176 |
| Year | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,000 |
Working days by month, 2027
| Month | Weekdays | Federal holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 2 | 19 | 152 |
| February | 20 | 1 | 19 | 152 |
| March | 23 | 0 | 23 | 184 |
| April | 22 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| May | 21 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| June | 22 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| July | 22 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| August | 22 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| September | 22 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| October | 21 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| November | 22 | 2 | 20 | 160 |
| December | 23 | 2 | 21 | 168 |
| Year | 261 | 12 | 249 | 1,992 |
Check one month by hand. November 2026 starts on a Sunday. Its weekdays are November 2 to 6, 9 to 13, 16 to 20 and 23 to 27, which is 20, plus Monday, November 30, for 21. Veterans Day (Wednesday, November 11) and Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) leave 19 working days, and 19 × 8 = 152 hours.
What the difference does to an hourly rate
A $52,000 salary divided by each count:
| Divisor | Hours | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 52 × 40 convention | 2,080 | $25.00 |
| OPM federal divisor | 2,087 | $24.92 |
| 2026 weekdays | 2,088 | $24.90 |
| 2026 working days after federal holidays | 2,000 | $26.00 |
| 2027 working days after federal holidays | 1,992 | $26.10 |
Each row is $52,000 ÷ hours, rounded to the cent. The first three rows treat holidays as paid. The last two spread the salary over only the hours you are at work, as if every federal holiday were unpaid. If your employer pays you for holidays, the 2,080 line is the fair one.
Paid time off cuts the hours further. With 10 days of PTO on top of the 2026 holidays, 250 − 10 = 240 days, or 1,920 hours at 8 a day.
Part-time schedules, in hours a year
Multiply the weekly hours by 52. The second pair of columns assumes five equal workdays and takes out the federal holidays: a 30-hour week is 6 hours a day, and a 35-hour week is 7.
| Weekly hours | × 52 weeks | 2026 after federal holidays | 2027 after federal holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1,560 | 1,500 (250 × 6) | 1,494 (249 × 6) |
| 35 | 1,820 | 1,750 (250 × 7) | 1,743 (249 × 7) |
| 40 | 2,080 | 2,000 (250 × 8) | 1,992 (249 × 8) |
Thirty and 35 hours are also the cutoffs the law and statistics use for "full time" (see how many hours is full time).
Turn a salary into an hourly rate
Pick the hours that match how your employer pays you. The salary to hourly calculator converts an annual salary at the weekly hours and weeks you enter.
To count your own time off, use the PTO calculator and the business days calculator. For a pay period total, see the payroll hours calculator, and for how those hours fall in each paycheck, semi-monthly vs biweekly.
Questions
How many work hours are in a year?
A full-time schedule has 2,080: 52 weeks × 40 hours. The real number for a given year runs from 1,992 to 2,088 once you count weekdays and subtract federal holidays, as the tables above do for 2026 and 2027.
How many working days are in a year?
The 52 × 5 convention gives 260. A calendar year holds 261 weekdays in 2026 and 2027. After the federal holidays, 250 remain in 2026 and 249 in 2027.
How many work hours are in a month?
A month averages 173.33 hours (2,080 ÷ 12). A real month runs from 152 to 184 hours in the tables above, before holidays are paid or unpaid.
How many work hours are in a year after holidays?
It is 2,000 in 2026 and 1,992 in 2027, on a Monday-to-Friday, 8-hour schedule with all federal holidays off.
Why is 2,087 hours used for federal pay?
OPM averages the weekdays in a 28-year calendar cycle: (2,096 × 4 + 2,088 × 17 + 2,080 × 7) ÷ 28 = 2,087.143 hours. The 2,080 figure was the federal divisor until 1984.
Do private employers have to give federal holidays off?
No. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require pay for time not worked, such as holidays. It is a matter of agreement between you and your employer.
How many hours is part time in a year?
At 30 hours a week, 1,560 hours; at 35, 1,820. Subtract holidays and time off to get hours worked.
Not legal, tax or payroll advice. Laws change; check the linked official source before relying on a figure.