Annual Workforce Planning

Standard Working Days and Business Hours in 2026

A complete month-by-month and quarterly breakdown of calendar days, weekends, federal holidays, net workdays, and standard business hours for 2026.

2026 Calendar Math Summary

Total Weekdays

261 Days

2,088 Gross Hours

Net Workdays

250 Days

Excl. 11 US Holidays

Net Work Hours

2,000 Hours

8 Hours / Day Basis

Weekend Days

104 Days

52 Saturdays / 52 Sundays

1. 2026 Month-by-Month Workday & Hours Table

The table below itemizes every month in 2026. 2026 is a standard common year of 365 days starting on a Thursday and ending on a Thursday.

Month Total Days Weekends Weekdays Holidays Net Workdays Work Hours
January 2026 31 9 22 2 20 160 hrs
February 2026 28 8 20 1 19 152 hrs
March 2026 31 9 22 0 22 176 hrs
April 2026 30 8 22 0 22 176 hrs
May 2026 31 10 21 1 20 160 hrs
June 2026 30 8 22 1 21 168 hrs
July 2026 31 8 23 1 22 176 hrs
August 2026 31 10 21 0 21 168 hrs
September 2026 30 8 22 1 21 168 hrs
October 2026 31 9 22 1 21 168 hrs
November 2026 30 9 21 2 19 152 hrs
December 2026 31 8 23 1 22 176 hrs
Total / Year 365 104 261 11 250 2,000 hrs

2. Quarterly Workday Breakdown for Fiscal Planning

Corporate financial accounting and quarterly revenue forecasting track performance across standard fiscal quarters:

Q1 2026

Jan 1 – Mar 31

61 Net Days

488 Working Hours

3 Holidays (New Year, MLK, Presidents)

Q2 2026

Apr 1 – Jun 30

64 Net Days

512 Working Hours

2 Holidays (Memorial, Juneteenth)

Q3 2026

Jul 1 – Sep 30

64 Net Days

512 Working Hours

2 Holidays (Independence, Labor)

Q4 2026

Oct 1 – Dec 31

61 Net Days

488 Working Hours

4 Holidays (Columbus, Veterans, Thanksgiving, Christmas)

3. How Organizations Apply 2026 Working Day Metrics

FTE Capacity Planning

One Full-Time Equivalent (1.0 FTE) in 2026 equals exactly 2,000 productive work hours. Staffing coordinators calculate fractional headcount (e.g., 0.5 FTE = 1,000 hours, 0.8 FTE = 1,600 hours) against this annual threshold.

Government & Defense Contracting

Federal defense and civilian agencies benchmark contract labor rates on 2,000 billable hours per year, treating 11 statutory federal holidays as non-billable periods under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) guidelines.

Need to Calculate Custom Dates or Exclude Holidays?

Use our interactive Working Days Calculator to specify custom date intervals and export CSV files.

Open Working Days Calculator

Frequently asked questions

How many total working days are in 2026?
There are 261 total weekdays (Monday through Friday) in 2026. Excluding all 11 observed US federal holidays, there are exactly 250 net working days.
How many working hours are in 2026?
For a full-time employee working 8 hours per day, 2026 contains 2,088 gross weekday hours. Excluding the 11 paid federal holidays (88 hours), there are exactly 2,000 net productive working hours.
Which month in 2026 has the most working days?
March, April, July, and December 2026 tie for the most net working days, with 22 working days each (176 working hours).
Which month in 2026 has the fewest working days?
February and November 2026 have the fewest working days, with 19 net working days each (152 working hours).
Why do standard payroll budgets use 2,080 hours instead of 2,000?
2,080 hours represents a mathematical baseline of 52 weeks × 40 hours. In paid employment agreements, full-time salaried staff are compensated for paid federal holidays and paid time off (PTO), which bridges the gap between 2,000 physical hours worked and 2,080 paid hours.