PTO Optimizer 2027
Enter your paid days off and see where to take them around the holidays for the most time off: every break with its dates, a year calendar, and a file to add it all to your calendar.
2027 · 10 PTO days · most long weekends
40 days off10 breaks from 10 PTO days.
- Breaks
- 10
- Longest
- 4 days
- Days off per PTO day
- 4
- Fri Jan 1 – Mon Jan 4 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · New Year’s Day
- Fri Jan 15 – Mon Jan 18 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Fri Feb 12 – Mon Feb 15 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Washington’s Birthday
- Fri May 28 – Mon May 31 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Memorial Day
- Thu Jun 17 – Sun Jun 20 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Juneteenth National Independence Day
- Fri Jul 2 – Mon Jul 5 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Independence Day
- Fri Sep 3 – Mon Sep 6 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Labor Day
- Fri Oct 8 – Mon Oct 11 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Columbus Day
- Thu Nov 11 – Sun Nov 14 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Veterans Day
- Thu Nov 25 – Sun Nov 28 · 4 days off for 1 PTO day · Thanksgiving Day
Holidays from OPM, as observed by most federal employees. Untick any your employer does not give you.
PTO holiday day off
Jan 2027
Feb 2027
Mar 2027
Apr 2027
May 2027
Jun 2027
Jul 2027
Aug 2027
Sep 2027
Oct 2027
Nov 2027
Dec 2027
Quick answer: in 2027 US federal workers get 12 holidays off, because New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027. Ten of them land on a Monday or a Friday, so they are already three-day weekends; add one PTO day to each and you get ten four-day weekends. The best single deal is Christmas to New Year: 4 PTO days (December 27–30) give 10 days off, from Friday, December 24 to Sunday, January 2.
How to use it
Enter how many paid days off you want to use and pick a style: most long weekends spends each day where it adds the most days off, which is usually around the holidays; fewer, longer breaks only plans breaks of 9 days or more. Change the days you work if your week is not Monday to Friday, and untick any holiday your employer does not give you. The plan lists every break with its dates, shows the year on a calendar, and Add to calendar downloads the breaks as an .ics file for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.
2027 federal holidays
| Day off | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Fri Jan 1 | New Year’s Day |
| Mon Jan 18 | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Mon Feb 15 | Washington’s Birthday |
| Mon May 31 | Memorial Day |
| Fri Jun 18 | Juneteenth National Independence Day (observed; the date is Sat Jun 19) |
| Mon Jul 5 | Independence Day (observed; the date is Sun Jul 4) |
| Mon Sep 6 | Labor Day |
| Mon Oct 11 | Columbus Day |
| Thu Nov 11 | Veterans Day |
| Thu Nov 25 | Thanksgiving Day |
| Fri Dec 24 | Christmas Day (observed; the date is Sat Dec 25) |
| Fri Dec 31 | New Year’s Day (observed; the date is Sat Jan 1) |
From OPM, the US Office of Personnel Management. A holiday on a Saturday is observed the Friday before and one on a Sunday the Monday after. Private employers choose their own holidays, often fewer: untick the ones you do not get.
The best ways to use PTO in 2027
- Christmas to New Year: 4 PTO days, December 27–30, for 10 days off (Fri Dec 24 – Sun Jan 2).
- Veterans Day and Thanksgiving: both are Thursdays; take the Friday after each for a four-day weekend (Nov 11–14 and Nov 25–28).
- The Monday holidays: MLK Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (observed July 5), Labor Day and Columbus Day. A Friday before or a Tuesday after each makes a four-day weekend.
- 10 PTO days, most long weekends: 40 days off in ten four-day weekends.
- 10 PTO days, longer breaks: 21 days off in two breaks: 9 days around MLK Day for 4 PTO days and 12 days over Christmas and New Year for 6.
How the plan is made
Each PTO day goes where it adds the most days off to a break. A day that joins a weekend to a holiday adds more than one that only lengthens a normal weekend, and a day added to a break you already have only counts once. When two choices are equal, the one that makes the longer break wins, then the earlier one. The plan never uses more days than you enter, never plans a day in the past, and says so when leftover days would not add anything.
Plan the trips
Four days is enough for the best weekend getaways in the USA or a cheap one, and a quick road trip. A 10-day Christmas break is time for somewhere warm or New York at Christmas.
FAQ
What are the federal holidays in 2027?
New Year’s Day (Jan 1), MLK Day (Jan 18), Washington’s Birthday (Feb 15), Memorial Day (May 31), Juneteenth (observed Jun 18), Independence Day (observed Jul 5), Labor Day (Sep 6), Columbus Day (Oct 11), Veterans Day (Nov 11), Thanksgiving (Nov 25), Christmas (observed Dec 24), and New Year’s Day 2028 (observed Dec 31, 2027).
How many long weekends are there in 2027?
Ten three-day weekends for federal workers: ten of the twelve holidays fall on a Monday or a Friday. Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are Thursdays, so one PTO day on the Friday makes each a four-day weekend.
How do I get the most time off with the fewest PTO days?
Put PTO days between a holiday and a weekend. In 2027 one day next to each holiday turns it into four days off, and four days between Christmas and New Year give ten.
What is a bridge day?
A work day between a holiday and a weekend. Taking it off joins the two into one longer break, for example the Friday after Thanksgiving.
When is Christmas observed in 2027?
Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25, 2027, is observed on Friday, December 24 for federal employees, and New Year’s Day 2028 on Friday, December 31, 2027.
Does it work for a job that is not Monday to Friday?
Yes. Pick the days you work, for example Sunday to Thursday, and the plan counts your own days off. Untick the holidays you do not get.