Are federal offices open on Black Friday?

The Friday after Thanksgiving is not on OPM's federal holiday schedule — there are eleven federal holidays and this isn't one of them. Social Security field offices, IRS assistance centers, passport agencies, and federal courts run a regular business day.

What is true is that it's a popular leave day, so an office can be lightly staffed and phone waits longer than usual. Plan on getting served, not on getting served quickly.

What else on Black Friday?

Black Friday across the board

Who	Status
Banks	Open Yes — banks are open the day after Thanksgiving.
Mail & the Post Office	Open Yes — mail is delivered the day after Thanksgiving and post offices are open.
The Stock Market	Early close Yes — but it's a half day: the stock market closes at 1pm ET the day after Thanksgiving.
UPS	Open Yes — UPS picks up and delivers the day after Thanksgiving.
FedEx	Varies Yes — FedEx delivers the day after Thanksgiving, with pickups on a modified schedule.
Trash Pickup	Varies Often yes — but the truck on your street is usually Thursday's route running late, not Friday's. Check with your hauler.
Schools	Closed Almost certainly not — nearly every district takes the day after Thanksgiving off.

Questions people ask

Do federal employees have to work on Black Friday?

It's a scheduled workday. Many take annual leave and some offices are quiet as a result, but the day itself is regular federal time, not a holiday.

Checked against the OPM federal holiday schedule, verified August 2026. When a schedule for a new year has not been published yet, this page says so — it never guesses.