Are federal offices open on Christmas Eve?

Christmas Eve is not one of the eleven federal holidays, so the default is a normal business day: Social Security offices open, IRS assistance centers open, passport agencies open, federal courts sitting.

Two things change that. When Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, December 24 becomes the observed holiday for federal employees and offices close. And presidents have several times granted Christmas Eve off by executive order — an announcement that usually arrives in December rather than months ahead. The table below shows which way each year falls.

What else on Christmas Eve?

Christmas Eve across the board

Who	Status
Banks	Open Yes — banks are open on Christmas Eve, though some branches close early.
Mail & the Post Office	Open Yes — mail is delivered on Christmas Eve, though some post office lobbies close early.
The Stock Market	Early close Yes — but it's a half day: when December 24 is a trading day, the stock market closes at 1pm ET.
UPS	Varies It depends on direction — UPS delivers on Christmas Eve, but there's no Ground pickup.
FedEx	Varies Yes — FedEx delivers on Christmas Eve, with Ground pickups modified.
Schools	Closed No — December 24 falls inside winter break in nearly every district.

Questions people ask

Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday?

No — the federal list has eleven holidays and Christmas Eve isn't one. It becomes a day off only when Christmas falls on a Saturday, or when a president grants it for that particular year by executive order.

Do federal offices close early on Christmas Eve?

There's no government-wide half-day rule. Either the day is given off outright or it's a normal workday; individual offices still go quiet in the afternoon, so go in the morning if a counter visit can't wait.

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.