When Is Independence Day?
Independence Day 2027 is on Sunday, July 4 — in 241 days. Because it falls on a Sunday, the federal holiday is observed on Monday, July 5, 2027. It is on July 4 every year; in 2028 it falls on a Tuesday.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
Independence Day, the Fourth of July, marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It has been a federal holiday since 1870.
July 2027 calendar
Independence Day is marked on Sunday, July 4, 2027, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
July 2027 – Independence Day 2027
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 27 | 4Independence Day | 5Independence Day (observed) | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 28 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 29 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 30 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Independence Day dates 2020–2040
Independence Day falls on a weekend in 7 of these 21 years; federal employees then get the Friday before (Saturday) or the Monday after (Sunday) off.
| Year | Date | Day | Federal day off | 3-day weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Saturday | Fri, Jul 3 – Sun, Jul 5 | ||
| 2021 | Sunday | Sat, Jul 3 – Mon, Jul 5 | ||
| 2022 | Monday | — | Sat, Jul 2 – Mon, Jul 4 | |
| 2023 | Tuesday | — | — | |
| 2024 | Thursday | — | — | |
| 2025 | Friday | — | Fri, Jul 4 – Sun, Jul 6 | |
| 2026 | Saturday | Fri, Jul 3 – Sun, Jul 5 | ||
| 2027 | Next | Sunday | Sat, Jul 3 – Mon, Jul 5 | |
| 2028 | Tuesday | — | — | |
| 2029 | Wednesday | — | — | |
| 2030 | Thursday | — | — | |
| 2031 | Friday | — | Fri, Jul 4 – Sun, Jul 6 | |
| 2032 | Sunday | Sat, Jul 3 – Mon, Jul 5 | ||
| 2033 | Monday | — | Sat, Jul 2 – Mon, Jul 4 | |
| 2034 | Tuesday | — | — | |
| 2035 | Wednesday | — | — | |
| 2036 | Friday | — | Fri, Jul 4 – Sun, Jul 6 | |
| 2037 | Saturday | Fri, Jul 3 – Sun, Jul 5 | ||
| 2038 | Sunday | Sat, Jul 3 – Mon, Jul 5 | ||
| 2039 | Monday | — | Sat, Jul 2 – Mon, Jul 4 | |
| 2040 | Wednesday | — | — |
History of the Fourth of July
- June 7, 1776: Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution declaring the colonies "free and independent States." Congress appointed a Committee of Five — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman — to draft a declaration; Jefferson wrote the first draft.
- July 2, 1776: Congress approved the Lee Resolution, with 12 of the 13 colonies voting yes and New York abstaining.
- July 4, 1776: Congress adopted the final text of the Declaration. John Dunlap printed it as a broadside that night, headed with that date, and copies went out on July 5.
How it became a federal holiday
An act of Congress of June 28, 1870, made Independence Day, New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving holidays for federal employees in the District of Columbia — the first federal holidays. An 1885 law extended holiday pay to federal workers outside Washington. Today 5 U.S.C. § 6103 lists "Independence Day, July 4." When July 4 is a Saturday, federal employees get Friday, July 3 off; when it is a Sunday, Monday, July 5.
What's open and closed
- Federal offices, post offices and the New York Stock Exchange are closed on the holiday or its observed weekday.
- The NYSE sometimes closes early, at 1:00 PM ET, on July 3 (it did on Thursday, July 3, 2025).
- Federal Reserve Banks are closed; when July 4 is a Saturday, they open on Friday, July 3 while the Federal Reserve Board closes. The Postal Service's holiday schedule likewise keeps post offices open with normal delivery on the Friday before a Saturday holiday.
Sources
- National Archives – The Declaration of Independence: A History
- Massachusetts Historical Society – John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776
- Congressional Research Service – Federal Holidays: Evolution and Current Practices
- 5 U.S.C. § 6103 – Legal public holidays (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Federal holidays
- NYSE – Holidays and trading hours
- Federal Reserve Board – Holidays observed
- U.S. Postal Service – Holidays and events
Frequently asked questions
When is Independence Day 2028?
Independence Day 2028 is on Tuesday, July 4, 2028.
Why is Independence Day on July 4 and not July 2?
Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and John Adams expected that day to be celebrated "with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations," as he wrote to Abigail Adams on July 3. The date that stuck was July 4, when the final text was adopted and the date printed on the Declaration.
When was the Declaration of Independence signed?
Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment copy on August 2, 1776, almost a month after its adoption. Congress had ordered it "fairly engrossed on parchment" on July 19; 56 delegates eventually signed it.
Which presidents died on the Fourth of July?
Three: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration, and James Monroe died on July 4, 1831.
Where is the original Declaration of Independence?
On display in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., in an upright case; it is lowered into a vault at night.