Long Weekends 2027: How to Turn 10 Days of Paid Time Off Into 27 Days Off
Using the 2027 federal holidays from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), 10 paid time off (PTO) days make 27 days off in four blocks. Dates to request.
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Ten paid time off (PTO) days can become 27 days off in 2027, if you work Monday to Friday and get the 12 federal holiday days off that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lists for the year. We checked every combination of bridge days on that schedule, and four blocks beat the rest: two single Fridays in November, the Christmas and New Year’s stretch, and a nine-day Memorial Day block.
This is a computed plan, not an OPM product. It assumes the federal schedule from our 2027 federal holidays list, including the Friday, Dec. 31, 2027 day off for New Year’s Day 2028. Private employers are not required to give federal holidays, so move the dates to match your own holiday list.
Which 2027 holidays already make long weekends?
Eight of the 12 days off give a three-day weekend with no PTO at all: New Year’s Day (Fri., Jan. 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Mon., Jan. 18), Washington’s Birthday (Mon., Feb. 15), Memorial Day (Mon., May 31), Juneteenth (observed Fri., June 18), Independence Day (observed Mon., July 5), Labor Day (Mon., Sept. 6) and Columbus Day (Mon., Oct. 11). Our Memorial Day and Juneteenth pages show those dates year by year.
Veterans Day (Thu., Nov. 11) and Thanksgiving (Thu., Nov. 25) are different. Each stands alone in the middle of the week, so each is one day off unless you bridge it.
Bridge plan for each 2027 federal holiday
The table gives, for each holiday, the days off in a row without PTO, the weekdays to request and the block you get. A bridge day is a weekday between a holiday and a weekend.
| Holiday (observed) | Off without PTO | PTO days to request | Days off in a row |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day, Fri., Jan. 1 | Jan. 1-3 (3 days) | Thu., Dec. 31, 2026 (1 day) | Dec. 31, 2026 to Jan. 3 (4 days) |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mon., Jan. 18 | Jan. 16-18 (3) | Tue., Jan. 19 to Fri., Jan. 22 (4) | Jan. 16-24 (9) |
| Washington’s Birthday, Mon., Feb. 15 | Feb. 13-15 (3) | Tue., Feb. 16 to Fri., Feb. 19 (4) | Feb. 13-21 (9) |
| Memorial Day, Mon., May 31 | May 29-31 (3) | Tue., June 1 to Fri., June 4 (4) | May 29 to June 6 (9) |
| Juneteenth, Fri., June 18 | June 18-20 (3) | Mon., June 14 to Thu., June 17 (4) | June 12-20 (9) |
| Independence Day, Mon., July 5 | July 3-5 (3) | Tue., July 6 to Fri., July 9 (4) | July 3-11 (9) |
| Labor Day, Mon., Sept. 6 | Sept. 4-6 (3) | Tue., Sept. 7 to Fri., Sept. 10 (4) | Sept. 4-12 (9) |
| Columbus Day, Mon., Oct. 11 | Oct. 9-11 (3) | Tue., Oct. 12 to Fri., Oct. 15 (4) | Oct. 9-17 (9) |
| Veterans Day, Thu., Nov. 11 | Nov. 11 (1) | Fri., Nov. 12 (1) | Nov. 11-14 (4) |
| Thanksgiving, Thu., Nov. 25 | Nov. 25 (1) | Fri., Nov. 26 (1) | Nov. 25-28 (4) |
| Christmas, Fri., Dec. 24, and New Year’s Day 2028, Fri., Dec. 31 | Dec. 24-26 and Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 (3 each) | Mon., Dec. 27 to Thu., Dec. 30 (4) | Dec. 24 to Jan. 2, 2028 (10) |
The Friday and Monday holidays all work the same way: four PTO days fill the week next to the long weekend and give nine days off. The two Thursdays are the cheap ones, at one PTO day for four days off. The December block joins two three-day weekends, so four PTO days give 10 days.
The 10-day PTO plan for 2027
Spending the 10 days on the best four blocks gives this plan. We counted every set of non-overlapping blocks that fits in 10 PTO days on this schedule, and 27 is the highest total.
| Request off | PTO days | Days off in a row | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., June 1 to Fri., June 4 | 4 | May 29 to June 6 (9) | Memorial Day, Mon., May 31 |
| Fri., Nov. 12 | 1 | Nov. 11-14 (4) | Veterans Day, Thu., Nov. 11 |
| Fri., Nov. 26 | 1 | Nov. 25-28 (4) | Thanksgiving, Thu., Nov. 25 |
| Mon., Dec. 27 to Thu., Dec. 30 | 4 | Dec. 24 to Jan. 2, 2028 (10) | Christmas, Fri., Dec. 24, and New Year’s Day 2028, Fri., Dec. 31 |
| Total | 10 | 27 days |
The Memorial Day block can swap places with Columbus Day: Tue., Oct. 12 to Fri., Oct. 15 also costs 4 PTO days and gives nine days off, Oct. 9-17. Either way the total is 27.
If your 10 days must cover Juneteenth and Independence Day, taking every weekday from Mon., June 21 to Fri., July 2 gives 18 days off in a row, June 18 to July 5. That is fewer days off than the four-block plan.
Print the 2027 long weekend planner
The one-page planner lists the PTO requests with dates and weekdays, so you can send them to your manager. Mark the days on our 2027 printable yearly calendar as well. For the number of working days in each month on the federal schedule, see our 2027 working days by month.
Free printable downloads
Every template is free, needs no sign-up and prints on US Letter paper. Choose PDF for printing or PNG for screens and documents.
2027 Long Weekend Planner printables
2027 Long Weekend Planner: PTO Dates to Request
A one-page list of the four PTO requests that turn 10 paid time off days into 27 days off in 2027, built on the federal holiday schedule.
2027 Long Weekend Planner: PTO Dates to Request (ink saver)
A one-page list of the four PTO requests that turn 10 paid time off days into 27 days off in 2027, built on the federal holiday schedule. Ink-saver version.
Frequently asked questions
How many days off can 10 PTO days give you in 2027?
27 days in four blocks, on the federal holiday schedule: Memorial Day (9 days off for 4 PTO days), Veterans Day (4 for 1), Thanksgiving (4 for 1) and Christmas to New Year's (10 for 4). The tables below show the dates.
What is the best single PTO day to take in 2027?
Friday, Nov. 12 or Friday, Nov. 26. Veterans Day and Thanksgiving both fall on a Thursday, so one PTO day turns each into four days off in a row.
Does this work if my employer is not the federal government?
Only if your employer gives the same days off. Private employers are not required to give federal holidays, so check your own holiday list and move the dates.
Which 2027 holidays are already long weekends?
Eight of them. New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day give three days off in a row on their own, with no PTO.
Sources
- Federal Holidays (U.S. Office of Personnel Management)
- Federal Holidays: "In Lieu Of" Determination (U.S. Office of Personnel Management)
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