Q: How do bank holidays affect payroll processing?
A: If a scheduled payday falls on a U.S. bank holiday, payroll cannot be processed on that date. To ensure employees get paid on time, move the payday to the previous business day.
For example, if employees are usually paid on Thursdays and Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, schedule payroll for Wednesday that week.
Q: Do I need to change the payroll approval date during holidays?
A: Yes, depending on your payroll processing timeline:
4-day processing: You typically approve on Monday for a Friday payday. If Friday is a holiday, payday moves to Thursday, but your approval deadline stays Monday. However, payments may arrive later in the day (around 5:30 PM local time).
If the holiday is on Monday, the approval date moves to Tuesday for a Friday payday. In this case, payments may arrive earlier (around 1:00 PM local time).
Next Day, 2-day, or 3-day processing: Your payroll approval date will shift backward to account for the holiday.
For example, during Thanksgiving week, you may need to approve payroll by Tuesday for a Friday payday.
Q: Will I be notified if a holiday affects my payroll schedule?
A: Yes. Workstream will notify you if a holiday impacts your approval timeline, so you can submit payroll on time.
Q: What are the upcoming bank holidays that may affect payroll?
A: Payroll can’t be processed on federal banking holidays. If a scheduled payday falls on one of these holidays, move it to the previous business day to ensure your team gets paid on time.
You can view the full list of banking holidays here: Federal Reserve Bank Holiday Schedule
2025 payroll planning
For each upcoming holiday, we’ve provided a visual guide to help you see when to approve payroll based on your processing type:
Next Day Pay
Accelerated
3-Day
Upcoming holidays
These approval window calendars show when to approve payroll based on your processing type.
Each colored box shows an important day:
Approval Day – The last day to approve payroll so employees get paid on time
Holiday – A U.S. bank holiday (no payroll processing)
Payday – The day employees receive their pay
July 4th - Independence Day | |
September 1st - Labor Day | |
October 13th - Indigenous Peoples' Day | |
November 11th - Veterans Day | |
November 27th - Thanksgiving Day | |
December 25th - Christmas Day |