KY State Holidays 2021

We’ve compiled a list of official KY State Holidays.

Are you looking for a complete list of Kentucky Holidays? Looking to plan ahead and enjoy the great Kentucky Outdoors, or maybe just plan ahead to find the best Kentucky gifts during your time off? Nonetheless, you can find a complete list of the 2021 KY State Holidays below. However, there could be a couple of different scenarios based on your employer.

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If you work for the Commonwealth itself or are looking to handle official business, you should keep these state holidays in mind. State employees typically receive eleven and a half paid holidays each year. This is in addition to monthly sick days, or annual floating personal time. Also, special leave options are available for various other scenarios.

The State of Kentucky officially designates several days each calendar year as state holidays. By law, these state holidays effect public employers, private employers, and official business in various manners.

The following list contains the official state holidays recognized by Kentucky. However, this does not mean that as a State of Kentucky employee, your days off each year will coincide exactly. Some of these days could fall on a weekend of course, so a following Monday might be given off instead. For the list of KY State Employee Holidays for 2021, continue to the bottom of this article.

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Kentucky State Holidays

These dates below recognize the Commonwealth’s offices and government buildings that must be closed. Moreover, Kentucky state employees must be given the day off on the following KY holidays:

• New Year’s Day (January 1) plus one extra day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (3rd Monday in January)
• Good Friday – 1/2 day (Friday before Easter, usually falls in March or April)
• Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
• Presidential election day (first Tuesday in November every four years)
• Veterans Day (November 11)
• Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November) plus one extra day
• Christmas Day (December 25) plus one extra day

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Public Employers

When one of these official holidays falls on a Saturday, it is typically observed on the prior Friday. Furthermore, when a holiday falls on a Sunday, it will be observed on the following Monday instead. In the event that the rule is “one extra day will be granted,” the governor will designate those dates additionally. You can read more about these rules within the KY Statute 18A.190.

Private Employers

As for private employers in Kentucky, there are no requirements to close on any of these holidays listed. Furthermore, these employers are not required to give their employees paid or unpaid time off during these holidays. They are also not required to pay premium wages to employees who work during these days. These private employees are only required to follow the standard leave laws. These typically include, vacation leave, sick leave, holiday leave, jury duty leave, voting leave, and bereavement leave. However, private employees that establish policies around holiday leave may be required to comply with their own policies.

2021 KY State Employee Holidays

Visit ky.gov if you’d like to checkout the original release.

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