Work smarter, not harder – and certainly not more than you have to. You can nearly quadruple your time off in 2025 by strategically using your PTO around the United States’s 11 federal holidays.

Although everyone’s schedule is different, there will be several chances for long weekends if you work Monday through Friday. There are many opportunities for four-day weekends and even a few for five-day weekends. Maximizing your time off is about knowing when to use your PTO, planning ahead, and asking in advance.

Here’s how to make the most of vacation days in the coming year and when to take off work each month to extend holiday time off using your PTO.

January

New Year’s Day will be on Wednesday, smack dab in the middle of the week. If you take off work on Monday, December 30 and Tuesday, December 31, you’ll start the year with a five-day weekend.

You could also take off the Tuesday following Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 20 if you want four days off.

February

This month is an idyllic opportunity to enjoy a four-day weekend. Use PTO on Friday, February 14, which is Valentine’s Day. Then enjoy a romantic getaway through Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 17.

March

Unfortunately, there are no federal holidays to finagle your PTO around for extra time off in March. However, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Monday this year, so consider requesting that off if you want a three-day weekend getaway.

April

There aren’t any federal holidays in April either. You’ll likely be working through the month unless your company considers April Fool’s Day, Tax Day, or Earth Day as holiday time-worthy.

Easter will be on Sunday, April 20.

May

If you take off Friday, May 23, you’ll secure another four-day weekend. Monday, May 26, is Memorial Day.

June

Juneteenth is on a Thursday, so use your PTO the following day for a four-day weekend.

July

Request Thursday, July 3, off work. Thanks to your July 4 holiday, you’ll enjoy a four-day weekend before heading back to work on Monday.

August

Sorry – there are no federal holidays this month to plan around.

September

Use PTO on Tuesday, September 2, the day after Labor Day. That’ll make your holiday weekend four days.

October

Monday, October 13, is Indigenous People’s Day, but it’s not a federal holiday. However, if you do have that day off work, use PTO on Friday, October 10 for a four-day weekend.

November

You can score yet another four-day weekend if you take off Monday, November 10. The following day, November 11, is Veterans Day. Your break would start after work on Friday, November 7.

Thanksgiving vacation is at the end of the month. Assuming you have Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 off, you could add an extra day with PTO and have a five-day break. For that time off to be consecutive, you will need to pick either the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or the Monday following the holiday.

December

Christmas Day, December 25, is a Thursday. Ask for the following day off as well and you’ll have a four-day weekend. You might work Monday, December 29 and Tuesday, December 30, but your employer might give you off on Wednesday the 31st, which is New Year’s Eve. It’s also possible you might get January 1, New Year’s Day, which is a Thursday.

vacation planning