Quick Answer
A typical year has 260–262 weekdays (Monday–Friday). 2026 has exactly 261 weekdays and 104 weekend days (52 Saturdays + 52 Sundays). After subtracting the 10 US federal holidays that fall on a weekday in 2026, you're left with about 251 working days. Leap years usually have 262 weekdays, but 2028 is an exception with 260.
Whether you're planning a project timeline, budgeting paid time off, or working out your daily pay rate, the number of weekdays in a year is a surprisingly useful figure — and it isn't the same every year.
Here's the short version, the exact count for 2026, a year-by-year table, and why the difference between weekdays and working days matters for your paycheck.
How many weekdays are in a year?
A year has 260 to 262 weekdays. The math starts simple:
But a year isn't exactly 52 weeks. A regular year has 365 days (52 weeks + 1 day), and a leap year has 366 (52 weeks + 2 days). Those 1–2 extra days push the count to 261 or 262 — unless they land on a weekend, which can leave it at 260. The exact total depends on which weekday January 1 falls on.
How many weekdays are in 2026?
2026 has 261 weekdays. It's a 365-day year starting on a Thursday, with 52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays (104 weekend days). 365 − 104 = 261 weekdays.
Weekdays by year
| Year | Total days | Weekend days | Weekdays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 366 (leap) | 104 | 262 |
| 2025 | 365 | 104 | 261 |
| 2026 | 365 | 104 | 261 |
| 2027 | 365 | 104 | 261 |
| 2028 | 366 (leap) | 106 | 260 |
| 2029 | 365 | 104 | 261 |
Note how 2028, a leap year, has fewer weekdays than 2026 — both extra days fall on a weekend. Count weekdays between any two dates →
Weekdays vs. working days
"Weekdays" and "working days" aren't the same thing. Working days (also called business days) are weekdays minus the public holidays your workplace observes.
The US has 11 federal holidays. In 2026, one of them — Independence Day — falls on a Saturday, so only 10 reduce the weekday count:
Weekdays in 2026261
− Federal holidays on weekdays10
= Working days in 2026≈ 251
Your employer may observe more or fewer paid holidays, so treat 251 as the federal-holiday baseline.
Why this matters for your pay
If you're salaried, the weekday count is how you translate an annual number into a daily one — useful for prorating a partial year, valuing a day of PTO, or comparing a salary to contract day rates:
- Daily rate = annual salary ÷ working days. A $60,000 salary ÷ 251 ≈ $239/day in 2026.
- Value of a PTO day = your daily rate — so each paid day off on that salary is worth about $239.
- Full-time hours = 261 weekdays × 8 hours = 2,088 hours, close to the standard 2,080 (52 × 40) payroll uses.
To turn any salary into a daily or hourly figure, use the salary to hourly calculator. To count weekdays or business days between two specific dates, the date calculator does it instantly.