What happens if MLK Day and Inauguration Day fall on the same day?

For federal employees near Washington, D.C., the upcoming Inauguration Day will look a little different, as the Jan. 20 federal holiday coincides with another federal holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Although Inauguration Day and MLK Day are two separate federal holidays, they fall on the same day this year. Still, federal employees will still only get one day off to observe the two holidays simultaneously, the Office of Personnel Management clarified in a memo to agencies Tuesday.

When a federal holiday falls on a weekend, OPM often designates a substitute holiday in which the federal holiday is observed on a business day immediately preceding the actual holiday. However, in this case, OPM confirmed that there will be no other day off beyond the one federal holiday on January 20th.

According to OPM, General Schedule employees working on Jan. 20, with the exception of Senior Executive Service employees, are eligible for vacation pay.

The concurrent federal holiday is different than what federal officials saw on the previous Inauguration Day in January 2021. At the time, many federal agencies had a three-day work week, with Monday off for MLK Day and Wednesday off for Inauguration Day.

Holidays may occasionally overlap as each federal holiday is designated differently. Each Inauguration Day is specifically set for January 20th, with the new president being sworn in at noon Eastern time on that day. The federal holiday MLK Day occurs every year on the third Monday in January. The last time Inauguration Day and MLK Day fell on the same day was in 1997, during President Bill Clinton’s second term.

This year, however, there is an additional federal holiday in January. Federal agencies and offices will be closed on January 9 to mark the death of President Jimmy Carter.

Salary and benefits for appointees who resign on Inauguration Day

In the same memo, OPM also explained the standard procedures for how pay, leave and benefits will work for non-working employees who resign on Inauguration Day.

For departing non-career officers, the noon date for the swearing-in ceremony means all hours worked through noon on Jan. 20 should be paid, OPM said.

“Each agency is responsible for determining the number of pay hours for each non-working employee based on the employee’s work schedule for that day before their employment ends at noon,” wrote Veronica Hinton, deputy director of human resources policy and innovation at OPM the memo.

The accrued vacation hours for departing employees depend on their position. Those covered by Title 5 – such as: B. non-working employees on the General Schedule and SES – will not receive vacation hours for the January 12 pay period because they do not work for the entire pay period.

However, there may also be other political appointees who do not fall under these vacation regulations and do not go on a scheduled business trip. OPM decided they should still receive half a day’s pay for January 20, as the swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place at noon.

Unlike accrued leave for most appointed employees, health benefits will continue as normal through the end of the next pay period on Jan. 25, OPM said. Individuals can then receive a 31-day extension of health insurance coverage at no cost through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Additionally, FEHB coverage can be extended for up to one and a half years provided the policyholder pays the full premium and a 2% administration fee.

Under standard rules, departing employees will also have a full day of work credited toward their retirement benefits for a partial day of work, OPM said.

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