When Is Thanksgiving? How the Date Was Set

ficklestudio26 · Facts checked October 25, 2026

Thanksgiving in the United States falls on the fourth Thursday of November, so the date moves between November 22 and November 28.

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The rule

Find the first Thursday of November, then add 21 days. That is the fourth Thursday. It can be as early as November 22 and as late as November 28. The 2026 date is November 26, and the 2027 date is November 25.

How it became fixed

1863: President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving for the last Thursday of November.
1870: Congress made Thanksgiving a federal holiday in Washington, D.C., leaving the exact date to the President each year.
1885: A new act extended the holiday to all federal employees nationwide.
1939: November had five Thursdays. President Roosevelt set the holiday for the fourth Thursday (November 23) instead of the last (November 30), reportedly to lengthen the holiday shopping season. The change was controversial and some states followed the older date.
1941: Congress passed a law, signed on December 26, 1941, making the fourth Thursday of November the legal date.

Why "last" and "fourth" are sometimes different

When November has four Thursdays, the fourth is also the last. When it has five, they differ by a week. The 1941 law removed the uncertainty by choosing the fourth.

Planning around it

Many workplaces and schools also close the next day. Check your own employer or school calendar, because that is a policy and not part of the federal law. Canada has a holiday with the same name, but it falls on a different date, so do not assume the two match.