Federal optional days off in Brazil: 2026 and 2027
Pick a year: the tool shows the optional days off of the published federal ordinance or, if it is not out yet, the dates usually included, computed.
Federal optional days off in 2027
Ordinance not published
Checked on 28 October 2026. The ordinance usually comes out at the end of December of the year before.
| Carnival (computed) | Mon 8 February – Tue 9 February |
| Ash Wednesday (computed) | Wed 10 February |
| Corpus Christi (computed) | Thu 27 May |
Movable dates computed from Easter; only the ordinance will say whether they are optional days off.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · holiday laws checked on 28 October 2026
An optional day off (ponto facultativo) is not a public holiday. It is a day on which a public body may close, by government decision. The federal ones come out every year in an ordinance of the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services. For 2026, MGI ordinance 11,460 of 29 December 2025 declared 9 optional days off: Carnival Monday and Tuesday, 16 and 17 February; Ash Wednesday until 2 pm; Monday 20 April, the day before Tiradentes; Corpus Christi, 4 June, and the following Friday; Public Servants' Day, moved to 30 October; and Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve from 1 pm. The 2027 ordinance had not been published by 28 October 2026. For the private sector, an optional day off is a working day: time off depends on an agreement, collective agreement or custom. States and city halls publish their own decrees, which may differ.
The 2026 optional days off
| Date | Day | Optional day off |
|---|---|---|
| 16 February 2026 | Monday | Carnival Monday |
| 17 February 2026 | Tuesday | Carnival Tuesday |
| 18 February 2026 | Wednesday | Ash Wednesday (until 2 pm) |
| 20 April 2026 | Monday | Monday before Tiradentes Day |
| 4 June 2026 | Thursday | Corpus Christi |
| 5 June 2026 | Friday | Friday after Corpus Christi |
| 30 October 2026 | Friday | Public Servant's Day (moved from 28 October) |
| 24 December 2026 | Thursday | Christmas Eve (from 1 pm) |
| 31 December 2026 | Thursday | New Year's Eve (from 1 pm) |
Public Servants' Day is 28 October, a Wednesday in 2026. The Ministry of Management moved the optional day off to Friday 30 October. Source for the whole list: Ministry of Management Ordinance 11,460 of 29 December 2025: national holidays and optional days off in 2026 (Official Gazette of 30/12/2025, via Sigepe Legis).
2027: what to expect
Until the 2027 ordinance is out, the tool shows the dates that recur every year, computed: Carnival on 8 and 9 February, Ash Wednesday on 10 February, Corpus Christi on 27 May, Public Servants' Day on 28 October, a Thursday, and Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which fall on Fridays in 2027. Bridges such as Tiradentes in 2026 depend on each year's calendar and are known only once the ordinance is out.
Public holidays 2027 in São Paulo
Public holidays 2027 in São Paulo
11 holidays
| Holidays on weekdays | 8 |
| Holidays at weekends | 3 |
| One-day bridges | 3 |
| Working days (Mon–Fri) | 253 |
Who follows the ordinance
The federal ordinance applies to federal public administration bodies. Each body may keep essential services running. State governments and city halls decide their own optional days off by decree, often with similar dates. Banks have their own calendar. For private-sector workers, an optional day off is a working day unless the contract, collective agreement or employer says otherwise.