They are highlighted on our calendars the same as birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Not only do legal holidays help us remember historical figures and national events, they mark the passing of seasons and of our working year. (And maybe give us a heads up on when we can sneak out of town for a long weekend.) Everyone enjoys the odd Monday or Friday out of the office, but not all holidays are created equal, and not all employers treat holiday pay for their employees equally. Here is a brief summary of legal holidays laws in Indiana.
Legal Holidays in Indiana
A legal holiday is a date set aside for remembrance or celebration, such as Memorial Day or Thanksgiving. Most employees will either get a paid day off or earn extra holiday pay if they choose to work. While the majority of legal holidays are designated by the federal government, some states also have their own legal holidays laws. Indiana allows for holidays on primary and general election days.
Indiana Legal Holidays Statutes
The following is a list of Indiana legal holiday laws.
| Code Section | 1-1-9-1, 2 |
| Holidays | New Year's Day; Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday; Washington's Birthday; Lincoln's Birthday; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas; day of any primary or general election for national, state, or city officials (Election Day) |
Legal Holidays and Employment
A chief area of concern with legal holidays is how they will effect our employment. Like most states, Indiana has strict wage and hour laws that govern the minimum wage and overtime rates for employees. However, not all employers in the state are legally required to give employees holidays off or pay employees extra for working legal holidays. And federal employment law does not guarantee a special overtime rate for work performed on legal holidays. Thus, private employers in Indiana can require their employees to work on Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s and pay only the normal wage. Even so, many employers will voluntarily treat legal holidays as overtime and provide overtime pay for working on a holiday.
Indiana Legal Holidays Laws: Related Resources
Different states and different employers can treat holidays differently, and whether you get legal holidays off or get paid extra for working on a holiday will generally depend on the specific terms of your employment contract. If you would like legal help with an employment matter, you can contact an Indiana employment law attorney in your area. You can also visit FindLaw's Employment Law section for additional employment articles and resources.
