Monthly expiration dates by year
Every monthly contract date is the third Friday, so the whole calendar is known years ahead. Below are the full monthly last-trading and OCC-processing dates, with Friday holidays applied. An adjusted row also names the contract date that remains on Friday. The table above stays live from today's date; these are the fixed dates for planning further out.
2026 options expiration dates
| Month | Last trading / OCC processing (2026) |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | Fri, Jan 16, 2026 |
| February 2026 | Fri, Feb 20, 2026 |
| March 2026 | Fri, Mar 20, 2026 |
| April 2026 | Fri, Apr 17, 2026 |
| May 2026 | Fri, May 15, 2026 |
| June 2026 | Thu, Jun 18, 2026 Juneteenth National Independence Day: contract date Fri, Jun 19, 2026; OCC processing Thu, Jun 18, 2026 |
| July 2026 | Fri, Jul 17, 2026 |
| August 2026 | Fri, Aug 21, 2026 |
| September 2026 | Fri, Sep 18, 2026 |
| October 2026 | Fri, Oct 16, 2026 |
| November 2026 | Fri, Nov 20, 2026 |
| December 2026 | Fri, Dec 18, 2026 |
2027 options expiration dates
| Month | Last trading / OCC processing (2027) |
|---|---|
| January 2027 | Fri, Jan 15, 2027 |
| February 2027 | Fri, Feb 19, 2027 |
| March 2027 | Fri, Mar 19, 2027 |
| April 2027 | Fri, Apr 16, 2027 |
| May 2027 | Fri, May 21, 2027 |
| June 2027 | Thu, Jun 17, 2027 Juneteenth National Independence Day: contract date Fri, Jun 18, 2027; OCC processing Thu, Jun 17, 2027 |
| July 2027 | Fri, Jul 16, 2027 |
| August 2027 | Fri, Aug 20, 2027 |
| September 2027 | Fri, Sep 17, 2027 |
| October 2027 | Fri, Oct 15, 2027 |
| November 2027 | Fri, Nov 19, 2027 |
| December 2027 | Fri, Dec 17, 2027 |
2028 options expiration dates
| Month | Last trading / OCC processing (2028) |
|---|---|
| January 2028 | Fri, Jan 21, 2028 |
| February 2028 | Fri, Feb 18, 2028 |
| March 2028 | Fri, Mar 17, 2028 |
| April 2028 | Fri, Apr 21, 2028 |
| May 2028 | Fri, May 19, 2028 |
| June 2028 | Fri, Jun 16, 2028 |
| July 2028 | Fri, Jul 21, 2028 |
| August 2028 | Fri, Aug 18, 2028 |
| September 2028 | Fri, Sep 15, 2028 |
| October 2028 | Fri, Oct 20, 2028 |
| November 2028 | Fri, Nov 17, 2028 |
| December 2028 | Fri, Dec 15, 2028 |
US market holidays and early closes
The expiration date is only half the calendar. The other half is which days the market is actually open between now and then — because theta keeps running over a long weekend while you have no way to roll, close or adjust. Two cycles of the same length are not the same trade: 2026-02-20 to 2026-03-20 and 2026-12-18 to 2027-01-15 are both 28 calendar days, but the first gives you 20 trading sessions and the second only 18. Same DTE, 2 fewer chances to act. The Trading days column in the table at the top of this page counts them for every upcoming expiration.
Below are the scheduled closures. A closed day is a full holiday with no session at all. An early close is a 1:00 p.m. ET finish — the market is open, which is exactly why it catches people out: liquidity thins hours before the bell and spreads widen, so a half-day is a poor day to open or repair a position.
2026
| Date | Holiday | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Jan 1, 2026 | New Year's Day | Closed |
| Mon, Jan 19, 2026 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Closed |
| Mon, Feb 16, 2026 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | Closed |
| Fri, Apr 3, 2026 | Good Friday | Closed |
| Mon, May 25, 2026 | Memorial Day | Closed |
| Fri, Jun 19, 2026 | Juneteenth National Independence Day | Closed |
| Thu, Jul 2, 2026 | Day before Independence Day | Early close, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Fri, Jul 3, 2026 | Independence Day (observed) | Closed |
| Mon, Sep 7, 2026 | Labor Day | Closed |
| Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Fri, Nov 27, 2026 | Day after Thanksgiving | Early close, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Thu, Dec 24, 2026 | Christmas Eve | Early close, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Christmas Day | Closed |
2027
| Date | Holiday | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | New Year's Day | Closed |
| Mon, Jan 18, 2027 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Closed |
| Mon, Feb 15, 2027 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | Closed |
| Fri, Mar 26, 2027 | Good Friday | Closed |
| Mon, May 31, 2027 | Memorial Day | Closed |
| Fri, Jun 18, 2027 | Juneteenth National Independence Day (observed) | Closed |
| Mon, Jul 5, 2027 | Independence Day (observed) | Closed |
| Mon, Sep 6, 2027 | Labor Day | Closed |
| Thu, Nov 25, 2027 | Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Fri, Nov 26, 2027 | Day after Thanksgiving | Early close, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Fri, Dec 24, 2027 | Christmas Day (observed) | Closed |
2028
| Date | Holiday | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jan 17, 2028 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | Closed |
| Mon, Feb 21, 2028 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | Closed |
| Fri, Apr 14, 2028 | Good Friday | Closed |
| Mon, May 29, 2028 | Memorial Day | Closed |
| Mon, Jun 19, 2028 | Juneteenth National Independence Day | Closed |
| Mon, Jul 3, 2028 | Day before Independence Day | Early close, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Tue, Jul 4, 2028 | Independence Day | Closed |
| Mon, Sep 4, 2028 | Labor Day | Closed |
| Thu, Nov 23, 2028 | Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Fri, Nov 24, 2028 | Day after Thanksgiving | Early close, 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Mon, Dec 25, 2028 | Christmas Day | Closed |
One quirk worth knowing before you assume a year is missing a row: New Year's Day is the single holiday that is not moved. Every other fixed date shifts to the Friday before when it lands on a Saturday, but when 1 January falls on a Saturday the market simply does not take it — 31 December stays a full trading day. That is why some years above list ten closures and others nine.
Every date above is computed from the exchange's own rules, not fetched — so it is available for any future year. The rules are checked on every build against a frozen manifest of 6,290 real trading sessions from 2002 to 2026. What no rule can produce is an unscheduled closure: the market has shut for a hurricane and for state funerals, six times in those 25 years, and nothing can predict the seventh.
How expiration dates work
US-listed equity options follow a fixed calendar. The monthly contract date is the third Friday of the month — take the first Friday and add two weeks. Because it is a rule, every monthly date is known years ahead. Weekly options, where they are listed, expire on most of the other Fridays; they have a shorter life and decay faster.
A holiday splits “expiration” into dates that matter for different reasons. For a standard monthly, the contract can keep its Friday date while the last trading day, OCC processing and determining close move to the prior session. That is exactly what OCC specified for the June 19, 2026 Juneteenth contracts. Its 2026 expiration schedule lists June's operational monthly date as June 18. Cboe's rule for equity and ETP end-of-week series is different: the weekly itself expires Thursday when Friday is a holiday. The dates above lead with the last trading day because that is your deadline to roll or close, then flag a different monthly contract date instead of hiding it.
Why the date matters for your trade
- Time decay accelerates near expiration. The fewer days remain, the faster an option bleeds value — a weekly and a monthly at the same strike behave very differently.
- Liquidity clusters on the monthly. The third-Friday series usually has the tightest spreads and the most strikes, which is why most income sellers anchor to it.
- Events inside the window change everything. An earnings date before your expiration is the single most important thing to check — see the expected move the market is pricing in.
- Assignment happens at expiration. An in-the-money short option is assigned over the expiration weekend — plan the exit before the day arrives.
Frequently asked questions
When do US stock options expire?
Standard monthly equity options carry a third-Friday contract date. Many liquid names also list weekly options that expire most other Fridays. This calendar shows the last trading day — the deadline a Seller can act — and counts calendar days to it. That is normally the same Friday. When Friday is closed, trading and OCC processing move to the prior session even though a monthly contract can keep its Friday date.
What is the third-Friday rule?
The standard monthly contract date for US equity options is the third Friday of the calendar month — found by taking the first Friday and adding two weeks. It is a fixed rule, so the dates are computable years in advance. Quarterly expirations (March, June, September and December) fall on the same cadence. A Friday closure can move the last trading and OCC processing date to the prior session.
What happens when the third Friday is a holiday?
Three dates split apart. A standard monthly contract can remain dated for Friday, while the last trading day and OCC processing/determining close move to the prior session. Cboe equity and ETP end-of-week series use a different rule: the weekly contract itself expires on Thursday when Friday is a holiday. This calendar shows the actionable last trading day and flags the contract date wherever it differs.
What are the US stock market holidays?
The US equity market closes for ten scheduled holidays a year: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth (since 2022), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. A holiday falling on a Saturday is taken on the Friday before, and one falling on a Sunday on the Monday after — except New Year’s Day, which is simply not taken when 1 January is a Saturday. The dated list for the next three years is on this page.
What is the difference between days to expiration and trading days?
On this calendar, DTE counts calendar days to the last trading day — the deadline you can act on — while trading days counts only the sessions available to open, roll, adjust or close. Calendar time still passes over weekends and holidays. The counts diverge most over the year-end: two 28-day cycles can carry 20 sessions and 18 respectively, identical on this DTE but two chances apart on management.
Does the stock market close early on some days?
Yes. The market runs a shortened session ending 1:00 p.m. ET on the day after Thanksgiving, on Christmas Eve when it falls Monday to Thursday, and on the day before Independence Day when that is a trading day. These are open sessions, not holidays, which is why they catch people out — liquidity thins and spreads widen well before the early bell, so they are poor days to open or repair a position.
What is the difference between weekly and monthly expirations?
Weekly options (Fridays other than the third) behave the same way but have a shorter life, so they decay faster and are used for short-dated trades and event plays. Monthly options (the third Friday) are the most liquid and have the widest range of strikes. Both are shown here; turn off weeklies to see only the monthly dates.
Why does the list update on its own?
The dates are computed from your device's current date right in the browser — there is no server, no feed and nothing stored. Whenever you load the page it recalculates the next expirations from today, so the list is always current and the days-to-expiration are accurate.
Related tools
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Educational tool only — not financial advice. Dates follow the standard US third-Friday, Cboe weekly-holiday and OCC processing rules; confirm a specific contract's listed expiration and last trading day with your broker before trading.