How many days until New Year's Day?
New Year's Day is January 1. The countdown below runs to midnight in your own time zone.
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days until New Year's Day
- Weeks
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- Sleeps
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- Weekdays left
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- Weekend days
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New Year's Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, January 1, 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, January 1, 2027 |
| 2028 | Saturday, January 1, 2028 |
| 2029 | Monday, January 1, 2029 |
| 2030 | Tuesday, January 1, 2030 |
Counting down to midnight
The timer counts to midnight on January 1 where you are. Kiribati's Line Islands, at UTC+14, reach the new year first, followed by New Zealand's Chatham Islands and then New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa. American Samoa, at UTC-11, is one of the last inhabited places to see it, 25 hours after Kiribati.
Other new years
Many calendars start the year on a different day. Lunar New Year in China, Korea and Vietnam falls between January 21 and February 20; in 2027 it starts on Saturday, February 6, and you can count down to it with the days until tool. Nowruz, the Persian new year, begins at the March equinox.
A good date for goals
Studies of what researchers call the fresh start effect found that people are more likely to start goals at clear time markers like the new year, a birthday or the start of a week. If you are planning a resolution, the days left are a good runway to prepare.
Worked example
Counting down to January 1, 2027, a Friday, the numbers look like this. This count crosses into a new calendar year, which is where counting by hand most often goes wrong. Christmas Eve and Christmas are always 8 and 7 days before New Year's Day, and October 1 is the point where three months, or 13 weeks, remain. With the page open, the browser tab keeps the count in view, for example "57 days · New Year's Day countdown".
| If today is | Days left | Weeks | Weekdays | Weekend days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, October 1 | 92 | 13 weeks 1 day | 65 | 26 |
| Thursday, November 5 | 57 | 8 weeks 1 day | 40 | 16 |
| Thursday, November 26 | 36 | 5 weeks 1 day | 25 | 10 |
| Tuesday, December 1 | 31 | 4 weeks 3 days | 22 | 8 |
| Thursday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) | 8 | 1 week 1 day | 5 | 2 |
| Friday, December 25 (Christmas) | 7 | 1 week | 4 | 2 |
| Thursday, December 31 (New Year's Eve) | 1 | 1 day | 0 | 0 |
Common mistakes
Forgetting December has 31 days. From December 1 to January 1 is 31 days, not 30. A quick check: from any December date, the days left are 32 minus the date, so December 20 leaves 12.
Assuming everyone celebrates at your midnight. The Sydney fireworks at midnight happen at 13:00 UTC on December 31, which is 8 a.m. in New York. If you are counting down with family abroad, work out midnight in their time zone, not yours.
Expecting January 1 to always be the day off. In the United States, when New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, federal offices close on Friday, December 31 of the year before. That happens next for January 1, 2028. In Scotland, January 2 is a bank holiday as well.
How the countdown works
The count uses your device's date and time zone, so it is right wherever you are. Days left counts calendar days from today to New Year's Day; on the day itself it shows 0. Weekdays and weekend days count the days in between, not today or New Year's Day. The live clock runs to midnight at the start of New Year's Day in your time zone.
Questions
How many days until New Year from Christmas?
Seven days. Christmas and New Year's Day always fall on the same weekday, because December 25 to January 1 is exactly one week.
When does the Times Square ball drop?
The ball starts down at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time and takes 60 seconds to reach the bottom at midnight. The first drop was on New Year’s Eve 1907.
Is New Year's Eve a public holiday?
Usually not. In the United States and the UK, December 31 is a normal working day, though many offices close early. It only becomes a US federal day off when January 1 falls on a Saturday.