Quick answer
Days until MLK Day = the date of the next Martin Luther King Jr. Day minus your start date. Counting from 10 March 2024 the next one is Monday 20 January 2025, which is 316 days away.
Pick a start date (it defaults to today). The calculator returns the days, the weeks and days, and the weekday of the date.
Related tools: Days Until Labor Day: Days until US Labor Day (first Monday of September). Days Until Father's Day: Days until US Father's Day (third Sunday of June). Days Until Mother's Day: Days until US Mother's Day (second Sunday of May).
How to use the Days Until MLK Day
- Optionally, pick counting from.
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Counting from (optional) | A calendar date. Leave blank to use today's date | — |
Formula and method
Formula
days = next occurrence of US Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday of January) − start date
Exact integer day arithmetic in UTC.
Finds the next occurrence of US Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday of January) on or after the start date using its calendar rule. Dates follow the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Counting from = 2024-03-10.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Days Until MLK Day | 316 days |
| Date | 2025-01-20 |
| Weekday | Monday |
| Weeks and days | 45 weeks, 1 day |
Example 2
Inputs: Counting from = 2024-12-26.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Days Until MLK Day | 25 days |
| Date | 2025-01-20 |
| Weekday | Monday |
| Weeks and days | 3 weeks, 4 days |
The first line is the headline result (days Until MLK Day). Below it the days Until MLK Day lists date, weekday and weeks and days, which describe the same case from other angles. Exact integer day arithmetic in UTC.
About Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the third Monday of January. It was signed into law in 1983 and first observed nationally in 1986. The date always falls between 15 and 21 January.
The next dates
Upcoming dates: Monday 20 January 2025; Monday 19 January 2026; Monday 18 January 2027. The count is zero on the day itself, and once this year's date has passed the calculator moves on to the next one.
Days Until MLK Day from different start dates
The same calculator run from 1 January of four consecutive years.
| Counting from | Days Until MLK Day | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-01 | 18 | 2026-01-19 | Monday |
| 2027-01-01 | 17 | 2027-01-18 | Monday |
| 2028-01-01 | 16 | 2028-01-17 | Monday |
| 2029-01-01 | 14 | 2029-01-15 | Monday |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Counting from: entering "2024-02-30" shows "Counting from must be a valid date." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Days Until MLK Day and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Days Until Labor Day](/date-calendar/days-until-labor-day/) | Days Until Labor Day | |
| [Days Until Father's Day](/date-calendar/days-until-fathers-day/) | Days Until Father's Day | |
| [Days Until Mother's Day](/date-calendar/days-until-mothers-day/) | Days Until Mother's Day | |
| [Days Until Inauguration Day](/date-calendar/days-until-inauguration-day/) | Days Until Inauguration Day | |
| [Days Until Presidents' Day](/date-calendar/days-until-presidents-day/) | Days Until Presidents' Day |
Background: date rules
Holiday dates are defined in three ways: a fixed day of the month, a weekday position such as the fourth Thursday of November, or a calendar calculation such as the date of Easter. Counts are in whole calendar days from the start date, and the date is the calendar date, not adjusted for your time zone or for days a workplace observes instead.
Assumptions and limitations
- Counting on the holiday itself gives 0
- After the date has passed this year the next year's date is used
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for counting from to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
How many days until MLK Day from today?
Enter today as the start date. From 10 March 2024 the answer is 316 days.
What day of the week is it next year?
Upcoming weekdays: Monday 20 January 2025; Monday 19 January 2026; Monday 18 January 2027.
What does the Days Until MLK Day calculate?
Days until US Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday of January). It returns Days Until MLK Day, Date, Weekday and Weeks and days.
What formula does the Days Until MLK Day use?
days = next occurrence of US Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday of January) − start date. Finds the next occurrence of US Martin Luther King Jr.
What is an example of a days Until MLK Day result?
With counting from 2024-03-10, the days Until MLK Day is 316 days.
Related calculators
- Days Until Labor Day — Days until US Labor Day (first Monday of September).
- Days Until Father's Day — Days until US Father's Day (third Sunday of June).
- Days Until Mother's Day — Days until US Mother's Day (second Sunday of May).
- Days Until Inauguration Day — Days until US Inauguration Day (20 January after a presidential election year).
- Days Until Presidents' Day — Days until US Washington's Birthday / Presidents' Day (third Monday of February).
- Days Until Valentine's Day — Days until Valentine's Day.
- Days Until Leap Day — Days until 29 February (next leap year).
Sources
- US federal holiday rules: 5 U.S.C. § 6103
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.