The Office of Personnel Management lists Veterans Day among the 2026 federal holidays, so federal offices are closed. For Polish Americans the date carries double meaning: on the same day Poland marks the 108th anniversary of regaining its independence in 1918.
Mail: post offices closed, delivery resumes Thursday
The U.S. Postal Service announced on Nov. 4 that all Post Office locations will be closed on Nov. 11. Regular mail delivery and retail services resume on Thursday, Nov. 12. On the holiday itself, usps.com still lets you buy stamps, print prepaid labels with Click-N-Ship, place a Hold Mail request or change your address. Self-service kiosks in select lobbies offer postage and package tracking, and many of them run around the clock. If you plan to ship a package to Poland this week, allow for the extra day.
Banks and transfers
Veterans Day is a Federal Reserve holiday. Under the Fed’s published schedule, FedACH processing stops at 11:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and resumes at 5:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 11. An ACH transfer or payment initiated on Wednesday may therefore post on the next business day. Check with your own bank for branch hours.
New York City: schools, parking and trash
- Public schools – the NYC Public Schools calendar lists Nov. 11 as “Veterans Day, schools closed.”
- Parking – the Department of Transportation suspends alternate side parking rules. Parking meters remain in effect, because Veterans Day is not one of the major legal holidays on which meter rules are also lifted.
- Trash and recycling – the Department of Sanitation will not collect trash, curbside compost or recycling on Wednesday. Residents with Wednesday pickup can set materials out Wednesday evening, and collection resumes Thursday, Nov. 12. DSNY warns that collection may run late after holidays.
Chicago: no classes in public schools
In a Nov. 6 letter to families, Chicago Public Schools reminded parents that there will be no classes for students on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day.
Poland: a public holiday
Under Poland’s Act on Days Free from Work, Nov. 11 – National Independence Day – is a public holiday. Anyone with business at government offices in Poland should plan around the date. Polish American communities also mark the anniversary: in Greenpoint, the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America is holding an open house, a film screening and a short concert on Nov. 11 (details in Polish).
At a glance
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026: Veterans Day, a U.S. federal holiday; National Independence Day in Poland.
- USPS: post offices closed, regular delivery resumes Thursday, Nov. 12; usps.com stays available.
- FedACH: paused from 11:30 p.m. ET Tuesday to 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday – ACH transfers may post a day later.
- New York City: schools closed, alternate side parking suspended (meters in effect), no trash or recycling pickup.
- Chicago: no classes in public schools.
Sources: USPS news release, Nov. 4, 2026, OPM federal holidays, Federal Reserve Financial Services holiday schedules, NYC Public Schools 2026–2027 calendar, NYC DOT alternate side parking suspensions, DSNY holiday schedule, CPS community letter, Nov. 6, 2026, Poland’s Act on Days Free from Work (Journal of Laws 2025, item 296).
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