You Can Get 23 Days Off Work In 2026 Using Only 6 Days Of PTO, According To This Schedule
Unai Huizi Photography | Shutterstock Using a technique called "bridging," savvy employees can get 23 days off work in 2026 by only using 6 of their paid vacation days. The technique works by using your vacation days around observed federal holidays, as long as your employer allows those days off.
Who doesn't want extra vacation days? Especially since most companies only offer employees a week or two of PTO. But, with smart scheduling and efficient planning, you can score yourself nearly a month off without sacrificing all of your paid time off.
You can get 23 days off in 2026, using only 6 days of PTO.
An Instagram post has been making the rounds on socials because it lays out a schedule that ensures a whopping 23 days off from work in 2026 by only using six vacation days. Dubbed the bridging technique, the post explained, "The technique involves 'bridging' federal holidays by taking the adjacent working day off. This merges the holiday with the nearest weekend, greatly extending the break while conserving PTO."
An important caveat to the post is that your employer must grant all federal holidays to secure all 23 days. So, if your employer doesn't offer Presidents' Day, for example, you might not be able to secure each of the 23 days. Still, it's a good guide for optimizing your earned vacation.
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On average, employees are given 10 to 14 days of PTO per year. They may receive extra vacation days depending on their level of seniority, but it rarely exceeds three weeks, and it's rare that employees even use all the days they are given for actual rest.
According to the bridging technique, it's best for employees to use their vacation days close to holidays and leverage weekends so that they get consecutive days off. As the post noted, "This approach allows employees to strategically transform a limited PTO bank into substantial extended time off throughout the year, making early planning crucial for those looking to implement the viral calendar hack."
Long weekends can be extended with more PTO for even longer breaks.
"The plan shows using just one PTO day each in January, February, and May to create four separate 4-day weekends surrounding holidays like New Year’s Day and Presidents’ Day," according to the post. But as many commenters noted, most corporate jobs do not follow federally mandated holiday schedules.
That doesn't mean you can't still take advantage of the technique. Look at your allotted holidays in your HR manual, and using a 2026 calendar, try to bridge the holidays you get with the closest weekend for optimal days off. It might not be as many days off as the viral post, but you can still optimize your PTO.
What's important is that you actually take some time off. That's sadly something an egregious number of U.S.-based employees don't do, according to a 2025 survey by FlexJobs. The report noted that nearly 1 in 4 employees (23%) took no vacation days in 2025. None. Sadly, that statistic reflects a workforce that is grossly overworked and burnt out.
If you are considering using the bridging technique, schedule your days off sooner rather than later.
To avoid putting off taking valuable time off, request the time off as soon as possible to ensure you not only take the days, but that your manager approves all of your days. The sooner you request time off, the less likely it is to conflict with other team members' days off.
Although every company policy regarding vacation time varies, and employees may not be granted their time-off requests, it is best to plan ahead and have a conversation with your employer beforehand to ensure that you are making the most of your limited time off. We all deserve a vacation, and when our jobs offer paid time off, it’s an opportunity we should not pass up.
Megan Quinn is a writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
