Mark Your Calendar: July and October Are the Best Months for Vacation in 2026

If you’re already planning your time off for 2026, here’s a tip from a payroll expert: aim for July or October. According to Olga Leonova, a law candidate and associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, those two months offer the biggest payout for your vacation days. Why? It comes down to math. Both July and October have 23 working days, which means your average daily earnings—the figure used to calculate vacation pay—will be higher when you take time off during a month packed with workdays. Vacation pay is simply your average daily earnings multiplied by the number of days you’re on leave. That average is based on the 12 months before your vacation, whether you worked every day or not. So, the more working days in a month, the better the payout. On the flip side, months with fewer working days, like January and May, are better for actually working. The cost of each workday is higher then, so you’re better off earning your regular salary. In a separate note, lawyer Alexander Khaminsky pointed out that employees with seasonal allergies can request remote work during peak blooming periods—as long as their job allows it and the company has a formal telework policy.