Days Until Thanksgiving
US Thanksgiving moves every year because it is always held on the fourth Thursday of November. This countdown works out the right Thursday for you and tells you how many days are left.
Change the start date to plan travel, shopping or cooking for a future year. The tool always finds the next Thanksgiving on or after the date you choose.
How to use it
- Keep today as the start date to see how many days are left this year.
- Pick another date to count from it, or a date in a later year to find that year's Thanksgiving.
- The date of Thanksgiving and the number of days appear right away.
How it works
Thanksgiving = the first Thursday of November + 21 days (the fourth Thursday).
To find the first Thursday, the tool looks at the weekday of November 1 and moves forward to the next Thursday, or stays on November 1 if it is already a Thursday. Adding three weeks gives the fourth Thursday, which always falls between November 22 and November 28.
The countdown is the number of whole days from the start date to that Thursday. After Thanksgiving has passed, it counts to the next year's date.
Worked example
| Count from | November 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Days until Thanksgiving | 25 |
| In weeks | 3.6 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 26, 2026 |
Questions and answers
Why does the date of Thanksgiving change every year?
In the United States, Thanksgiving is set by law as the fourth Thursday of November rather than a fixed date. Because November 1 falls on a different weekday each year, the fourth Thursday moves too.
What is the earliest and latest Thanksgiving can be?
The fourth Thursday of November can fall no earlier than November 22 and no later than November 28.
Is this the same as Canadian Thanksgiving?
No. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. This countdown is for US Thanksgiving only.
Does the count include Thanksgiving Day itself?
It counts the days between the start date and Thanksgiving, not including the start date. On Thanksgiving Day the result is 0.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the day after US Thanksgiving, so it is always one day later than the date shown here.