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New Year out of office message

New Year

Away fromBack on

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Who coversTheir email

Your name

SubjectOffice closed, reopening Monday, January 4

Happy New Year. Our office is closed for New Year's Day and reopens on Monday, January 4, when your email will be answered. For anything urgent before then, write to at .

Professional · short · 1 of 1

Also for your time off

Where does it go?

A New Year out of office message needs only the closure, the reopening day and one contact for anything urgent, as in "Happy New Year. Our office is closed for New Year's Day and reopens on Monday, January 4, when your email will be answered. For anything urgent before then, write to Priya Nair at priya.nair@yourcompany.com."

New Year's Day 2027 is a Friday, so offices that close for it get a three-day weekend and reopen on Monday, January 4; a greeting is welcome here, and a light joke suits a team inbox better than a client one.

New Year's Day dates

2027

Friday, January 1

Back on Monday, January 4

2028

Saturday, January 1

Observed Friday, December 31 (falls on a weekend)

Back on Monday, January 3

Federal offices close on January 1 or its observed weekday; some employers also close early on December 31, so check yours. The writer above is already set to the next closure; change the dates if your office does it differently.

Printable “Closed for New Year's Day” sign

For the door, the front desk or a photo on your booking page. The dates are filled in; add your name and opening hours if you like, then print.

Business name (optional)Hours when you reopen (optional)

Closed

for New Year's Day

Friday, January 1

We reopen Monday, January 4.

Thank you, and enjoy the day.

All 6 replies on this page

Type your details in the writer and every reply below fills itself in.

Professional 2

Happy New Year. Our office is closed for New Year's Day and reopens on [Back on], when your email will be answered. For anything urgent before then, write to [Who covers] at [Their email].
Short
With the office closed for New Year's Day, your message will be read when we return on [Back on]. Every email received over the holiday will be answered in the order it arrived. If your request is time sensitive, [Who covers] is covering ([Their email]). We look forward to working with you in the year ahead.
Longer

Warm 2

I am taking New Year's Day off and will be back at my desk on [Back on]. Until then, [Who covers] at [Their email] can help with anything that will not keep.
Short
Happy New Year from a quiet inbox. The office is closed for New Year's Day, and I will be reading email again on [Back on], ready to start the year properly. If something cannot wait until then, [Who covers] is covering and is happy to help at [Their email]. Wishing you a calm start to the year, and speak soon.
Longer

Funny 2

New year, same inbox, which stays unread until [Back on] because the office is closed for New Year's Day. For true emergencies, [Who covers] at [Their email] is on duty.
Short
Skip if: Skip for a formal client inbox; the professional reply carries the same facts.
My first resolution of the year is not to read email on New Year's Day, and so far it is going well. The office is closed from [Away from] and reopens on [Back on], when I will reply properly. If your message cannot wait, [Who covers] is the person to ask at [Their email]. Here is to a year of shorter inboxes.
Longer
Skip if: Skip for a formal client inbox; the professional reply carries the same facts.

Coming up after New Year

Filling it in

Set the start date to your last working day of December or to January 1, and the end date to the first working day of January. Pick a warm or professional tone, add one cover contact, then paste the reply into your mail client with the same dates so it switches itself off.

Questions people ask

Should my New Year out of office cover December 31 too?

Only if the office closes or you take the day. Set the start date to the first day nobody will answer, which for some teams is the afternoon of December 31, and the end date to the first working day of January. A reply that switches on a day early costs nothing; one that starts late leaves a day of silence with no explanation.

Is it fine to wish people a happy new year in an auto reply?

Yes. New Year greetings travel well across cultures and religions, which makes them one of the safest seasonal lines you can add to a work reply. Keep it to a short phrase at the start or the end, and do not let it push the reopening date or the cover contact further down the message.