Days Until Father's Day

When is Father's Day?

In the United States, Father's Day is the third Sunday of June, which means the calendar date drifts between June 15 and June 21 from year to year. Because it's defined by the week rather than the date, it's easy to lose track of — the countdown above pins down the third Sunday of June for this year and next, and always counts toward the one that's still ahead of you. The exact date is spelled out at the top of the page, so you can order the gift or book the tee time against the real day, not a guess.

How the date was chosen

Father's Day has a founder, much like Mother's Day. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, proposed it after hearing a Mother's Day sermon in 1909 and thinking of her own father — a Civil War veteran who had raised six children alone after his wife's death. Dodd suggested June, her father's birth month, and Spokane celebrated the first Father's Day on June 19, 1910. The idea spread slowly; several presidents endorsed it, but it took until 1972 for Richard Nixon to sign it into law as a permanent federal holiday, landing on the third Sunday of June — more than half a century after Mother's Day got its own law.

Around the world

Dozens of countries share the American third-Sunday-of-June date, but many keep their own. In Spain, Italy, and Portugal, fathers are honored on March 19, the Feast of Saint Joseph. Australia and New Zealand celebrate on the first Sunday of September, and several Scandinavian countries use the second Sunday of November. If your dad lives in one of those places, his day may not be the one on this page.

Questions people ask

Why is Father's Day a month after Mother's Day? The two holidays grew up separately: Mother's Day was established in May in 1914, and Father's Day simply settled into June as it spread, a pattern the 1972 law made official.

Is Father's Day a federal holiday? It's a federally recognized holiday in the U.S., but not a day off — since it always falls on a Sunday, offices were closed anyway.