RBI releases bank holiday calendar 2026: Check dates before visiting branches

As India enters 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a comprehensive list of bank holidays for the year. The central bank has issued the 2026 bank holiday calendar, detailing more than 100 days during which banks will remain closed across the country. India will observe a mix of national, regional and festival-related bank holidays throughout the year.

Key holidays include Republic Day, Holi, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. Other notable holidays include Good Friday, Baisakhi, Muharram, Dussehra, Durga Puja and Diwali.

While physical bank branches will remain shut on these holidays, services such as UPI payments, ATM withdrawals, NEFT, net banking and online fund transfers will continue to be available for emergency requirements.

As per the RBI holiday list for 2026, banks across various cities will remain closed for 10 days in January, excluding the second and fourth Saturdays. Customers are advised to plan their banking activities accordingly and check the holiday schedule in advance before visiting bank branches.

In January 2026, both public and private sector bank branches will observe multiple holidays due to festivals and regional occasions. These include New Year, Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, Bihu, Makar Sankranti, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti and Republic Day. Since bank holidays are notified under the Negotiable Instruments Act and vary from state to state, closures will depend on the city and region.

 

Bank holidays in January 2026

 

January 1: New Year’s Day/Gaan-Ngai

January 2: New Year celebrations/Mannam Jayanthi

January 3: Birthday of Hazrat Ali

January 12: Birthday of Swami Vivekananda

January 14: Makar Sankranti/Magh Bihu

January 15: Uttarayana Punyakala/Pongal/Maghe Sankranti/Makara Sankranti

January 16: Thiruvalluvar Day

January 17: Uzhavar Thirunal

January 23: Birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose/Saraswati Puja (Shree Panchami)/Vir Surendrasai Jayanti/Basanta Panchami

January 26: Republic Day

 

Bank holidays in February 2026

 

February 18: Losar

February 19: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti

February 20: State Day or Statehood Day for Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh

 

Bank holidays in March 2026

 

March 2: Holika Dahan

March 3: Holi (Second Day)/Dol Jatra/Dhulandi/Holika Dahan

March 4: Holi/Holi Second Day – Dhuleti/Yaosang Second Day

March 13: Chapchar Kut

March 17: Shab-I-Qadr

March 19: Gudhi Padwa/Ugadi Festival/Telugu New Year’s Day/Sajibu Nongmapanba (Cheiraoba)/First Navratra

March 20: Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramzan)/Jumat-ul-Vida

March 21: Ramzan-Id (Id-ul-Fitr) (Shawal-1)/Khutub-e-Ramzan/Sarhul

March 26: Shree Ram Navami

March 27: Shree Ram Navami (Chaite Dasain)

March 31: Mahavir Janmakalyanak/Mahavir Jayanti

 

Bank holidays in April 2026

 

April 1: To enable banks to close their yearly accounts

April 2: Maundy Thursday

April 3: Good Friday

April 14: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti/Maha Vishuva Sankranti/Biju/Buisu Festival/Tamil New Year’s Day/Bohag Bihu/Cheiraoba/Baisakhi

April 15: Bengali New Year’s Day (Nababarsha)/Bohag Bihu/Vishu/Himachal Day

April 16: Bohag Bihu

April 20: Basava Jayanti/Akshaya Tritiya

April 21: Garia Puja

 

Bank holidays in May 2026

 

May 1: Maharashtra Din/Buddha Pournima/May Day (Labour Day)/Birth Anniversary of Pandit Raghunath Murmu

May 9: Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore

May 16: State Day of Sikkim

May 26: Birthday of Kazi Nazrul Islam

May 27: Eid-ul-Adha (Bakri Eid)/Id-ul-Zuha

May 28: Bakri Eid (Id-ul-Zuha)

 

Bank holidays in June 2026

 

June 15: YMA Day/Raja Sankranti

June 25: Muharram

June 26: Muharram (Yaom-e-Shahadat)/Last Day of Muharram/Ashoora

June 29: Sant Guru Kabir Jayanti

June 30: Remna Ni

 

Bank holidays in July 2026

 

July 22: Kharchi Puja (Agartala region)

 

Bank holidays in August 2026

 

August 4: Ker Puja

August 15: Independence Day/Parsi New Year (Shahenshahi)

August 19: Birthday of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur

 

Bank holidays in September 2026

 

September 4: Janmashtami (Shravan Vad-8)/Krishna Jayanthi

September 12: Tirubhav Tithi of Srimanta Sankardeva

September 14: Ganesh Chaturthi/Ganesh Puja/Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vrata/Vinayakar Chathurthi/Hartalika

September 15: Samvatsari (Chaturthi Paksha)/Nuakhai/Ganesh Chaturthi (Second Day)

September 21: Janmotsav of Srimanta Sankardeva/Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi

September 22: Karma Puja

September 23: Birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh Ji

September 25: Indrajatra

 

Bank holidays in October 2026

 

October 2: Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti

October 10: Mahalaya Amavasya

October 17: Maha Saptami

October 19: Dussehra

October 20: Vijaya Dashami

October 21–23: Durga Puja (Dasain)

October 26: Laxmi Puja/Accession Day/Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday

October 29: Karva Chauth

October 31: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Birthday

 

Bank holidays in November 2026

 

November 9: Diwali/Laxmi Puja (Deepawali)/Govardhan Pooja

November 10: Diwali (Bali Pratipada)/Deepavali/Laxmi Puja/Vikram Samvat New Year Day

November 11: Laxmi Puja (Deepawali)/Ningol Chakkouba/Bhratridwitiya/Bhaidooj/Chitragupt Jayanti

November 13: Wangala Festival

November 16: Chhath Puja/Surya Shashti Dala Chhath (Prath Arghya)

November 23: Seng Kut Snem

November 24: Guru Nanak Jayanti/Karthika Purnima/Rahas Purnima

November 27: Kanakadasa Jayanthi

 

Bank holidays in December 2026

 

December 1: Indigenous Faith Day/State Inauguration Day

December 3: Feast of St. Francis Xavier

December 9–11: Losoong/Namsoong

December 12: Death Anniversary of Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma

December 18: Death Anniversary of U SoSo Tham

December 19: Goa Liberation Day

December 24–26: Christmas Eve and Christmas

December 30: Death Anniversary of U Kiang Nangbah

December 31: New Year’s Eve

 

Customers are advised to verify the state-wise and city-specific holiday list and complete essential banking transactions in advance to avoid inconvenience during the holiday period.