NEW DELHI, India | October 1, 2026 —
Planning to visit your bank this month? Checking the calendar first could save you a wasted trip.
Bank branches across India will remain closed on multiple dates in October 2026 because of Gandhi Jayanti, Durga Puja, Dussehra and other regional observances, in addition to regular Sunday and second- and fourth-Saturday closures.
But there is an important catch: not every bank holiday applies across India.
Several October holidays are state- or city-specific. A branch may be closed in Kolkata, Bengaluru or Shimla while banks remain open in another part of the country on the same date.
So before scheduling a branch visit, cheque deposit, document submission, locker visit or other in-person banking work, customers should check the holiday applicable to their banking center.
THE 60-SECOND BRIEF
October 2: Banks closed nationwide for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti.
October 10: Second Saturday; also Mahalaya Amavasye holiday in certain banking centers.
October 11: Sunday.
October 18: Sunday.
October 19-23: Several regional closures around Durga Puja, Dussehra and Dasain.
October 20: Dussehra/Vijaya Dashami closures across most major banking centers.
October 24: Fourth Saturday.
October 25: Sunday.
October 26: Regional closures for observances including Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti, Laxmi Puja and Accession Day.
October 29: Regional bank holiday for Karva Chauth in Shimla.
October 31: Regional bank holiday in Ahmedabad for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birthday.
The crucial point: these dates should not be added together and interpreted as the number of days every bank in India will remain closed.
October 2 — Gandhi Jayanti: Nationwide Bank Holiday
The first major bank holiday of October falls on Friday, October 2, for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti.
Unlike many festival holidays later in the month, this closure applies across the country.
Customers who need to complete branch-dependent work around the first weekend of October should therefore plan ahead.
October 4 — Sunday
October 4 is the month’s first Sunday.
Bank branches will remain closed as part of the regular weekly holiday schedule.
October 10 — Second Saturday
October 10 is the second Saturday of the month, so bank branches will remain closed under the regular banking holiday schedule.
Mahalaya Amavasye is also observed as a banking holiday in certain centers, including Bengaluru and Kolkata.
Because the second-Saturday rule already applies nationally, branch customers should avoid planning in-person banking work for this date.
October 11 — Sunday
October 11 is a Sunday, resulting in another regular nationwide branch closure.
October 17 — Regional Holiday
October 17 brings a regional banking holiday connected with Maha Saptami in Agartala.
This is not a nationwide closure.
Customers outside the affected banking center should not assume their local branch will also be closed.
October 18 — Sunday
October 18 is a regular Sunday closure.
It also falls during the Durga Puja period, which leads into several state-specific banking holidays in the following days.
October 19 — Durga Puja, Maha Navami and Regional Observances
October 19 is one of the most important dates to check before visiting a bank.
Branches will remain closed in several banking centers for observances including Dussehra, Maha Navami, Ayutha Pooja, Durga Puja and related regional festivals.
Affected centers include several locations across eastern, northeastern and southern India.
The holiday, however, does not apply uniformly across the country.
October 20 — Dussehra and Vijaya Dashami
Tuesday, October 20, is the biggest festival-related banking holiday of the month.
Dussehra, also known as Vijaya Dashami in many parts of India, will lead to bank closures across most major banking centers.
Customers should be particularly careful about branch-dependent transactions around this date because some regions also observe holidays immediately before or after Dussehra.
That could create an extended period of branch closures in certain locations.
October 21 — Durga Puja and Vijaya Dasami
Bank closures continue in selected regions on October 21.
Banking centers including Agartala, Bengaluru, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram are among those where regional festival holidays apply.
Again, this is not an all-India bank holiday.
October 22-23 — Regional Closures Continue
The festival holiday sequence continues in some locations.
Bank branches in Gangtok are scheduled to remain closed on October 22 and October 23 for regional Durga Puja/Dasain observances.
For customers elsewhere, branches may operate normally.
October 24 — Fourth Saturday
October 24 is the fourth Saturday of the month.
Banks across India observe the second and fourth Saturdays as regular holidays, so physical branches will remain closed.
October 25 — Sunday
The following day, October 25, is Sunday.
This creates a regular two-day weekend branch closure on October 24 and 25.
October 26 — Another State-Specific Holiday
Some bank branches will remain closed again on Monday, October 26 because of regional observances including Laxmi Puja, Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti and Accession Day.
Affected banking centers include Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla and Srinagar.
Because October 26 follows the fourth Saturday and Sunday, customers in affected locations could face a three-day stretch without regular branch services from October 24 through October 26.
That makes advance planning especially important.
October 29 — Karva Chauth
Karva Chauth brings another regional banking holiday on October 29, with the RBI calendar listing a closure in Shimla.
This does not mean banks across India will be closed.
October 31 — Regional Closure in Ahmedabad
The final listed regional banking holiday of the month falls on October 31 for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birthday.
The closure applies to Ahmedabad under the applicable banking holiday schedule rather than nationwide.
October 2026 Bank Holiday Calendar at a Glance
October 2, Friday — Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti — Nationwide
October 4, Sunday — Weekly holiday — Nationwide
October 10, Saturday — Second Saturday — Nationwide; Mahalaya Amavasye also observed in selected centers
October 11, Sunday — Weekly holiday — Nationwide
October 17, Saturday — Maha Saptami — Regional
October 18, Sunday — Weekly holiday — Nationwide
October 19, Monday — Durga Puja/Dussehra/Maha Navami and related observances — Regional
October 20, Tuesday — Dussehra/Vijaya Dashami — Most major banking centers
October 21, Wednesday — Durga Puja/Vijaya Dasami — Regional
October 22, Thursday — Durga Puja/Dasain — Regional
October 23, Friday — Dasain-related holiday — Regional
October 24, Saturday — Fourth Saturday — Nationwide
October 25, Sunday — Weekly holiday — Nationwide
October 26, Monday — Laxmi Puja/Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti/Accession Day — Regional
October 29, Thursday — Karva Chauth — Regional
October 31, Saturday — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Birthday — Regional
Are Banks Really Closed for 15 or 16 Days in October?
This is where bank-holiday headlines can become misleading.
You may see claims that banks will be closed for 15 or 16 days in October 2026. That does not mean every bank branch in India will remain shut for that many days.
The combined calendar includes nationwide weekends as well as holidays that apply only to particular states or banking centers.
For an individual customer, the actual number of branch closure days depends on the location of the branch.
Therefore, the safest approach is to check the holiday schedule for your state or banking center rather than relying only on a national total.
Will UPI, ATMs and Net Banking Stop on Bank Holidays?
A bank holiday primarily affects physical branch operations.
Customers can generally continue using digital services such as UPI, mobile banking, internet banking and ATMs, subject to normal technical availability and the rules applicable to a particular transaction.
However, any transaction or service that requires branch staff, physical documents or manual processing may have to wait until the branch reopens.
Customers with time-sensitive branch work should therefore complete it before a long weekend or consecutive regional holidays.
Important: Diwali Is Not an October Bank Holiday in 2026
There is another calendar detail customers should know.
Diwali falls on November 8 in 2026, not in October.
Therefore, Diwali should not be counted among October 2026 bank holidays.
This distinction matters because October is still festival-heavy due largely to the Durga Puja and Dussehra period, which can make the month appear to include Diwali closures as well.
What Bank Customers Should Do
If you need to visit a branch this month, check the holiday for your specific state or banking center first.
Complete time-sensitive work such as document verification, locker access, large branch-dependent transactions and other in-person services before consecutive holidays wherever possible.
Digital banking can handle many routine transactions, but it cannot replace every service provided at a physical branch.
INVC NEWS Bottom Line
October 2026 has a busy bank-holiday calendar, but there is no single 15- or 16-day shutdown across India.
October 2 is the key nationwide festival-related closure, while Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays apply under the regular branch holiday schedule. Durga Puja, Dussehra and other observances create additional closures that vary by state and banking center.
For customers, the takeaway is simple:
Don’t ask only, “Is today a bank holiday?” Ask, “Is my bank branch closed in my city today?”
That one check could save you an unnecessary trip.
