October 2026 has several bank holidays due to national observances, weekends and major festivals across India. Customers planning to visit a bank branch for important work should check the holiday calendar in advance to avoid an unnecessary trip.

According to the holiday schedule cited from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), bank branches can remain closed on up to 16 days during October 2026 when holidays across different states and cities are counted together.

However, this does not mean every bank branch in India will remain closed for 16 days. Many of the holidays are regional and apply only in particular states or cities.

Customers who need to deposit cheques, obtain a demand draft, update KYC details, work on passbooks or complete other branch-dependent transactions should check the holiday applicable to their location before visiting.

Major Bank Holidays in October 2026

Several weekends and national holidays will result in branch closures across large parts of the country during October.

The important dates cited in the October calendar include:

In addition to these dates, banks will remain closed in selected regions for festivals and local observances such as Durga Puja, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Dussehra, Vijayadashami, Dashain and Karwa Chauth.

The applicable holiday can therefore differ significantly from one city to another.

October 17: Bank Holiday in Agartala

Bank branches in Agartala are scheduled to remain closed on October 17 for Maha Saptami, according to the cited holiday calendar.

The holiday is regional and should not be interpreted as a nationwide bank closure.

Customers outside the applicable region should check their local schedule before assuming their branch will be closed.

October 19: Banks Closed in Several Cities

October 19 is an important regional banking holiday because of Maha Ashtami and Durga Puja celebrations.

The cited calendar lists branch closures in cities including:

Agartala, Aizawl, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi and Shillong.

Customers in these locations who need branch-based banking services should consider completing urgent transactions before the holiday.

Digital services, however, are generally expected to continue.

October 20: Dussehra and Vijayadashami Holiday

Bank branches will also remain closed in several states on October 20 on account of Dussehra and Vijayadashami.

The holiday is expected to affect branch-level banking in several regions, including parts of Uttar Pradesh, according to the supplied schedule.

However, customers should verify their city's specific RBI holiday listing because the applicability of festival holidays can differ by state.

October 21: Another Regional Holiday

The festival period continues to affect banking operations on October 21.

According to the supplied holiday information, bank branches will remain closed in Agartala, Bengaluru, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram due to local celebrations associated with Vijayadashami, Durga Puja and Dashain.

This means some customers may experience consecutive or closely spaced branch holidays during the festive period.

Planning cash, cheque and other branch-related requirements in advance may therefore be useful.

October 22 and 23: Bank Holidays in Gangtok

Customers in Gangtok should pay particular attention to the holiday calendar.

Bank branches in Gangtok, Sikkim, are listed as closed on both October 22 and October 23 because of Durga Puja and Dashain-related celebrations.

These are regional holidays and do not apply to banks throughout India.

October 24 and 25: Weekend Closures

October 24 is the fourth Saturday of the month, which means scheduled commercial bank branches will remain closed under the regular second-and-fourth-Saturday holiday system.

The following day, October 25, is a Sunday.

As a result, branch-based services will be unavailable over the weekend in locations following the regular banking schedule.

Customers who have time-sensitive branch work around these dates may want to complete it by the preceding working day.

October 26: Holiday in Selected Cities

Another set of regional bank holidays falls on October 26.

According to the supplied calendar, branches will be closed in locations including Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla and Srinagar.

Different local observances are associated with the holiday, including Lakshmi Puja, Accession Day and Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti.

Because the reason and applicability differ by region, customers should check the exact holiday applicable to their branch.

October 29: Banks Closed in Shimla

Bank branches in Shimla are scheduled to remain closed on October 29 because of Karwa Chauth, according to the cited calendar.

This is another location-specific holiday and does not represent a nationwide bank closure.

October 31: Bank Holiday in Ahmedabad

The final day of October also carries a regional bank holiday.

Bank branches in Ahmedabad are listed as closed on October 31 for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jayanti.

Customers in Ahmedabad with branch-dependent transactions should plan accordingly.

Bank Holidays in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh

Customers in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh should not assume that all 16 holidays apply to them.

Based on the supplied schedule, important closure dates for these regions include October 2, October 10, October 20 and October 24, depending on the specific local holiday calendar.

Regular Sunday closures must also be considered.

Because regional holiday schedules can vary, customers should verify the applicable calendar for their city and branch before travelling.

Will UPI Work When Banks Are Closed?

A bank holiday primarily affects physical branch operations. It does not normally mean that all banking activity stops.

Customers can generally continue using digital services such as:

• UPI payments and supported UPI apps
• Mobile banking
• Internet banking
• IMPS and supported online fund-transfer facilities
• NEFT and RTGS through available digital channels
• ATM cash withdrawals
• Cash Deposit Machines where available

Services such as UPI are designed to operate beyond normal branch working hours, although temporary technical or bank-specific disruptions can still occur.

Which Banking Tasks Could Be Affected?

Customers should plan ahead if their work requires visiting a physical branch.

Tasks such as certain KYC updates, demand drafts, passbook-related services, physical document submission and some cheque-related work may require branch access or could be affected by holidays and clearing schedules.

Customers dealing with a deadline should avoid waiting until the final working day before a long holiday period.

Why Bank Holidays Differ Across India

The RBI's bank holiday calendar includes national holidays as well as state-specific and regional observances.

India has different festivals and local events celebrated across states, which is why a bank may be closed in Kolkata or Gangtok on a particular day while branches in Delhi or Mumbai remain open.

This is also why the headline figure of 16 bank holidays in October should not be interpreted as 16 nationwide closure days.

The figure represents the combined calendar of holidays observed across different parts of the country.

Check Your Local Holiday Before Visiting a Branch

October 2026 includes several major festivals as well as regular Sunday and Saturday closures, making advance planning particularly important for customers who rely on branch services.

Before visiting a bank for a cheque, KYC update, demand draft, passbook service or another in-person transaction, check whether your local branch is scheduled to operate on that date.

Digital services should remain available on most bank holidays, but physical branches will follow their respective state and city holiday calendars.

Disclaimer: Bank holidays can vary by state, city and banking circle. The dates above are based on the supplied October 2026 holiday information. Customers should verify the applicable holiday with their bank or the RBI holiday calendar before planning a branch visit.