October 2026 brings a series of bank holidays across India, primarily due to national and regional festivals. Customers planning any branch visits or transactions requiring in-person services are advised to check the specific holiday schedule for their respective states to avoid inconvenience.
While physical bank branches will remain closed on these designated days, digital banking services, including UPI, mobile banking, and internet banking, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These services allow for seamless fund transfers, bill payments, and other routine transactions from anywhere at any time.
Nationwide Closure: Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti
The month begins with a nationwide bank holiday on October 2, Friday, commemorating Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti. All banks across every state and Union Territory in India will observe this closure.
Major Festival Closures: Dussehra and Durga Puja
A significant number of holidays in October 2026 are centered around the Dussehra and Durga Puja celebrations, impacting banking services across multiple states:
- October 19, Monday (Maha Ashtami/Maha Navami/Ayudha Puja/Durga Puja): Banks will be closed in Tripura, Mizoram, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Meghalaya.
- October 20, Tuesday (Dussehra/Vijaya Dashami/Mahanavami/Ayudha Puja/Durga Puja): This is the biggest closure day, with banks shut in most states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Assam, Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, Goa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
- October 21, Wednesday (Vijaya Dasami/Durga Puja): Banks in Tripura, Karnataka, Sikkim, Assam, Kerala, and West Bengal will observe a holiday.
Other Regional Bank Holidays in October 2026
Beyond the major national and festival closures, several states will observe additional regional holidays:
- October 10, Saturday (Mahalaya Amavasya): Banks in Karnataka and Kolkata will be closed.
- October 17, Saturday (Maha Saptami): Tripura will observe a bank holiday.
- October 22, Thursday (Durga Puja): Banks in Sikkim will be closed.
- October 23, Friday (Durga Puja): Another holiday for banks in Sikkim.
- October 26, Monday (Lakshmi Puja/Accession Day/Maharishi Valmiki's Birthday): Closures in Tripura, Chandigarh, Jammu, Srinagar, and Himachal Pradesh.
- October 29, Thursday (Karva Chauth): Banks in Himachal Pradesh will remain closed.
- October 31, Saturday (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's Birthday): A bank holiday will be observed in Gujarat.
It is important to note that banks also remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month, in addition to the holidays listed in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) calendar.