Bank Holidays in November 2026: Diwali Falls on a Sunday, So Check Your City Before You Plan (Full RBI List)

Diwali falls on a Sunday this year. That small calendar quirk changes a lot: banks in Delhi get just one festival holiday in November, while branches in Gangtok stay shut for four days in a row over Diwali week.

So before you plan a branch visit, deposit a cheque or draw festival cash, check the bank holidays in November 2026 for your own city. Below is the full list from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), what still works when branches close, and seven simple ways to keep your money moving.

Bank holidays in November 2026: the full RBI list

RBI publishes a holiday calendar for 34 cities where it has regional offices. On top of that, every bank closes on Sundays and on the second and fourth Saturdays. In November 2026 that adds up to 7 days off for everyone before a single festival is counted.

Here’s every festival holiday on RBI’s November list and where it applies:

• 2 November (Monday), Nongkrem Dance: Shillong.
• 9 November (Monday), Diwali/Govardhan Puja/Vishwakarma Day: Agartala, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Gangtok, Imphal, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow and Raipur.
• 10 November (Tuesday), Diwali (Bali Pratipada)/Vikram Samvat New Year: Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Gangtok, Mumbai and Nagpur.
• 11 November (Wednesday), Bhai Dooj/Chitragupt Jayanti/Ningol Chakkouba: Gangtok, Imphal, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Shimla.
• 13 November (Friday), Wangala Festival: Shillong.
• 16 November (Monday), Chhath Puja: Patna and Ranchi.
• 20 November (Friday), Igas-Bagwal: Dehradun.
• 23 November (Monday), Seng Kut Snem: Shillong.
• 24 November (Tuesday), Guru Nanak Jayanti/Kartika Purnima/Rahas Purnima: Aizawl, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Hyderabad, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kohima, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla and Srinagar.
• 27 November (Friday), Kanakadasa Jayanti: Bengaluru.

Six cities on RBI’s list have no festival holiday at all this November: Chennai, Guwahati, Kochi, Panaji, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada. Banks there close only on Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays.

You may see headlines saying “banks shut for 16 days in November”. That figure adds up holidays across the whole country. No single city is closed for anything like that. The most any city gets is 10 days: the 7 common days plus three festival holidays (Gangtok, Lucknow, Kanpur, Dehradun and Shillong).

Bank holiday 31 October: open or closed?

This is the question everyone is searching today, and the answer is simple. RBI’s rule is that banks close on the second and fourth Saturdays. The first, third and fifth Saturdays are normal working days. 31 October 2026 is the fifth Saturday of the month, so branches across most of India will be open.

The one exception is RBI’s Ahmedabad list, which covers Gujarat. It marks 31 October as a holiday for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birthday. If you’re in Gujarat, plan your branch work for Friday or for Monday 2 November instead.

Diwali 2026 bank holiday: why your city may get fewer days off

Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday 8 November this year, according to Drik Panchang. Since banks are closed on Sundays anyway, the main Diwali day doesn’t add a holiday anywhere. The extra days off come from the festivals around it, and they differ by state.

Cities with a long Diwali break

• Gangtok: closed Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 November, four days in a row.
• Lucknow and Kanpur: closed on Sunday 8, Monday 9 and Wednesday 11, but open on Tuesday 10.
• Imphal: closed on 8, 9 and 11 November, open on the 10th.
• Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru: closed on Sunday 8 and Tuesday 10, open on Monday 9.

Cities with almost no Diwali break

Banks in New Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad get no weekday Diwali holiday at all, so branches there will be open on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November. Kolkata closes only on Wednesday 11 November, for Bhai Dooj.

The other long weekends to note are Shillong (Friday 13 to Sunday 15), Bengaluru (Friday 27 to Sunday 29, thanks to Kanakadasa Jayanti and the fourth Saturday) and Patna and Ranchi (Sunday 15 and Monday 16 for Chhath Puja).

What works on a bank holiday (and what doesn’t)

A bank holiday only means the branch is shut. Most of the money system now runs every day of the year.

Works as usual

• NEFT: available 24×7, including holidays, since 16 December 2019. It settles in 48 half-hourly batches a day, RBI says.
• RTGS: round the clock on all days since 14 December 2020, for large transfers of ₹2 lakh and above.
• UPI and IMPS: instant transfers through your bank app or a UPI app, any day and any time.
• Salary, pension and EMIs: NACH, the system companies and lenders use for bulk credits and auto-debits, has run on all days of the week since 1 August 2021. Your salary can land on a Sunday, and your EMI or SIP can be debited on a holiday too.
• ATMs and cash deposit machines: they keep working, though festival demand can empty some machines.

Waits for the next working day

• Cheque clearing: cheques are cleared through the Cheque Truncation System in a presentation session from 10 am to 4 pm on clearing days. A cheque you drop in a box on a holiday is processed only when the branch reopens.
• Branch-only work: demand drafts, locker access, KYC updates, cash deposits at the counter, loan paperwork and passbook entries.

7 ways to manage your money around November’s bank holidays

1. Check your own city, not the national headline. Open RBI’s holiday page, pick your regional office and the month. The list above follows it, but local orders can be added, so confirm with your branch for anything urgent.
2. Deposit cheques before a long break. If you’re in Gangtok, Lucknow or Kanpur, deposit them by Saturday 7 November. Better still, ask the payer to use NEFT or UPI instead.
3. Keep a day’s buffer for auto-debits. Because NACH runs on holidays, an EMI due on 10 November will be debited that day even if your branch is closed. Make sure the money is in your account the evening before to avoid a bounce charge.
4. Withdraw festival cash early, and smartly. RBI allows banks to charge up to ₹23 per ATM transaction beyond the free limit (five a month at your own bank’s ATMs; three at other banks’ ATMs in metro cities, five elsewhere), plus tax. One larger withdrawal costs less than several small ones.
5. Don’t worry if an FD matures on a holiday. RBI’s rules say that if a fixed deposit matures on a non-business day, the bank pays interest at the contracted rate for those days until it pays you on the next working day.
6. Use NEFT or RTGS for big payments. Paying a property token, a car booking or school fees? These work on holidays and leave a clear record, unlike cash.
7. Stay alert to holiday scams. Fraudsters often target people when branches are shut and help is harder to reach. No bank or official will ask for your OTP, PIN or a payment over a video call. If you’re cheated, call the cybercrime helpline 1930 at once.

Expecting DA arrears or a Diwali bonus this month? Our guide to how much the 3 percent DA hike adds to your salary and pension shows how to work out the exact amount, and our tips to save money on groceries can help that money last through the festive season.

Planning to buy gold or silver with it? Read the hidden costs of jewellery, digital gold and gold ETFs first, and pay through NEFT or UPI so a holiday doesn’t hold up the purchase.

Bank holiday kya hota hai? A quick explainer

A bank holiday is a day when bank branches are closed by law. RBI marks these on its calendar as holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, the law that governs cheques and promissory notes. Most of them are festivals or local occasions notified for each state, which is why one city can be closed while the next one is open.

The Saturday rule is national. All scheduled and non-scheduled banks observe a holiday on the second and fourth Saturdays. That’s why “bank open on Saturday or not” has a different answer depending on the week.

Share markets follow a separate calendar set by the stock exchanges. If you invest, as with the recent Jio IPO listing, check the NSE or BSE holiday list separately.

For more money explainers, see our personal finance guides, the Business section and what’s trending in India right now.

Frequently asked questions

Is the bank open on 31 October 2026?

Yes, in most states. 31 October is the fifth Saturday, a working day. Banks on RBI’s Ahmedabad (Gujarat) list are closed for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birthday.

How many bank holidays are there in November 2026?

Every city has 7 common days off (five Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays). RBI then lists 10 festival dates across different cities. Depending on where you live, that’s 0 to 3 extra days, so 7 to 10 closed days in total.

Is 24 November a bank holiday?

Yes, in 21 of RBI’s 34 listed cities, for Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartika Purnima. These include New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Chandigarh. Banks in Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi and Guwahati stay open.

Does NEFT work on a bank holiday?

Yes. NEFT and RTGS run 24×7 on all days of the year, including holidays. UPI and IMPS also work round the clock.

Will my EMI be deducted on a bank holiday?

Usually yes. Most EMIs and SIPs are collected through NACH, which has run on all days since August 2021. Keep enough balance a day before the due date.

Bank holiday kal hai kya? How do I check quickly?

Go to RBI’s “Bank Holidays” page, choose your city’s regional office and the month. It shows every holiday for that city. You can also call your branch or check your bank’s app for notices.

The takeaway

November 2026 looks crowded with bank holidays on paper, but your city sees only a few of them. Check RBI’s list for your city, finish branch and cheque work before long breaks, keep a buffer for auto-debits, and use UPI, NEFT or RTGS for everything else. Banking rules and charges can change, so confirm with your bank or a financial adviser before making a large or time-sensitive payment.

Related reads

• DA hike 3 percent: how much your salary and pension will rise
• Buying gold this Dhanteras? The hidden costs of jewellery, digital gold and ETFs
• LTCG tax cut news: how the 12.5% tax on shares and mutual funds works

Sources

• Reserve Bank of India: Bank holidays (city-wise calendar for October and November 2026)
• The Economic Times: Bank holidays in November 2026, state-wise list (28 Oct 2026)
• Business Standard: Bank holidays in November 2026 (30 Oct 2026)
• Moneycontrol Hindi: Bank holiday 31 October, open or closed (30 Oct 2026)
• RBI: Availability of NEFT on a 24×7 basis (6 Dec 2019)
• RBI: 24×7 availability of RTGS (4 Dec 2020)
• RBI: Payment systems overview (NACH on all days from 1 Aug 2021)
• The Hindu BusinessLine: Salary, EMIs via NACH on all days from 1 August 2021
• RBI: FAQs on cheque clearing (continuous clearing)
• RBI: ATM charges and free transactions
• The Hindu: ATM usage cost up to ₹23 per withdrawal after free limit
• RBI: FAQs on deposits (maturity on a non-business day)
• Drik Panchang: Diwali Lakshmi Puja 2026 date