October is one of the busiest holiday months on the banking calendar, and the awkward part is that the list is not the same for everyone. A branch in Kolkata will be shut on days when one in Mumbai or Delhi is open as usual. This guide lays out the whole month, separates the holidays that apply everywhere from the ones that apply only to certain states, and flags the stretches where a long weekend can catch you without cash or a cheque cleared.
The city lists below follow the RBI-based calendar as reported by Business Standard. Other outlets count the month differently (headlines range from 11 to 16 days), mostly because they include or leave out regional holidays and weekends in different ways. Treat your own bank's notice, or the RBI holiday calendar, as the final word for your branch.
Nationwide Bank Closures in October 2026
These days apply to every bank branch in the country, public, private and foreign alike:
| Date | Day | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| October 2 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti |
| October 4 | Sunday | Weekly holiday |
| October 10 | Saturday | Second Saturday |
| October 11 | Sunday | Weekly holiday |
| October 18 | Sunday | Weekly holiday |
| October 24 | Saturday | Fourth Saturday |
| October 25 | Sunday | Weekly holiday |
Note what is not on this list: the first, third and fifth Saturdays (October 3, 17 and 31) are ordinary working days for banks, unless a regional holiday falls on them. That will change only if the long-pending five-day banking week is implemented, which we cover in the strike section below.
Regional Bank Holidays in October 2026
This is the part that trips people up. These holidays are declared for particular states and cities, and banks elsewhere stay open:
| Date | Day | Occasion | Where banks are closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 10 | Saturday | Mahalaya Amavasya | Bengaluru, Kolkata (already closed as second Saturday) |
| October 17 | Saturday | Maha Saptami | Agartala |
| October 19 | Monday | Dussehra (Durga Puja observance) | Agartala, Aizawl, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi, Shillong |
| October 20 | Tuesday | Dasara / Dussehra / Ayudha Puja / Durga Puja | Gangtok, Imphal |
| October 21 | Wednesday | Vijaya Dashami / Durga Puja (Dasain) | Agartala, Bengaluru, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram |
| October 22 and 23 | Thursday, Friday | Durga Puja (Dasain) | Gangtok |
| October 26 | Monday | Laxmi Puja / Accession Day / Maharishi Valmiki's birthday | Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla, Srinagar |
| October 29 | Thursday | Karva Chauth | Shimla |
| October 31 | Saturday | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birthday | Ahmedabad |
Long Weekends and Tricky Stretches
A few clusters of closed days deserve a calendar mark:
- October 2 to 4 (Friday to Sunday): Gandhi Jayanti on Friday, then Saturday October 3 is a regular working day for banks, and Sunday is a holiday. So branches are open on Saturday, but a Friday cheque or cash need has to be sorted by Thursday, October 1.
- October 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday): Two straight closed days everywhere. In Kolkata and Bengaluru, Mahalaya falls on the same Saturday, so nothing extra is lost there.
- October 17 and 18: Only Agartala loses Saturday to Maha Saptami; elsewhere Saturday is a working day and Sunday is closed.
- October 19 to 25 (Durga Puja and Dussehra week): This is the stretch that matters most in eastern and north-eastern India. In Kolkata, Guwahati and Agartala, branches can be shut on October 19 and 21, and October 24 (fourth Saturday) and 25 (Sunday) close every bank. In Gangtok, closures run from October 20 to 23 and then straight into the weekend, a near-week without counters.
- October 24 to 26: Fourth Saturday, Sunday, then Monday October 26 is a regional holiday in Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla and Srinagar. In those cities the counters stay closed for three days running.
Will UPI, ATMs and Net Banking Work on Bank Holidays?
Yes, for the most part. As Business Standard notes in its report, NEFT, RTGS, online banking, mobile banking, UPI and ATM services remain available on bank holidays. What stops is the human side of banking:
- Cash deposits and withdrawals at the counter
- Cheque deposits and physical clearing (a cheque dropped on a holiday is processed on the next working day)
- Demand drafts, pay orders and passbook updates
- Locker access, KYC visits, loan documentation and account opening
One practical risk during a multi-day closure is ATM cash running out in busy areas, because refilling depends on staff and cash vans that also follow holiday schedules. If your city is in the Durga Puja closure zone, withdraw what you need a day or two before the break begins.
Festival Shopping and Cash Planning
October also runs into festival-season spending. The Amazon Great Indian Festival and Flipkart Big Billion Days 2026 guide covers card offers and dates, all of which run on digital rails that stay live through bank holidays. Two things to keep in mind: bank-card offers depend on the issuing bank's own settlement, and refunds for returned items may take an extra working day to land if a holiday falls in between. Also note that the new UPI merchant fee framework starting October 15 does not change what customers pay; our explainer on UPI MDR from October 15, 2026 has the details.
The Bank Strike Question: What Happened and What's Next
Readers of our earlier bank strike explainer will remember that the United Forum of Bank Unions had called a three-day strike for September 28 to 30. According to The Week, that strike was deferred after late-night talks with the Indian Banks' Association. The IBA reportedly agreed to set up a high-level committee to discuss declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays, to begin discussions on the performance-linked incentive scheme for senior officers, and to address residual issues from the March 8, 2024 understanding.
Deferred is not the same as cancelled. The unions have warned that an indefinite strike from October 26, 2026 could follow if their demands, including the five-day week, pension improvements, a uniform dearness allowance for pensioners and an NPS-to-OPS switch option, remain unmet. October 26 is also a regional bank holiday in Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla and Srinagar, so the practical effect in those cities would only begin on October 27. We will update our coverage if the position changes.
If you have branch-dependent work, such as a loan disbursal, locker visit or large cash handling, finishing it in the first three weeks of October, before the Durga Puja closures and the strike deadline, is the safer plan.
Practical Checklist for October
- Confirm your city. Look up your own city in the regional table above before planning a branch visit.
- Do counter work early. Finish cash, cheque, draft and locker tasks by Thursday, October 1, and again before October 19 if you are in an eastern or north-eastern city.
- Go digital for the rest. UPI, NEFT, RTGS and IMPS keep running through every holiday.
- Watch cheque timelines. Post-dated or time-sensitive cheques should not be deposited just before a holiday cluster.
- Track the strike news. If the October 26 deadline is confirmed, plan cash and paperwork for the last week of the month.
Conclusion
Only one weekday, Friday October 2, closes every bank in the country, along with the usual Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays. The rest of October's holidays hinge on where you live, with the Dussehra and Durga Puja week from October 19 to 25 the heaviest for eastern and north-eastern cities. Sort out counter-dependent tasks early, lean on digital payments, and keep an eye on the October 26 strike deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are banks closed on October 2, 2026?
Yes. October 2, 2026 is a Friday and Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, so bank branches across India are closed. UPI, net banking, NEFT and ATMs continue to work.
How many bank holidays are there in October 2026?
Every bank closes for Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), four Sundays (October 4, 11, 18, 25) and the second and fourth Saturdays (October 10 and 24), which is seven days. Regional festival holidays add more in specific cities, and outlets report different totals, from 11 to 16 days, depending on how they count them.
Are banks closed on Dussehra 2026?
Dussehra falls on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Bank closures are regional: the reported list shows Gangtok and Imphal closed on October 20, several eastern and north-eastern cities on October 19, and cities such as Kolkata, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram on October 21. Banks in cities not on the list stay open.
Are banks open on the first, third and fifth Saturdays in October 2026?
Yes. Banks close only on the second and fourth Saturdays, so October 3, 17 and 31 are working days unless a local holiday applies, such as Maha Saptami in Agartala on October 17 or Sardar Patel's birthday in Ahmedabad on October 31.
Will UPI and ATMs work on bank holidays?
Yes. UPI, NEFT, RTGS, mobile and internet banking and ATMs remain available on bank holidays. Only branch services such as cash counters, cheque clearing, drafts and lockers are affected.
Is there a bank strike in October 2026?
The three-day strike planned for September 28 to 30 was deferred after talks with the Indian Banks' Association. The United Forum of Bank Unions has warned of an indefinite strike from October 26 if its demands are not met, so it remains a risk to watch.