Bank holiday today: Are SBI, HDFC, ICICI, PNB branches closed on 26 October for Laxmi Puja? Check RBI calendar

Bank holidays today: Public and private lenders, including branches of the State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Canara Bank will be closed today, on 26 October, for Laxmi Puja / Accession Day / Maharishi Valmiki’s birthday, according to the Reserve Bank of India schedule.

As per RBI rules, all scheduled and non-scheduled banks observe listed holidays and mandatory closure on second and fourth Saturdays and every Sunday in a month. In-branch services are shut, but digital services (online net banking, app) will remain operational.

Bank holiday today: Full list of cities

Usually, in addition to the common national and gazetted holidays, or weekend offs, banks in India could have local holidays and festivals off, as required. The central bank releases its annual, official bank holiday list in January. Please contact your nearest local bank branch for their confirmed holiday schedule for 2026.

Banks, including the SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, PNB, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda and other lenders across India will remain closed on the following dates next week:

— Monday, October 26 (Laxmi Puja / Accession Day / Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday): Branches will be closed in Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla, and Srinagar.

Bank holidays in October 2026 — Check RBI calendar

In RBI’s holiday calendar, certain days are marked as non-working days for banks under “Negotiable Instruments Act” and other under “Banks’ Closing of Accounts.”

Banks will be closed for a total of 15 days this month as per the RBI calendar. Here’s the full list of all holidays in October 2026:

• October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti): National holiday. Banks across the country will remain closed.
• October 4: Banks closed pan India for Sunday pan India.
• October 10 (Mahalaya Amavasye): Banks closed in Bengaluru and Kolkata. Banks closed pan India for second Saturday.

• October 11: Banks closed for Sunday pan India.
• October 17 (Maha Saptami): Banks closed in Agartala.
• October 18: Banks will be closed for Sunday pan India.
• October 19 (Dussehra/Maha Navami/Ayutha Pooja/Durga Puja): Branches closed in Agartala, Aizawl, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Kohima, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi, and Shillong.
• October 20 (Dussehra/Vijaya Dashmi/Mahanavami): Banks in most major cities closed, except in Gangtok and Imphal.
• October 21 (Vijaya Dasami/Durga Puja): Branches closed in Agartala, Bengaluru, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram.
• October 22 & 23 (Durga Puja/Dasain): Banks closed in Gangtok.

• October 24: Banks closed pan India for fourth Saturday.
• October 25: Banks will be closed for Sunday pan India.
• October 26 (Laxmi Puja/Accession Day/Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday): Branches will be closed in Agartala, Chandigarh, Jammu, Shimla, and Srinagar.
• October 29 (Karva Chauth): Banks in Shimla will remain closed.
• October 31 (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Birthday): Banks in Ahmedabad will be closed.

What customers should do on bank holidays?

During bank holidays, online banking services remain available across the country to ensure uninterrupted access to banking services. Customers can use these services for convenient financial transactions.

— An individual can use UPI or the respective bank’s app to make payments and receive money from others. These services work round the clock, whether banks are open or not. Though, at times, it may be down due to scheduled maintenance during which the banks will notify you.

— Additionally, fund transfer requests can be made using NEFT / RTGS transfer forms, demand draft request forms and cheque book forms.

— Apart from those options, credit cards, debit cards, and ATM cards can also be obtained through card services. Services such as account maintenance forms, setting up standing instructions, and applying for a locker are also available.

Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. Check the official RBI or respective bank websites for bank holiday calendar, alerts and notifications.