Bank holiday guides
In-depth, source-checked explainers on how bank holidays work in the United States, the United Kingdom and India. For a quick answer, use the live checker or the FAQs.
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What Is a Bank Holiday? Meaning, Rules & Examples A bank holiday is a day on which banks and most financial institutions are officially closed to the public. Branches shut, cheques and traditional transfers wait for the next working day, and the date is set by law, by a central bank schedule or by a government notification, depending on the country. -
Federal Holiday vs Bank Holiday: What’s the Difference? A federal holiday is a day off for US federal employees, set by law. A bank holiday is a day the banks are closed, and in practice that is set by the Federal Reserve’s own schedule. The two lists contain the same 11 holidays, but they do not always fall on the same day, and the difference matters when a holiday lands on a weekend. Check the live answer for your state on our US bank holiday checker. -
How US Bank Holidays Are Decided: Fed K.8 Calendar US bank holidays are decided in two layers. Congress names 11 federal holidays in law, and the Federal Reserve publishes the days its Reserve Banks close on a schedule called K.8. Banks follow the Fed’s schedule, so that schedule is what actually decides when branches shut. Check the live answer for your state on our US bank holiday checker. -
How India’s Bank Holidays Are Decided (RBI & NI Act) India’s bank holidays are set by government notifications under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, not by the Reserve Bank of India alone. The central government and each state government declare holidays, the RBI publishes the lists, and a separate national rule closes banks on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month. That is why a bank holiday in Mumbai is not always a bank holiday in Lucknow. Check the live answer for your state on our India bank holiday pages. -
Do ATMs, UPI & Transfers Work on Bank Holidays? Yes, most of the things people actually use every day keep working on a bank holiday: ATMs, debit and credit cards, mobile banking apps and instant payments such as UPI, Faster Payments and FedNow. What closes is the branch counter and a handful of older payment systems, such as US ACH and Fedwire and UK CHAPS, which wait for the next business day. Check the live answer for your country on our bank holiday checker.
Last verified against primary sources · Updated Oct 5, 2026