NEW DELHI, March 30, 2026, 17:28 IST.
Indian bank customers are heading into a run of holidays stretching through early April. That timing could jam up salary credits and other payments needing a branch visit right as the financial year turns over. Digital channels? Those stay up, but a finance ministry memo points out: only agency banks — the ones handling government transactions — are told to keep select branches open on March 31.
Timing is tight: March 31 is the close of FY2025-26, then April 1 brings the annual bank-closing day, when yearly accounts get wrapped up. For those relying on branch counters to clear cheques, request demand drafts, or handle large cash, options are narrowing. Digital channels—mobile banking, net banking, ATMs, UPI—still work, but the physical window is shrinking.
March 31 falls into a tricky spot on this year’s calendar. Even now, the Reserve Bank of India’s holiday list shows Mahavir Jayanti on March 30 and Mahavir Janmakalyanak/Mahavir Jayanti again on March 31 at multiple locations. Still, the Controller General of Accounts noted the RBI had already told agency banks handling government receipts and payments to remain open on March 31—making sure all year-end government transactions get recorded before the fiscal closes.
It started on Saturday, March 28, with banks shuttered across the country for the fourth straight Saturday. Karnataka pushed its Mahavir Jayanti holiday forward from Tuesday to Monday, March 30, meaning bank branches in Bengaluru and statewide remained closed. But in New Delhi and a number of other states, banks stayed open as usual.
On Tuesday, Times of India reported that banks will stay shut for Mahavir Janmakalyanak/Mahavir Jayanti across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, New Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The RBI’s March list also flags closures in cities like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, New Delhi, Patna and Ranchi.
No breather after that. According to Business Standard, which referenced the RBI’s holiday calendar, banks will shut on April 1 for annual account closures—marking the first day in April’s run of holidays. The Times of India noted banks in Kerala would follow with Maundy Thursday closures on April 2, and then most of India will see doors locked again for Good Friday on April 3.
The RBI’s banking schedule affects both public and private banks—think State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank—Hindustan Times reports. Apps, ATMs, digital payments? Those won’t skip a beat. But step into a branch on a holiday, and services like cheque clearances, demand drafts and hefty cash deposits will be on pause.
So, not all salary credits or vendor payments are likely to be disrupted—electronic transfers should mostly go through. The real pinch could come for customers and smaller businesses still relying on cheques or in-person transactions at branches. Some relief is built in, though: government-business branches get a carve-out through March 31, which should ease some of the pressure as the year wraps up.
April’s schedule isn’t thinning out after this week, either. According to Deccan Herald and the RBI’s official holiday calendar, banks rack up 14 closures in April, factoring in Sundays, second and fourth Saturdays, plus regional festivals. Customers are left to rely on local branch calendars—there’s no blanket national closure.
