Kerala Bank Holidays 2026, Full List with Dates

Kerala has its own calendar and it is on display at the bank counter. Closures here are notified by the Government of Kerala under the Negotiable Instruments Act (with Thiruvananthapuram as the regional centre for the state), and thus Kerala has two lists of public holidays and bank holidays.

Unlike most of India, what makes Kerala so special is that it is Onam, not Diwali, that gets the big shutdown. Deepavali is not a working day or bank holiday here and Holi doesn't exist here; in addition Kerala is closed on both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and the dates of Eid and Muharram are a day sooner than in the north.

Below is every day bank branches in Kerala are expected to close in 2026. 

Kerala bank holiday calendar 2026

Islamic dates (Id-ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Muharram, Milad) depend on the moon sighting and may move by a day; Kerala typically observes them a day earlier than much of the country. "Scope" shows whether a closure is Kerala-specific or part of the wider/national calendar.

Add to these every Sunday, and the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. The 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays are banking working days. Mahasivarathri (15 Feb) and Easter (5 Apr) are Kerala holidays that fall on Sundays in 2026, so they add no extra day off.

What actually changes your week in Kerala

Onam is a four day holiday but the day after is open. Bank branches will be closed on Tuesday 25 August to Friday 28 August (First Onam to Fourth Onam / Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi). The next day on Saturday 29 August it's a 5th Saturday, a working day for banks and if you missed the Onam week, it's the first day to visit a branch. Pay salary credit, cheques and cash before 24th.

Diwali and Holi are not the festivals as it is up north. It's not a Kerala bank holiday, and Deepavali is not a working-day holiday here (in 2026 it will fall on Sunday 8 November anyway). If you have come to expect banks to close for these, Kerala will leave you out.

Eid and Muharram are a day early in Kerala. Since as per local moon sighting, Kerala follows different dates as compared to other parts of the country, then the dates of Id-ul-Fitr were 20 March here (21 March in other parts of India) and Muharram was 25 June (26 June elsewhere). In case of inter state coordination, the Kerala branch may be closed a day before, or after, the other branches.

Two Good-Friday-week closures. During Maundy Thursday (2 Apr) and Good Friday (3 Apr), there will be no branch banking in Kerala, and the rest of the week will be considered a Thursday-Friday holiday weekend. 

What stays open

Holidays close branch counters, cheque clearing (CTS) and NACH, not digital banking. NEFT and RTGS run 24×7, UPI and IMPS are always on, and ATMs dispense cash through every holiday subject to the machine being loaded. So even across the four-day Onam block, online transfers and ATM withdrawals keep working; only in-branch services, cash over the counter, demand drafts, passbook updates, and cheque/CTS and NACH clearing pause.

Who this list applies to

These are closures for bank branches in Kerala (RBI's Thiruvananthapuram / Kochi centre), which follow the Government of Kerala's holiday notification issued under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Private establishments follow separate rules under the Industrial Disputes Act, and the restricted holidays (Ayya Vaikunda Swami Jayanthi, Avani Avittam, Vishwakarma Day) are optional, not bank closures. Treat moon-dependent dates as provisional until confirmed locally.

FAQs

For how many days will banks be closed on the occasion of Onam in 2026?
Four days (First Onam/Milad on Tuesday 25 August, Thiruvonam on Wednesday 26, Third Onam on Thursday 27 August and Fourth Onam/Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi on Friday 28 August). The following Saturday 29 August, it is a 5th Saturday and is a working day, banks reopen on this day.

Are banks in Kerala closed on Diwali?
Unlike much of North India, banks don't close on No.Deepavali in Kerala. There is no separate bank holiday for it in 2026, as it is also a Sunday (8 November). No, Holi is not a Kerala bank holiday.

What are the bank holidays celebrated only in Kerala?
These are the distinctively Kerala closures including Mannam Jayanthi (2 Jan), Vishu (15 Apr), Karkidaka Vavu (12 Aug), Onam block (25 - 28 Aug), Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi (28 Aug) and Samadhi (21 Sep) and Ayyankali Jayanthi (28 Aug). Kerala also has a Maundt's Thursday holiday (2nd April) that most states do not.

Why is Eid celebrated on different dates in Kerala?
Islamic holidays will usually be a day earlier than Kerala's moon sighting. In 2026, Id-ul-Fitr will be marked on 20 March (21 March across the majority of the country) and Muharram on 25 June (26 June across the rest of the country). These are subject to the actual sighting.

Are there any online bank holidays in Kerala?
All the above options are available on bank holidays including Onam week – NEFT, RTGS, UPI, IMPS and ATMs. The dates mentioned are the days for a break in the services provided by the branches and cheque/CTS and NACH clearing.

Do Kerala banks also have those as holidays?
Yes, the rule is the same all over the country: Only the 2nd and 4th Saturdays are bank holidays. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays are working days, which means that Independence Day (15 Aug, a 3rd Saturday) is indeed an additional day off and why banks reopen after Onam on Saturday 29 Aug.