Post Office Holidays 2026, Complete Holiday List & Is the Post Office Open Today?

The complete list of India Post office holidays for 2026, with a real-time checker for today's status, the corrected holiday calendar, and clarity on the Saturday question that confuses most searchers.

Looking for India Post holidays 2025? Key 2025 dates are included at the end. This page primarily covers post office holidays 2026.

Is the Post Office Open on Saturdays?, Correcting the Most Common Confusion

India Post (Department of Posts, Government of India) follows the same 2nd and 4th Saturday holiday rule as banks; all post offices, including head post offices, sub post offices, and branch post offices, are closed on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month.

The correct rule:

• 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays: Post offices are OPEN (half-day in some locations, typically 9 AM to 1 PM or 2 PM)
• 2nd and 4th Saturdays: Post offices are CLOSED
• Sundays: CLOSED

This matches the pattern for all central government offices under the Government of India.

All 24 Closed Saturdays for India Post in 2026

Post Office / India Post Holidays 2026, Complete Corrected List

Data corrections from BankBazaar's live page:

• Ram Navami corrected to 27 March 2026 (not 6 April, 6 April is a Sunday with no holiday)
• Buddha Purnima corrected to 9 May 2026 (not 1 May, 1 May is May Day / Labour Day)

These are the national and central gazetted holidays on which all India Post offices are closed. Regional/state-specific holidays vary by circle, see the section below.

*Moon-sighting-dependent dates may shift by one day regionally.

Note on Diwali: Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026, post offices are already closed for the weekly off. The Deepavali Holiday (Monday, 9 November) is observed by banks in several states but may or may not result in a post office closure depending on the state circle's notification. Verify with your local post office.

Source: Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, Government of India. Official holiday notifications are published at www.indiapost.gov.in.

Post office savings accounts, PPF, NSC, and Sukanya Samriddhi, all closed on post office holidays. If you're looking to supplement your post office savings with a personal loan, CreditMitra compares offers from 30+ banks and NBFCs, including post office banking partners. Available online, no holiday delays. Soft inquiry, zero CIBIL score impact. Check My Pre-Approved Offer →

What Is India Post?, The Institution Behind Post Office Holidays

The Department of Posts (India Post) is a government department under the Ministry of Communications, Government of India. With over 1.6 lakh post offices, the world's largest postal network, India Post serves as:

1. Postal Services:

• Domestic and international letter, parcel, and courier services
• Speed Post, Registered Post, Express Parcel
• ePost and logistics services

2. Financial Services (Post Office Savings Bank, POSB):

• Post Office Savings Account
• Public Provident Fund (PPF)
• National Savings Certificates (NSC)
• Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
• Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS)
• Post Office Recurring Deposit (RD)
• Post Office Fixed Deposit (FD)
• Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS)

3. Insurance (PLI/RPLI):

• Postal Life Insurance (PLI)
• Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI)

4. Payments and Government Services:

• Aadhaar enrolment and update
• Passport application processing
• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) services

The Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) is one of the largest banking networks in India, reaching villages and towns where commercial banks have no presence. For millions of rural and semi-urban Indians, the post office is their primary financial institution. This is why post office holidays are tracked as carefully as bank holidays.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), Does It Work on Holidays?

The India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) is a payments bank under India Post, operating through postmen and Grameen Dak Sevak (GDS) networks with a smartphone-based banking model. IPPB offers:

Post Office Holidays vs Bank Holidays, Key Differences

Key difference: The annual bank account closing on 1 April 2026 applies to banks only, post offices remain open on 1 April 2026.

How India Post Holiday Schedule Is Organised, Circle-Wise Variations

India Post organises its 23 postal circles along state/UT boundaries. Each circle follows the national holiday list plus the state-specific holidays of its home state, similar to how state bank branches follow the state holiday calendar.

This list is illustrative. For the exact holiday list of your state's postal circle, visit www.indiapost.gov.in or contact your Head Post Office (HPO).

India Post Holidays 2025, Reference for Residual Searches

For "india post holidays 2025" and "postal holidays 2025" searchers:

Key India Post holidays in 2025 included:

• Republic Day: 26 January 2025 (Sunday, no working-day closure)
• Good Friday: 18 April 2025 (Friday)
• Independence Day: 15 August 2025 (Friday)
• Gandhi Jayanti: 2 October 2025 (Thursday)
• Dussehra: 2 October 2025 (Thursday, coincided with Gandhi Jayanti)
• Diwali: 20 October 2025 (Monday)
• Christmas: 25 December 2025 (Thursday)

Extractable Answer Blocks

Is the post office open today in India? India Post offices are closed on Sundays, the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, three national holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti), and central gazetted festival holidays. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays are working days at most post offices, though many operate on a half-day schedule on Saturdays. Use the real-time checker at the top of this page for today's specific status.

Are post offices closed on the 2nd and 4th Saturday? Yes. India Post follows the same 2nd and 4th Saturday closure rule as all central government offices; post offices are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. This is a common source of confusion because some sources incorrectly state that post offices are open on these days. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays are working days.

What is the post office holiday list for 2026? India Post offices observe the following national and central gazetted holidays in 2026: Republic Day (26 Jan), Eid-ul-Fitr (21 Mar), Ram Navami (27 Mar), Mahavir Jayanti (31 Mar), Good Friday (3 Apr), Ambedkar Jayanti (14 Apr), Buddha Purnima (9 May), Bakrid (27 May), Muharram (26 Jun), Independence Day (15 Aug), Milad-un-Nabi (25 Aug), Gandhi Jayanti (2 Oct), Dussehra (20 Oct), Guru Nanak Jayanti (24 Nov), and Christmas (25 Dec). State-specific additions vary by postal circle.

What services work at the post office on holidays? IPPB (India Post Payments Bank) digital services, mobile app, UPI, IMPS, and NEFT, remain available on post office holidays. Counter services, including PPF/NSC/Sukanya Samriddhi transactions, Speed Post booking, Registered Post, and Aadhaar-related services, require counter access and are suspended on holidays and 2nd/4th Saturdays.

Frequently Asked Questions on Post Office Holidays 2026

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