Holiday on 15, 16 August: Banks shut for Independence Day, Janmashtami

Bank Holiday: With Independence Day and Janmashtami falling back-to-back, many states face a three-day bank closure. Here's what's open, what's shut, and how you can plan your transactions.

If you have bank work lined up for the next few days, you may want to plan ahead. Tomorrow, Friday, 15 August, marks India’s Independence Day, a nationwide public holiday when all banks remain shut. This closure applies across the country as it is a mandatory holiday under the Reserve Bank of India’s calendar.

 

With many people already planning trips and shopping sprees around the August long weekend, the back-to-back holidays could mean a short pause in branch banking services. While ATMs, mobile banking and net banking will still work, physical branch transactions, such as depositing cash, encashing cheques, or updating passbooks, will not be possible. 

 

 

Janmashtami adds to the long weekend

Adding to the break, Janmashtami falls on Saturday, 16 August. The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna and is a bank holiday in several states, including Gujarat, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh (Union Territory), Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Telangana, Rajasthan, Jammu (Union Territory), Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Srinagar, and Andhra Pradesh

 

However, not every state will observe this as an official bank holiday. Branches in other states than those listed above will remain open 

 

This means customers in many states will see a three-day bank closure, Friday (Independence Day), Saturday (Janmashtami) and Sunday (weekly holiday). In states where banks open on Saturday, there will still be two non-working days on either side. 

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How customers can prepare

-To avoid delays and last-minute stress, it’s wise to take a few steps now:

 

-Complete urgent transactions in advance: deposit cheques, pay bills or transfer funds before Friday.

 

-Go digital where possible: use mobile or internet banking, UPI and card payments for essential transactions.

 

-Check your state’s holiday list: confirm with your bank whether branches will be open on 16 August in your city.