Holidays in India 2026: Complete Calendar & Employer Guide

India’s holiday calendar is highly fragmented, with each state maintaining its own list under the Negotiable Instruments Act. For companies employing across India, this impacts payroll, timelines, support coverage, and even payment settlements.

While there are only 3 national holidays, the full calendar spans 70+ days across central, state, and bank holidays, varying by region, religion, and employee choice.

We built this guide for HR, finance, and operations teams who need one source for India's 2026 holidays without piecing it together from official notifications. At Wisemonk, we manage payroll and compliance for 300+ global companies with 2,000+ employees across every state.

For broader context on how all of this maps to Indian labour law, also see our companion guide on leave policy laws and holidays in India.

What are the national holidays in India for 2026?

India observes 3 national holidays in 2026. These dates are fixed by the central government and apply to every state, union territory, sector, and employer without exception. Whether you operate in Delhi or Bangalore, public or private, your Indian team gets paid leave on these days.

Wisemonk is an Employer of Record (EOR) helping global companies hire and pay employees without setting up a legal entity. From our experience onboarding employees in every Indian state, the 3 nationals are the easiest part of the calendar to manage. They are the same for everyone, every year. The complications start with everything below.

For any foreign employer with people in India, these 3 are non-negotiable. Skipping any of them puts your company in breach of Indian labour law under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. Beyond the nationals, you also need to know which central and state holidays your team is entitled to.

How do Indian holidays compare with global holiday norms?

India's holiday system differs from the US, UK, Singapore, Australia, and most European markets in meaningful ways. Teams used to a flat federal or national calendar are often surprised by what India requires.

We work with clients headquartered across the US, UK, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and Germany. From our experience, every geography runs into different surprises when they start hiring in India. The biggest one across all of them is the volume of state-level variation.

Compare with how floating holidays and PTO work in Western compensation systems, and India will look unusually structured.

The biggest jolt for any global team is the state variation. A holiday observed in Karnataka may be a regular working day in Maharashtra. Onam closes Kerala offices for days while Bengaluru runs as usual. Without state-specific planning, your payroll team gets caught with stalled wire transfers and your project leads with quiet inboxes.

If you are setting up your first India team, our guide for foreign companies hiring in India walks through the broader compliance picture. The next layer below is the central government list.

What are the central government gazetted holidays in India 2026?

Gazetted holidays are declared by the Union Government and are mandatory for central government offices, public sector undertakings, and banks. Most private companies adopt them too. There are 17 gazetted holidays in 2026, including the 3 nationals listed above.

Our compliance team at Wisemonk tracks all 17 gazetted holidays plus 28 state-level notifications for every client we serve. From our experience, the gazetted list itself rarely causes problems. The trouble starts when global HR teams assume their state-located employees only get the gazetted set, missing the state-specific additions.

For a wider look at HR-side obligations, see our deep-dive on statutory compliance in HR in India.

Here are the remaining 14 gazetted holidays after the 3 nationals.

Note: Islamic holiday dates are tentative and confirmed closer to the date based on lunar sighting, declared by the Department of Personnel & Training.

Most private companies adopt the full gazetted list, giving employees 17 paid days. Read our breakdown of the new labour code in India to see how broader leave entitlements interact with the public holiday calendar.

What are the restricted (optional) holidays in India 2026?

Restricted holidays are festivals the central government recognizes but does not mandate. Each employee can pick up to 2 days from this list based on what they personally observe. So an employee in Chennai might take Pongal in January, while a colleague in Mumbai picks Gudi Padwa in March.

In our experience running restricted-holiday picks for 2,000+ Indian employees, the cleanest process is to lock employee choices in January and treat them as committed PTO for the year.

The clients who struggle are the ones treating these as ad-hoc requests through the year, which creates overlapping leave during peak business weeks. If you want to draft a policy that handles these picks consistently, use our free holiday and leave policy tool.

For background on how this fits into Indian HR policies more broadly, see our wider guide. State-level holidays add yet another layer.

What are the state holidays in India in 2026?

Each Indian state declares its own holiday list under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. Some states observe 20+ additional days per year on top of the central calendar.

State holidays fall into 5 categories: harvest festivals, regional New Year days, state formation days, birth and anniversary observances, and other local events.

We have onboarded employees across all 28 Indian states for 300+ international clients headquartered in the US, UK, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and Germany.

Every client has a different state-mix, so the state-by-state breakdown below is the same reference our payroll and onboarding teams use internally, refreshed every December once state notifications come out.

Which harvest festivals are celebrated as state holidays in 2026?

Harvest festivals run heaviest in January and April. They mark the agricultural cycle and shut down work in the affected states. If your team is in Punjab or Tamil Nadu, expect multi-day pauses.

Many of these harvest dates double up as regional New Year observances, which is the next category.

Which New Year holidays are observed across India in 2026?

India does not have one New Year. It has at least 15. Each region celebrates its own calendar transition, and most are recognized as state holidays. Teams based in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh will all see different New Year observances in March and April.

Beyond regional New Years, several states also observe their own formation or accession days.

Which state formation days are recognized as holidays in 2026?

States and union territories mark their formation or accession with public holidays. Most fall in November, the month of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. Gujarat, Telangana, and Haryana each have their own formation day baked into the state holiday list.

Birthdays and death anniversaries of state-specific historical figures add another layer of paid leave.

Which birth and anniversary days are observed as state holidays in 2026?

Several states mark the birthdays or death anniversaries of historical figures with paid holidays. These are heavily regional. West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Bihar each carry their own roster.

A handful of states observe additional local events that do not fit any of the above categories.

What other state-specific holidays apply in 2026?

A few states observe local events that don't fall into any of the above buckets. Mizoram is particularly prolific. For state-specific leave breakdowns, see our guides for Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.

Religious festivals create the highest impact on national productivity. Even when a festival is not officially declared, large parts of the country observe it.

Which religious and cultural festivals are widely celebrated in India in 2026?

India observes religious holidays from Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. Some shut down the whole country; others affect specific regions deeply. Here are the major festivals global employers should know.

Our team at Wisemonk includes employees from every major religious community in India. The summaries below reflect both official holiday status and what we see in practice across 300+ client deployments.

From our experience, the actual productivity impact often exceeds the declared holiday list, especially around Diwali, Onam, and Durga Puja.

• Diwali (November 8, 2026): India's biggest festival. A 5-day Hindu celebration of light over darkness, observed nationwide. Markets close, offices empty out for a week, and most employees take bonus days off around it. The festival of lights is also a major shopping and business cycle for retail and e-commerce.
• Holi (March 4, 2026): The Hindu festival of colors. People throw colored powder, drench each other with water, and celebrate spring. Workplaces unofficially shut down even in cities where it is not a declared holiday.
• Eid al-Fitr (March 21, 2026): Marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Observed across India by Muslim employees and declared in most states.
• Eid al-Adha or Bakrid (May 27, 2026): The Islamic Festival of Sacrifice. Observed nationally except in a handful of northeastern states.
• Pongal and Makar Sankranti (January 14 to 17, 2026): The harvest festival of South and West India. Tamil Nadu shuts down for 4 days; Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra all observe at least one day. See our Tamil Nadu leave policy guide.
• Ganesh Chaturthi (September 14, 2026): A 10-day Hindu festival honoring Lord Ganesha. Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Telangana effectively pause for the duration. Even non-observing states see slowdowns from Mumbai-based teams. See our Maharashtra leave policy guide.
• Onam (August 26, 2026): Kerala's harvest festival. Kerala offices close for up to 5 days. If your team is in Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram, plan around it heavily. See our Kerala leave policy guide.
• Navratri and Durga Puja (September 19 to October 6, 2026): A 9-night Hindu festival. West Bengal observes Durga Puja with state holidays from Maha Saptami through Vijayadashami, meaning Kolkata-based teams take 5 to 7 days off. See our West Bengal leave policy guide.
• Dussehra or Vijayadashami (October 20, 2026): Marks the victory of good over evil. National observance.
• Raksha Bandhan (August 28, 2026): Celebrates the sibling bond. Observed pan-India but officially declared in only a few states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. See our Uttar Pradesh leave policy guide.
• Christmas (December 25, 2026): Observed nationally as a gazetted holiday. Kerala, Goa, and the Northeast take it more seriously.
• Guru Nanak Jayanti (November 24, 2026): Marks the birth of Sikhism's founder. National holiday with deep observance in Punjab and the Sikh diaspora. See our Punjab leave policy guide.

Religious festivals also drive bank closures, which is where global employers usually hit operational friction first.

What are the bank holidays in India 2026?

Bank holidays in India are set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in coordination with state governments. They are not the same as public or central holidays. A bank holiday means no domestic clearing, no NEFT or RTGS settlement delays at the branch level on certain days, and possible holdups on international wire transfers in or out of India.

As an India-native EOR, Wisemonk runs monthly payroll for 2,000+ Indian employees on behalf of clients in the US, UK, Singapore, Canada, and Australia.

From our experience, the bank holiday calendar is where global teams hit the first real operational surprise. Clients consistently rate our handling of this at 4.8/5 on G2 because we build the payroll cycle around state-specific RBI closures rather than the central list alone.

Bank holidays follow regional festivals. So the days Maharashtra banks close are different from Kerala or West Bengal. Here is a snapshot.

Practical rule for global finance teams: schedule salary disbursements and contractor payments at least 2 business days before any state-specific bank holiday. RBI publishes the final state-wise bank holiday list in December of the preceding year, filterable by city and month. For exact India payroll deadlines and PF, PT, and TDS cutoffs, see our companion guide.

The other planning headache is the long weekend, where a holiday lands next to a weekend and entire regions disappear.

When are the long weekends in India 2026?

A long weekend in India happens when a public holiday falls on a Friday or Monday, or when a Thursday or Tuesday holiday lets employees bridge with a personal leave day. In 2026, there are 5 major long weekends to plan around.

From planning long-weekend coverage for 300+ clients over the years, the rule that has worked for us: assume 60 to 80 percent productivity drop across India teams during Diwali week, schedule headquarter-side coverage in advance, and don't book major customer launches or board-facing milestones in that window.

Teams in the US, UK, and Singapore can absorb some of the load if you flag it 3 weeks ahead.

If you offer floating holidays or PTO alongside your India calendar, the Diwali week is when most employees will request both. The question for international teams becomes: which holidays will actually disrupt your operations financially?

Which Indian holidays impact international payroll and wire transfers?

Not every holiday affects payroll equally. Some matter for compliance only; others delay actual money movement. These five have the biggest operational impact for global companies paying Indian employees or contractors.

We process over $20M in annual payroll for international employers hiring in India, and the holidays that catch first-time foreign employers off guard are rarely the obvious ones.

Think cross-border contractor payments stuck mid-clearing on a state-only holiday, a 2-day Eid buffer no one flagged, or PF, PT, and TDS deadlines landing right next to Diwali. Our payroll compliance team handles these automatically for clients.

1. Republic Day (January 26): Fixed national holiday and a non-business day for RBI. Schedule January-end payroll runs to clear by January 23.

2. Holi (March 4): Mid-week in 2026. Most North Indian banks and corporates take Thursday off too. International transfers between March 2 and March 6 should be initiated by Feb 27.

3. Eid al-Fitr (March 21) and Eid al-Adha (May 27): Floating dates confirmed close to the holiday. Build a 2-day buffer either side.

4. Independence Day (August 15): Lands on a Saturday in 2026, so direct impact is muted. RBI maintains a clearing holiday Monday.

5. Diwali week (November 7 to 10): The longest disruption. Plan for 4 to 6 business days of slowed operations and delayed bank settlement. See our note on EOR services in India.

We help global companies handle this without month-end surprises. Wisemonk's payroll team builds India holiday buffers directly into your monthly cycles so salaries clear on time, regardless of which state your team sits in.

For the broader picture, see how an Employer of Record in India handles holiday compliance alongside payroll, benefits, and taxes.

How Wisemonk helps global companies stay compliant with Indian holiday laws

Wisemonk is an Employer of Record (EOR) in India that helps international companies hire, pay, and manage employees without setting up a local entity.

We handle state-specific holiday calendars, leave policy compliance, and managed payroll aligned with India's bank holiday schedule and Ministry of Labour & Employment requirements, so you don't have to track 28 state notifications, restricted holiday elections, or lunar-calendar adjustments yourself.

We are a leading EOR provider in India, now expanding our services to support businesses in the US and UK as well, helping companies scale globally with confidence.

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