Government Holidays: Complete List of National, State-Wise and Restricted Holidays in 2026

Whether you are timing a property registration, planning leave around a long weekend, or checking if a government office will process your application this week, the official holiday calendar decides your schedule. India runs on three parallel holiday systems: gazetted holidays that shut every Central Government office, restricted holidays that individual employees choose, and state government holidays that vary from Kerala to Punjab. This guide covers all three for 2026, based on the official DoPT notification, so you can plan every visit, payment, and application deadline in advance.

Government Holidays - Quick Info

Before you dive into the full month-wise list, here is a snapshot of how government holidays work in 2026. Central Government offices follow the DoPT notification, which fixes the total number of closures, while restricted holidays and state lists add flexibility on top. The table below sums up everything you need at a glance, from the total holiday count to the authority that declares them.

What Are Government Holidays?

Government holidays are officially declared days when government offices suspend work for national events, religious festivals, and regional observances. India does not run on a single holiday list. Depending on whether an office is a Central Government establishment, a state office, or a bank, a different calendar applies. For example, post office holidays follow the central DoPT calendar, while a bank in the same city may be open that day. Every government holiday in India falls into one of the three categories explained below.

Gazetted Holidays (GH)

Gazetted holidays are compulsory closures notified by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). 14 are uniform across India; 3 more are chosen per state by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee (CGEWCC), making 17 in total

Restricted Holidays (RH)

Restricted holidays are optional festival days from which each Central Government employee can take any 2 in the year; offices stay open. An optional list of festival days. Each Central Government employee can take any 2 in the year; offices stay open

State Government Holidays

State government holidays are declared separately by each state under the Negotiable Instruments Act and state orders. These apply to state offices, schools, and banks, and often include regional days like Kannada Rajyotsava or Telangana Formation Day that Central offices do not observe

Gazetted Government Holidays List in 2026 (Central Government Offices)

Central Government offices in India remain closed on 17 gazetted holidays in 2026, from Republic Day on 26 January to Christmas Day on 25 December. The 14 compulsory holidays below apply to every Central Government office in India. Offices in Delhi/New Delhi additionally observe Holi, Ram Navami, and Janmashtami; offices in other states observe 3 local picks decided by their CGEWCC.

Three gazetted holidays fall on weekends in 2026: Id-ul-Fitr (Saturday, 21 March), Independence Day (Saturday, 15 August), and Diwali (Sunday, 8 November). This leaves employees with 14 effective working-day closures in the year.

Note: The DoPT order permits states where Diwali is celebrated a day early to observe the holiday on Naraka Chaturdasi instead (7 November 2026, Saturday). Dates for Id-ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Muharram, and Milad-un-Nabi can shift with moon sighting.

Month-Wise Government Holidays List in 2026

March is the heaviest month of the 2026 calendar with 4 gazetted holidays, while February and July have none. Use this breakdown to plan applications and office visits by month.

Restricted Holidays List in 2026 (Optional Holidays List)

Restricted holidays give Central Government employees flexibility that gazetted holidays do not. From the list below, every employee can pick any 2 days in the calendar year based on personal, religious, or regional preference, while the office itself continues to function normally. Most departments require these 2 choices to be declared and approved in advance, so scan the 2026 list early and lock your picks before the popular dates fill your team's leave calendar.

A restricted holiday is not an office closure: the office stays open and only the employee who opted for that day takes leave.

State Government Holidays List in 2026: Major Regional Days

Beyond the central DoPT calendar, every state government notifies its own holiday list, and this is where the real variation begins. A regional day like Kannada Rajyotsava shuts state offices, schools, and banks in Karnataka while offices in the rest of India work as usual. If you are visiting a state government office, sub-registrar, or municipal body in 2026, check your state's regional days below alongside the national list, because these closures will not appear on any central calendar.

The three holiday systems affect you differently depending on which office you are visiting.

Long Weekends List in 2026 - From Government Holidays

The 2026 calendar is generous with holiday placement: several gazetted holidays land on Fridays and Mondays, creating natural 3-day breaks without spending a single day of leave. The standout is the October window, where the Durga Puja weekend rolls straight into Dussehra for a 4-day stretch. Use the table below to mark these windows early, whether you are planning travel, a house move, or property paperwork that needs buffer days around office closures.

Check Holiday Lists for Your Bank

Pay Your Bills Even When Government Offices Are Closed

Your electricity bill is due on 20 October, but it is Dussehra and every office and bank counter is shut. This is exactly the gap online bill payment closes. With NoBroker Bill Payment, you can clear utility bills, insurance premiums, and government dues online via BBPS 24x7, including on every gazetted holiday. And if a bank or registrar holiday is delaying your property plans, a NoBroker Home Loan moves your approval forward with doorstep assistance from partner banks, with no counter visit needed.

Disclaimer: Holiday dates above are based on the DoPT order dated 3 July 2025 (F.No.12/2/2023-JCA) and state notifications for 2026. Dates for Id-ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Muharram, and Milad-un-Nabi may change with moon sighting, and state holidays may be revised by government order. Confirm with the official notification or the concerned office before planning a visit.

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