Holiday Calendar for Banks and NBFCs: State-wise Lists

A lender with branches in several states cannot run one holiday list. Bank holidays are declared state by state and bank branches also close on the second and fourth Saturday, while NBFC and microfinance branches often work every Saturday and plan collections around local festivals. The right setup keeps one company calendar in which each holiday applies only to the branches of that state, sets the Saturday pattern per shift, and treats year-end closing duty as planned work with comp-off.

One calendar, many state lists

Build a single calendar for the year and tag each holiday to the branches it applies to. Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti apply everywhere. Bihu applies to Assam branches, Onam to Kerala, Chhath to Bihar and Jharkhand, Gudi Padwa to Maharashtra and Pongal to Tamil Nadu. A regional office in Kolkata gets Durga Puja days that a Mumbai branch does not. When the lender opens its first branch in a new state, add that state's list properly instead of copying a neighbouring state's dates.

National holidays tagged to every branch
Regional festivals tagged to branches in that state only
Company days such as foundation day tagged to all branches or head office
Optional holidays open to everyone, within a yearly pick limit

Saturdays: banks and NBFCs work differently

For a bank, the second and fourth Saturday closure belongs in the weekly off pattern, not in the holiday list. Set it on the branch shift, so attendance and leave rules treat those Saturdays as rest days. An NBFC branch that works every Saturday uses a Sunday-only weekly off. A microfinance branch keeps Sunday off and moves a centre meeting when a festival falls on its day. A group with a bank and a non-bank lending arm can run both patterns in one company, as long as each shift carries its own rule.

Year-end closing and holiday duty

Annual closing brings holiday work that everyone can see coming. Banks close to the public on 1 April for the closing of accounts, but operations staff often work that day. Branches may also be asked to keep counters open on a late-March weekend or holiday for tax and government receipts. Treat these as planned duty: roster the staff in advance, record their punches, and credit comp-off for the worked holiday or pay it at the holiday overtime rate. Staff remember whether year-end duty was recognised when the next March comes around.

Optional holidays for staff posted away from home

Rotation and field postings mean many officers work far from their home state. A loan officer from Bihar posted in Pune wants Chhath, a Malayali credit officer in Delhi wants Onam, and neither is on the local branch list. Optional holidays with a yearly pick limit, often two days, solve this without adding holidays for the whole branch. Branch managers should see picks early so the counter is never short, and the report of who picked which optional holiday helps area managers arrange cover in small branches.

How to set it up in ZeniaHR

Create the year's holidays in Holiday Calendars, tag each regional holiday to the branches of that state, and keep national holidays tagged to every branch.
Set the weekly off pattern on each branch shift: second and fourth Saturday for bank branches, Sunday only for NBFC and microfinance branches that work all Saturdays.
Mark fixed-date holidays such as Republic Day as recurring every year, so next year's calendar starts with them in place.
Add optional holidays and set the yearly pick limit on the Holiday Calendars page, so staff can pick them from My Self-Service.
Before year-end closing, set the overtime policy's holiday multiplier at two or more, or choose comp-off as the payout for holiday duty.
At the start of each quarter, review the optional holiday picks report by branch so area managers can plan cover for one-person desks.

Read more about holiday calendars in ZeniaHR.

Holiday calendars

Roles this applies to

KYC Executive Collections Tele Caller Head of Credit Head of Collections Compensation and Benefits Executive

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Frequently asked questions

Do NBFC branches follow the bank holiday list?

Not necessarily. Bank holidays and the second and fourth Saturday closures apply to banks. An NBFC builds its own list from national holidays and state festivals, and many NBFC branches work every Saturday. Check the Shops and Establishments rules in each state where you have branches for the holidays you must give.

How do banks manage holidays for branches in different states?

They keep one calendar and tag each holiday to the branches it applies to. National holidays apply everywhere, while festivals such as Bihu, Onam or Chhath apply only to branches in those states. In ZeniaHR each holiday can apply to chosen branches and departments, and holidays feed attendance, leave sandwich rules and payroll.

Is holiday duty at year-end paid as overtime?

It depends on the policy and the hours. Work beyond the prescribed daily hours is overtime, paid at twice the ordinary wage rate with the worker's consent. For a day worked on a holiday, many lenders credit comp-off or pay the holiday multiplier from their overtime policy. Write the rule down before March so staff know what closing duty earns.