SBI Bank Holiday Alert 2026: SBI branches may remain closed for up to 6 days from May 23-28 due to weekend, strike and Bakrid

State Bank of India (SBI) customers should finish their pending work which requires a physical visit to an SBI branch as the bank’s branches can be closed for up to six days starting May 23, 2026. SBI branches can remain closed for up to six days because of the weekend, proposed two-day strike and the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) two-day holiday for Eid-ud-Adha (Bakri Eid). In Jammu and Kashmir, banks will be closed for two days on Bakrid (May 27 and 28), as per the RBI holiday calendar.

Why SBI branches may remain closed between May 23-28

SBI weekend holidays explained (May 23- 24)

SBI bank branches will be closed on May 23 and May 24 as May 23 is a Saturday and May 24 a Sunday Banks are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month.

SBI strike dates

SBI staff federation has notified a proposed strike planned on May 25-26 (Monday and Tuesday), 2026, to address its issues like recruitment and the selection of National Pension System (NPS) fund managers.

The All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, the body representing workmen employees of SBI across the country, has also raised concerns about the outsourcing of jobs, parity issues in SBI, review of career progression scheme, HRMS and other issues affecting staff members.

Bakrid holiday on May 27 and 28

Bakrid will be observed on two different days in different states in India. The RBI also has two designated holidays for the festival. In most parts of India, banks, including SBI, will remain closed on May 27 for Bakrid. However, in some parts of India, banks will remain closed on May 28. In Jammu and Kashmir union territory, banks will be on holidays on May 27 and 28 on the occasion of Bakrid.

Will SBI online banking, UPI and ATM services work?

Yes, SBI’s online banking services, UPI transactions and ATM services will continue to work normally.

Why do SBI employees want to go on strike?

The SBI employee federation has raised these key issues in its letter to the SBI staff-

Sourcing
The federation says that due to the bank’s outsourcing policy, economically weaker sections, rural youth, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes and other underprivileged communities are being completely deprived of such recruitment.

Recruitment of armed guards
The federation stated, “At such a critical time, a reduction of the armed guards due to retirements, promotions and no recruitment for strengthening the cadre exposes employees, customers, and bank assets to heightened safety risks. Incidents involving inadequate security can cause irreparable reputational damage.”

Change of pension fund manager option to bank NPS subscribers
The federation says SBI employees are still not allowed to change their Pension Fund Manager despite government notifications and directions from the Finance Ministry permitting such a choice under NPS. The federation claimed this has resulted in discrimination and financial disadvantages for employees compared to staff in other public sector banks.

State-wise SBI holiday list for May 2026

May-26	1	9	16	26	27	28
Agartala	•			•	•
Ahmedabad					•
Aizawl	•				•
Belapur	•					•
Bengaluru	•					•
Bhopal	•				•
Bhubaneswar
Chandigarh	•				•
Chennai	•					•
Dehradun	•				•
Gangtok			•
Guwahati	•				•
Hyderabad	•				•
Imphal	•				•
Itanagar	•
Jaipur						•
Jammu	•				•	•
Kanpur	•				•
Kochi	•				•
Kohima					•
Kolkata	•	•			•
Lucknow	•				•
Mumbai	•					•
Nagpur	•					•
New Delhi	•				•
Panaji	•					•
Patna	•					•
Raipur	•				•
Ranchi	•				•
Shillong					•
Shimla	•				•
Srinagar	•				•	•
Thiruvananthapuram	•				•
Vijayawada	•				•