Are Banks Closed on Columbus Day?

Is Columbus Day a bank holiday?

For payments, yes. Federal law lists “Columbus Day, the second Monday in October” among the legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103, and the Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule closes the Reserve Banks that day. Federal employees have the day off as well, according to OPM.

Because the holiday is defined as a Monday, it can’t fall on a weekend. That keeps it simpler than holidays such as Veterans Day or Christmas: the Federal Reserve and the federal government close on the same day every year, and there is no separate “observed” date to look out for. The dates for 2026 to 2030 come from the Federal Reserve’s published schedule. The 2031 and 2032 dates in the table above are calculated from the statutory rule, because the Federal Reserve has not published those years yet.

What the holiday does create is a three-day weekend with no settlement. Banks that follow the Federal Reserve schedule treat Saturday, Sunday and Monday as non-business days, so a payment you start on Friday afternoon may not settle until Tuesday.

Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

The federal statute, OPM and the Federal Reserve all use the name Columbus Day. Some states and cities mark the same Monday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. Vermont, for example, replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in its holiday law in 2019, effective July 1, 2019.

For your bank account, the name makes no difference. ACH and Fedwire run on the Federal Reserve calendar, so they stop on the second Monday in October in every state, whatever the state calls the day. A state’s own holiday list can still matter for state offices, courts and state-law deadlines, so check that separately if a filing date is involved.

What happens to payments on Columbus Day

• ACH and direct deposit: No FedACH settlement on the holiday. A direct deposit or bill payment scheduled for that Monday settles on a business day before or after it; your employer or biller decides which. See how ACH works around holidays and direct deposit timing.
• Wire transfers: Fedwire treats Federal Reserve holidays like weekends. A wire that misses your bank’s cut-off on Friday goes out on Tuesday. Details are on our wire transfers page.
• Checks: If the holiday is not a banking day for your bank, Regulation CC lets it treat a check deposited that day as received on the next banking day, which also starts the funds-availability clock a day later.
• ATMs, debit cards and mobile apps: These are run by banks and card networks, not the Federal Reserve, so a Federal Reserve holiday does not switch them off. When a deposit made that day is credited depends on your bank’s cut-off times.
• Instant payments: The Federal Reserve’s FedNow Service has “a 24-hour business day each day of the week, including weekends and holidays.” A FedNow transfer can arrive on Columbus Day if both banks offer it. More on instant payments.

For the 2026 holiday, Federal Reserve Financial Services listed FedACH processing as ending at 3:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, October 10, and resuming at 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday, October 12, according to its holiday schedule page. On October 23, 2026, that page did not yet show the 2027 windows.

Is the mail delivered on Columbus Day?

The U.S. Postal Service lists Columbus Day among its postal holidays, the days its holiday page describes as having no mail service. Check USPS for local post office hours.

Is the stock market open on Columbus Day?

Yes. The NYSE Group holiday calendar for 2026 to 2028 does not include Columbus Day, so stocks trade while the Federal Reserve is closed. “The markets are open” and “the banks are open” are different questions on this Monday.

Frequently asked questions

Are banks closed on Columbus Day, or just the Federal Reserve?

Payment settlement through the Federal Reserve stops for the day. Branches are a separate decision: each bank sets its own holiday hours, and the Federal Reserve schedule does not require a branch to close or to open. Online banking, ATMs and card payments usually continue. For a quick check on the day, see are banks open today or our overview of bank holiday hours.

Has the federal name of Columbus Day changed?

No. As of October 2026, 5 U.S.C. 6103 still lists the holiday as Columbus Day on the second Monday in October, and OPM and the Federal Reserve use that name. A new name for the federal holiday would need a change to the law. State renaming, such as Vermont’s, applies to that state’s own holidays.

How many business days does Columbus Day cost?

One. In a week with Columbus Day, the Reserve Banks are open Tuesday to Friday, so the week has four business days. Use the business days calculator to count deadlines across the holiday.