Are Banks Open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday?

Are the banks open on Thanksgiving?

For payments, no. Federal law lists “Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November” 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 offices are closed too, according to OPM. Whether a bank opens any branches is its own decision; the Federal Reserve schedule does not set branch hours.

Because Thanksgiving is defined as a Thursday, it can’t fall on a weekend. The Federal Reserve and the federal government close on the same day each year, with no separate observed date. 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.

Are the banks open on Black Friday?

The day after Thanksgiving is a regular business day for the Federal Reserve. It is not on the Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule, not one of the legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103, and not on OPM’s list of federal holidays. In practice that means:

• ACH payments and direct deposits dated Friday settle that day.
• Fedwire runs its normal hours, with a 6:45 p.m. ET cut-off for customer transfers at the Federal Reserve, according to the Fedwire operating hours. Your bank’s own cut-off for wire requests is earlier.
• A check deposited on Friday counts as deposited that day under Regulation CC if Friday is a banking day for your bank and you beat its cut-off time.

Branch hours on Black Friday are up to each bank. Since the Federal Reserve is open, there is no system-wide reason for a branch to close, but your bank’s notice is the reliable answer for a specific branch. You can also check are banks open today on the day.

The stock market follows a different schedule again. According to the NYSE Group holiday calendar, the NYSE is closed on Thanksgiving and closes early, at 1:00 p.m. ET, on the day after Thanksgiving: Friday, November 27, 2026, Friday, November 26, 2027 and Friday, November 24, 2028. That early close does not apply to banks or to Federal Reserve payment systems.

What happens to payments over the Thanksgiving weekend

The holiday removes one business day from the week, not the whole long weekend. Thursday is the only closure; Friday is open; Saturday and Sunday are non-business days as usual.

• ACH and direct deposit: For 2026, Federal Reserve Financial Services lists FedACH processing as ending at 11:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 25 and resuming at 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 26, according to its holiday schedule page. Payments settle again on Friday. See ACH payments.
• Wire transfers: Fedwire observes Federal Reserve holidays, so a wire requested on Thanksgiving goes out on Friday. More on wire transfers.
• Checks: If Thanksgiving 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 is usually Friday.
• ATMs, cards and mobile: Banks and card networks run these, not the Federal Reserve, so a Fed holiday does not switch them off. When a deposit is credited depends on your bank’s cut-off times.
• Instant payments: The FedNow Service operates every day, including holidays, so a FedNow transfer can arrive on Thanksgiving if both banks offer it. See instant payments.

Will my direct deposit arrive on Black Friday?

If it is dated Friday, it can settle Friday, because the Reserve Banks are open. Since September 18, 2026, the Nacha Operating Rules require the receiving bank to make a regular ACH credit available by 9:00 a.m. its local time on the settlement date.

The pay date that is affected is Thursday. A payroll normally paid on Thursday can’t settle on Thanksgiving, so the employer chooses Wednesday or Friday instead. Which day becomes payday is the employer’s or payroll provider’s decision, not a Federal Reserve rule, and their file deadlines come earlier than the Federal Reserve’s. If your Thanksgiving-week deposit arrives on Wednesday, the likely reason is that your employer moved the pay date forward. Our direct deposit page explains how payroll dates shift around holidays.

Frequently asked questions

Do banks get Black Friday off?

Black Friday is not a federal or Federal Reserve holiday, so payment systems run normally. Whether branch staff work that day is each bank’s decision. Federal employees do not get the day off by law; OPM’s holiday list has no entry for the day after Thanksgiving.

Is mail delivered on Thanksgiving?

The U.S. Postal Service lists Thanksgiving Day among its postal holidays, the days its holiday page describes as having no mail service. Black Friday is not on that list.

How many business days are in Thanksgiving week?

Four: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Use the business days calculator to count a deadline across the holiday.