Post Office Holidays in November 2026 — Diwali, Bhai Dooj, Chhath and Guru Nanak Jayanti Closures
Which days post office counters are actually shut this month, why bank holiday lists will mislead you, whether Speed Post gets delivered around Diwali, and the last safe day to book a Bhai Dooj parcel.
Waiting for something over the Diwali weekend?
Check where it is right now — at a sorting hub, at your delivery post office, or already out for delivery.
Good news first: Diwali 2026 costs you no extra post office day. It falls on Sunday, 8 November, when counters are shut anyway, and the central government rules say no substitute holiday is given when a festival lands on a weekly off. On the central government's 2026 list, the only weekday when every regular post office in India closes this month is Guru Nanak Jayanti on Tuesday, 24 November.
Govardhan Puja (Monday 9 November) and Bhai Dooj (Wednesday 11 November) are only restricted holidays on the central list, so post office counters normally stay open even though banks in several states close. Chhath falls on Sunday 15 November on that list. Banks in Bihar and Jharkhand also shut on Monday 16 November, so if you're there, ask your post office about that Monday.
Ordinary Speed Post usually isn't delivered on Sundays or on Guru Nanak Jayanti, so anything in transit just waits a day. The newer 24 Speed Post and 48 Speed Post services between six metros are a different story — more on that below.
November 2026 Post Office Holiday List — Day by Day
This table puts the post office position next to the bank position, because that's where most of the confusion comes from. The post office column follows the Department of Personnel and Training's 2026 holiday order for central government offices, which the Department of Posts forwards to every postal circle. The bank column follows the state-wise bank holiday lists published for November 2026.
| Date | Occasion | Post office counters | Banks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1 Nov | Weekly off | Closed | Closed |
| Sun 8 Nov | Diwali (Deepavali) — compulsory central holiday | Closed, all India | Closed (Sunday) |
| Mon 9 Nov | Govardhan Puja — restricted holiday | Open | Closed in Tripura, MP, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Manipur, Rajasthan, UP |
| Tue 10 Nov | Bali Pratipada / Vikram Samvat New Year | Open | Closed in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Sikkim |
| Wed 11 Nov | Bhai Dooj — restricted holiday | Open | Closed in UP, West Bengal, Himachal, Sikkim, Manipur |
| Sat 14 Nov | 2nd Saturday | Open | Closed, all India |
| Sun 15 Nov | Chhath Puja (as dated on the central list) | Closed (Sunday) | Closed (Sunday) |
| Mon 16 Nov | Chhath (morning arghya) | Check in Bihar, Jharkhand | Closed in Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Tue 24 Nov | Guru Nanak Jayanti — compulsory central holiday | Closed, all India | Closed in many states |
| Sat 28 Nov | 4th Saturday | Open | Closed, all India |
The other Sundays, 22 and 29 November, are closed as usual. So nationally, the post office is shut on six days in November 2026 (five Sundays plus Guru Nanak Jayanti), leaving 24 working days.
Why Diwali doesn't add a closed day: the 2026 central holiday order says no substitute holiday is allowed if a festival holiday falls on a weekly off. Diwali is on a Sunday, so there's no Monday closure to make up for it. In states where the state government marks Diwali on Naraka Chaturdashi, the order lets central offices do the same. That's also Sunday 8 November this year, so nothing changes.
Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj and Chhath — State by State
Here's how the system works, in two lines. Every central government office outside Delhi, post offices included, closes on 14 compulsory holidays, and Diwali and Guru Nanak Jayanti are two of them. On top of that, a coordination committee in each state capital picks three more from a fixed list of 12 festivals. Whatever's left over becomes a restricted holiday, which individual staff can take but the office doesn't close for.
Govardhan Puja (Mon 9 Nov) and Bhai Dooj (Wed 11 Nov)
Both are on the 2026 restricted holiday list, and neither is among the 12 festivals a state can turn into a closed day. So expect counters to be open across India, including UP, Rajasthan, MP and West Bengal, where banks shut. One catch: some staff may take these days as restricted holidays, so a small sub post office could be short-handed. Go early and be ready for a queue.
Chhath Puja — Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern UP
Chhath Pooja is on the list of 12, so a state can make it a closed day for central offices. The central list dates it Sunday 15 November, when post offices are shut anyway. Banks in Bihar and Jharkhand are also closed on Monday 16 November. Your state's final list decides whether post office counters close that Monday too. If you're in Patna, Ranchi or Gaya and need a counter on the 16th, phone your head post office on Saturday 14th and ask.
Guru Nanak Jayanti (Tue 24 Nov) — every state
This one is compulsory, so it isn't just Punjab: post offices in Chennai, Guwahati and Pune shut too. Regular counters are closed and there's no ordinary delivery. Only the few round-the-clock booking offices listed below are likely to be open. Monday 23 and Wednesday 25 are normal working days.
Your circle has the final word. The Department of Posts asks every postal circle to publish its own holiday list on the India Post website, indiapost.gov.in. Offices can also close for one-off local reasons. If your trip to the counter really matters, a two-minute phone call to the office the day before is worth it.
Why Bank Holiday Lists Get Post Offices Wrong
Search "holidays November 2026" and you'll mostly get bank holiday pages. They're accurate for banks, but post offices run on a different calendar. Three mistakes come up again and again:
- "Closed on 2nd and 4th Saturday." That's a bank rule. Post offices work Monday to Saturday. In 2024 a postal staff union even wrote to the Department asking for the 2nd and 4th Saturdays off, which only makes sense because they currently work them. So Saturday 14 and Saturday 28 November are working days at the counter.
- "Bhai Dooj is a gazetted holiday." Some pages list Bhai Dooj as a closed post office day. On the central list it's a restricted holiday on Wednesday 11 November.
- "Banks shut in my state, so the post office is shut." Not on 9, 10 or 11 November. Banks follow their own state-wise holiday lists, while post offices follow the central government list.
One practical knock-on: if you planned to pay a post office savings scheme instalment or withdraw cash from your post office account on 14 November, the counter should be open even though your bank branch isn't.
Is Speed Post Delivered on Sundays and Holidays?
Search results contradict each other here. Not all Speed Post is delivered seven days a week. The answer depends on which product the sender booked, and it's printed on the receipt.
| Ordinary Speed Post | 24 / 48 Speed Post | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday delivery | No, in most places. Delivery offices are closed on Sundays. | Yes |
| Diwali (Sun 8 Nov) | No | Should be delivered — it's a Sunday, and Diwali isn't a national holiday |
| Guru Nanak Jayanti (Tue 24 Nov) | No | Should be delivered, for the same reason |
| Where it works | All of India | Between New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad |
| Promise | Published delivery norms, not a guarantee | Next day (24) or second day (48), with a full postage refund if 24 Speed Post misses next-day delivery |
When India Post launched these services on 17 March 2026, it said deliveries would continue on Sundays and holidays, except national holidays. The three national holidays are Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti, and none of them falls in November. To catch same-day dispatch, book before 4 PM at the identified post offices, or up to 6 PM at BPC and BNPL (Book Now, Pay Later) centres. Our 24 and 48 Speed Post guide covers rates and booking.
What about ordinary Speed Post on a Sunday? Some cities have tried Sunday delivery. Jalandhar, for example, started it back in 2016. So you might get lucky, but don't plan on it. If your tracking says "Out for Delivery" on a Sunday, great. If it doesn't, nothing is wrong.
How a Holiday Pushes Back Delivery — and the 7-Day Holding Clock
India Post's published Speed Post delivery norms are: local 1–2 days, metro to metro 1–3, state capital to state capital 1–4, within the same state 1–4, and rest of the country 4–5. For parcels, India Post adds one more day if the delivery office is a branch office. Nothing moves through a closed office, so in practice a Sunday or holiday in the middle usually pushes delivery back by a day.
Example — Pune to Lucknow, booked Friday 6 November
This is "rest of the country", so allow 4–5 days. Counting only days when offices are open, Saturday 7 is day 1. Sunday 8 (Diwali) doesn't count. Then Monday 9 is day 2, Tuesday 10 day 3, Wednesday 11 day 4 and Thursday 12 day 5. So at the upper end, it arrives on the 12th, a day after Bhai Dooj.
Example — a document posted Monday 23 November
Guru Nanak Jayanti on Tuesday 24 means a local article that might have arrived on Tuesday will arrive on Wednesday 25 at the earliest. For an admit card or a reply with a deadline, post it by Friday 20 November or Saturday 21 to keep a cushion.
The holding period doesn't pause for holidays
If the postman can't deliver — house locked, nobody to sign — the article goes back to your delivery post office. Under the Post Office Regulations, 2024, an undelivered item is "ordinarily" kept in deposit there for seven days after attempts to find the addressee fail. If it isn't collected in time, it's returned to the sender, or goes to the Returned Letter Office if there's no sender address.
The regulations don't say that Sundays or holidays are left out of those seven days. So count calendar days and assume the holiday eats into your window. Say a delivery was attempted on Saturday 7 November while you'd gone home for Diwali. The office is closed Sunday 8, so Monday 9 is your first chance to collect, and you've already used two of the seven days.
Travelling for the festival? If tracking shows a failed attempt, go to the delivery post office on the first working day with photo ID and the article number. Don't wait for a second attempt. Our delivery attempted guide covers what to carry and how to ask for re-delivery.
Last Safe Booking Day for Bhai Dooj and Diwali Parcels
Today is Thursday, 5 November. For Diwali on Sunday, it's honestly too late to count on ordinary Speed Post for anything outside your own city. Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November is still doable if you book in the next day or two. These dates use the upper end of India Post's norms, so the box should reach by 11 November if those norms are met.
| Route | Norm (days) | Book by — for Bhai Dooj (Wed 11 Nov) |
|---|---|---|
| Same city (local) | 1–2 | Monday 9 Nov |
| Metro to metro | 1–3 | Saturday 7 Nov |
| Same state / state capital to state capital | 1–4 | Friday 6 Nov |
| Rest of the country | 4–5 | Today, Thursday 5 Nov (and still tight) |
| Parcel to a village branch office | +1 day | One day earlier than the row above |
| 48 Speed Post (between the six metros) | 2nd day | Monday 9 Nov, before the cut-off |
| 24 Speed Post (between the six metros) | Next day | Tuesday 10 Nov, before the cut-off |
For Diwali itself: a local article booked on Friday 6 November can still reach on Saturday 7. Between the six metros, 24 Speed Post booked on Saturday 7 should be delivered on Sunday 8, since Sundays and non-national holidays are delivery days for that service. Confirm at the counter before you pay.
Missed every date? Send it anyway. Bhai Dooj sweets that arrive on the 12th still get eaten. For packing mithai so it survives the trip, see our Diwali gifts by Speed Post guide. And book early in the day: offices have dispatch cut-offs, and anything booked after the cut-off waits for the next dispatch.
Which Post Offices Stay Open on Sundays and Holidays?
Most don't. But if you must book on Diwali Sunday or on Guru Nanak Jayanti, these are the places to try:
24-hour booking counters
India Post's own Speed Post page says 24-hour booking is available at selected offices in major cities. Ask your head post office which ones are near you.
Hyderabad and Telangana
Since November 2025, eight Telangana offices have been open round the clock, including Sundays and public holidays. Among them are Hyderabad GPO, Speed Post Centre Begumpet, Kukatpally SO and the transit mail offices at Secunderabad and Shamshabad airport.
Andhra Pradesh
In February 2026, 24/7 Speed Post and parcel booking started in 11 cities: Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Kadapa, Anantapur, Ongole and Guntakal.
Everywhere else
Call your city's head post office or GPO and ask: "Is any Speed Post counter open on Sunday 8th or Tuesday 24th?" Ask for the exact office name and hours, because they vary city to city.
Booking on a holiday gets your article into the system, but it still only moves when the network does. A parcel booked at a night counter on Diwali Sunday may not move on until the next working day. For normal weekday counter hours, see our post office timings guide.
Tracking Frozen Over the Diwali Weekend? Read This First
Expect it. With offices shut, nothing gets scanned, so tracking can sit at "Item Bagged" or "Item Received" from Saturday evening to Monday. Don't panic. Your article is usually either in a bag at the last office that scanned it or on its way to the next one. Our Item Bagged explainer shows how to read the office name on that line.
Give it two full working days after the holiday before you worry. For the Diwali weekend, that means checking again at the end of Tuesday 10 November. If nothing has moved by then, follow the steps in our tracking not updating guide. For last month's closures, see our October 2026 holidays post.
Track Your Speed Post Right Now
Is your parcel moving, or waiting at a closed office? Enter your consignment number on SpeedIndiaPost.com to see the full event history. It's free and needs no login.
Track Your Consignment NowFrequently Asked Questions
What to Do Right Now
Sending a Bhai Dooj parcel to another state? Book it today or tomorrow morning. Between metros, you have until Saturday 7, or Tuesday 10 with 24 Speed Post.
Waiting for something? Track it before you leave home for the festival. If it's already at your delivery post office, ask whether you can collect it on Saturday 7 rather than letting a failed attempt start the 7-day clock while you're away.
Put 24 November in your calendar. It's the one weekday this month when every regular post office is shut. Post anything deadline-bound by Saturday 21 November.
Still stuck after two working days? Call the delivery post office first, then file a complaint with your article number.
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