Bank Hours: When Banks Are Open on Weekdays, Saturdays and Holidays
You finally have a free hour, the paycheck needs depositing and the cashier’s check for the landlord can’t wait. You drive over, and the door is locked. A sign says the branch closed twenty minutes ago, or that it’s closed all day for a holiday you forgot was a holiday. Almost everyone has had this happen at least once.
Bank hours aren’t random, though. Most branches follow the same pattern, and the holiday calendar is set by federal law. Once you know how it works, you can plan around it pretty easily.
Typical weekday hours
Most US branches open somewhere between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning and close between 4:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday. Many stay open later on Fridays, because that’s when lots of people get paid. Branches inside grocery stores and big retail stores often keep longer hours than standalone ones, sometimes into the evening.
The drive-up window is a separate thing. It often opens earlier and closes later than the lobby, so if you only need to deposit a check or get cash from a teller, it’s worth checking whether your branch has one.
Hours differ by bank, by state and even between two branches of the same bank across town. A branch in a downtown business district may close early on weekdays and stay closed on Saturday, while a suburban branch nearby keeps weekend hours. That’s why the hours on a branch’s own page matter more than any general rule. Our guide on how to find the closest bank branch walks through checking them before you leave home.
Are banks open on Saturday?
Many are, but usually not for long. A common Saturday schedule runs from 9:00 a.m. to noon or 1:00 p.m., though some branches stay open later and plenty don’t open at all. Large national banks like Chase, Bank of America and TD Bank run hundreds or thousands of branches, and their Saturday hours vary from one location to the next.
Keep in mind that a Saturday visit doesn’t always mean Saturday processing. A deposit made at the counter on a weekend is usually treated as received on the next business day, which affects when the money becomes available.
Sunday is still mostly a day off. Some in-store branches and a handful of banks open on Sundays, but for most people Sunday banking happens at an ATM or in an app.
The federal holiday calendar
US banks don’t each decide their own holidays from scratch. Most follow the schedule of the Federal Reserve, because when the Fed is closed, the systems that move money between banks are closed too. There are eleven of these holidays, and their dates are set by law:
| Holiday | When it falls |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1 |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Third Monday in January |
| Washington’s Birthday (Presidents Day) | Third Monday in February |
| Memorial Day | Last Monday in May |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | June 19 |
| Independence Day | July 4 |
| Labor Day | First Monday in September |
| Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples’ Day | Second Monday in October |
| Veterans Day | November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Fourth Thursday in November |
| Christmas Day | December 25 |
A few details trip people up. When a fixed-date holiday lands on a Sunday, the Fed closes the following Monday. When it lands on a Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks generally stay open the Friday before, and individual banks decide for themselves whether to close that Friday. The Fed publishes its upcoming dates on its holiday schedule page, which is handy if you’re planning a big transfer.
Columbus Day and Veterans Day cause the most confusion. Schools and stores are often open, so people assume banks are too, and many branches are closed. Some banks do open on those days, so check yours. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve aren’t federal holidays, but branches often close early.
Holidays that aren’t on the list
Good Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and state holidays aren’t Fed holidays, so most banks are open. A local bank in a state with its own holiday may close anyway. Credit unions follow the same calendar but make their own calls.
What still works when the branch is closed
A closed lobby doesn’t mean you can’t bank at all. Plenty still works on a Sunday or on the Fourth of July:
- ATMs run around the clock. You can withdraw cash, check balances and, at many machines, deposit cash and checks. Here’s how to deposit cash at an ATM if you’ve never tried it.
- Mobile check deposit works any day, though the deposit is processed on the next business day.
- Transfers between your own accounts at the same bank often go through right away.
- Card payments keep working, since card networks don’t take holidays.
What’s slow on holidays is anything that has to travel between banks: ACH transfers, wire transfers, and direct deposits that would have landed that day. If payday falls on a bank holiday, many employers pay a day early. Bills on autopay might post a day late, which is worth remembering around due dates.
If you need cash on a holiday, use an ATM in your own bank’s network or a surcharge-free network. A machine at a gas station can easily charge you two fees for one withdrawal.
The explainer on surcharge-free ATM networks covers which machines won’t add a fee.
A quick routine that saves a wasted trip
Before heading out, look up that specific branch’s hours instead of the bank’s general hours, and check the calendar for a Monday holiday. If what you need takes a teller or a banker, like a cashier’s check, a notary, or opening an account, go on a weekday morning, when lines tend to be shortest. If it’s a big errand, like opening a new account, our list of what to bring to open a bank account means you won’t need a second trip.
Everything else can wait for the ATM or your phone.
