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Banks are regulated by the government in most developed and developing countries. In India, the primary regulatory authorities are the Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank of India (RBI). There are plenty of public sector banks, private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Payment Banks, etc. You can choose to open an account with any bank based on your needs. To avail many banking services, you might have to visit the bank first. Make sure to know the bank timings and visit accordingly to avail the services you need.
Bank Timings Post COVID-19 Lockdown
In March, after the imposition of a nationwide lockdown, several Public and Private sector banks took precautionary measures such as altering the operating hours, restricting the staff count and introducing an emergency credit line for the benefit of the customers.
Nonetheless, post COVID-19 lockdown, all banks have restored their suspended services and usual operating hours. Customers can now visit the bank to avail essential as well as non-essential services.
Please Note: All banks are actively taking precautionary measures to safeguard the customers and the employees. Account-holders are requested not to visit the bank unless it is absolutely necessary.
Customers should use Net-banking or Mobile Banking to avail banking services. Also, customers visiting the bank should take necessary measures such as wearing a face mask, sanitizing hands immediately before and after leaving the premises, keeping a safe distance of at least 1 meter from each other.
Bank Timings
You need to know the opening bank timings if you need to visit the bank. It is important to note here that different banks have different opening and closing timings. However, in general, most public sector banks such as State Bank of India, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank (PNB), Union Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank, etc. have the same bank timings. These banks are open from 9.30 AM to 4 PM from Monday to Friday.
| Working Days | Bank Timings |
| Monday to Saturday | 9.30 AM to 4 PM |
Note: The bank remains closed on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month.
Here is a list of the Public Sector Banks in India:
| Public Sector Banks in India (21) | |
| Allahabad Bank | Andhra Bank |
| Bank of Baroda | Bank of India |
| Bank of Maharashtra | Canara Bank |
| Central Bank of India | Corporation Bank |
| Dena Bank | IDBI Bank |
| Indian Bank | Indian Overseas Bank |
| Oriental Bank of Commerce | Punjab National Bank |
| Punjab & Sind Bank | State Bank of India (SBI) |
| Syndicate Bank | UCO Bank |
| Union Bank of India | United Bank of India |
| Vijaya Bank | |
Private sector banks have different working hours. Some of them follow the same schedule as public sector banks while others have longer working hours. For instance, bank timings for ICICI Bank are 9 AM to 6 PM from Monday to Friday. HDFC Bank timings are 9 AM to 4.30 PM from Monday to Friday.
If you want to carry out an online transaction such as NEFT, RTGS or visit the bank for other purposes, you need to check the website of your bank for their operating hours. You can go online and search for “bank timings today” to see the working hours of your bank.
It is also important to note here that many banks have a customer cut-off time which means that they do not allow customers to enter the bank after this time. Usually, this is 30-60 minutes before the closing time of the bank. Make sure to enter the bank before the cut-off time so that the bank staff can attend to your needs.
The lunch hour of the bank is also not strictly defined and varies from one bank to another. Many times, 1.30 PM to 2 PM is the lunch break in most banks. However, in many banks, the staff do not take the lunch break at the same time and there are always a few people taking care of the needs of the customers. The bank staff takes turns to have lunch so that customers do not have to wait for a long time.