J&K Govt Holiday List 2026: The Jammu & Kashmir Government has notified the official holiday calendar for 2026 for all government offices and institutions in the Union Territory. The orders, issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), list UT-wide public holidays, division-wise provincial holidays for Jammu and Kashmir, and a restricted holiday (RH) list, along with annexures for local observances.
Key Highlights
- Government Order Nos. 1894–JK(GAD) and 1895–JK(GAD) of 2025, issued in mid-December 2025, notify the J&K Government Calendar of Holidays for 2026.
- The calendar classifies holidays as:
- Public holidays (UT-wide)
- Provincial holidays (Jammu-specific or Kashmir-specific)
- Restricted holidays, from which employees may choose a limited number of optional off days as per rules.
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- Separate circulars and School Education Department notifications align school holiday schedules with the same core calendar, including national and major religious festivals.
- Government offices – and, in practice, most courts, many schools and several banking services operating in J&K – will use this calendar to plan closures, exams, tenders and public-facing work through 2026.
Note: These orders apply to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. The Union Territory of Ladakh issues its own holiday notifications.
Main News Details
According to the General Administration Department, the J&K Government has released its official holiday list for 2026 via Government Orders 1894-JK(GAD) and 1895-JK(GAD) of 2025. These orders specify all gazetted public holidays, provincial holidays, and restricted holidays to be observed by government offices and many public institutions.
The notification, reproduced across HR/compliance portals, clearly divides the calendar into:
- UT-wide public holidays – mandatory for all government offices across Jammu & Kashmir.
- Provincial holidays – declared only for Jammu or only for Kashmir division, depending on local observance.
- Restricted holidays (RH list) – a pool of days from which employees may take a fixed number of optional holidays with prior approval, subject to departmental rules.
Education and exam-prep portals have highlighted the list because school/university schedules, board exams and recruitment tests are usually aligned with this official calendar.
Major Public Holidays in J&K’s 2026 Calendar
The complete list runs across all 12 months. Among the key UT-wide public holidays are:
- Republic Day – 26 January 2026 (Monday)
- Holi
- Maha Shivratri (a major gazetted holiday in J&K)
- Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha
- Independence Day – 15 August 2026 (Saturday)
- Gandhi Jayanti – 2 October 2026 (Friday)
- Other major religious and national observances such as Eid Milad-un-Nabi, Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Birthday, Diwali, Gurupurabs and Christmas
Recent J&K holiday notifications have also included Birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh and Accession Day as gazetted public holidays; readers should check the 2026 GAD order for the exact status and dates in this year’s list.
For provincial and local holidays, the calendar includes region-specific observances such as local Urs, fairs and melas which may be holidays in one division only (for example, Jammu-specific melas like those around Bahu Fort), while remaining normal working days in the other division.
What This Means for Offices, Schools and Banks
Government offices
- All UT-level directorates, district offices, tehsil offices and line departments will remain closed on the notified public holidays.
- On provincial holidays, offices in that division (Jammu or Kashmir) will close, while offices in the other division will function normally.
Schools, colleges and universities
- The School Education Department and universities generally adopt the core public-holiday list, while adjusting for board exams, university exams, vacations, local conditions (e.g. heavy snowfall) and other academic requirements.
- Private schools usually follow the government calendar for national and major religious holidays, and may vary minor holidays according to their own academic timetable.
Banks and financial institutions
- Most scheduled commercial banks operating in J&K follow the RBI’s state/UT-wise banking holiday list, which is prepared in line with GAD notifications for that year.
- On those notified banking holidays, branch counters, cheque clearing and some over-the-counter services remain closed, though ATMs, internet banking and mobile banking typically continue as usual.
Why This Matters for People in J&K
For residents, businesses and students across Jammu and Kashmir, the 2026 holiday calendar is a planning tool, not just a list of days off:
- Parents and students can schedule school attendance, tuition classes, coaching for exams like JKSSB, NEET, JEE and CUET, and trips home around long weekends and festival breaks.
- Government employees and pensioners can time office visits, document submissions, pension life-certificate verification, and grievance follow-ups to avoid closed days and long queues right after major holidays.
- Traders, shopkeepers, transporters and small businesses can plan for peak demand before big festivals (Eid, Diwali, Independence Day, etc.), adjust inventory cycles, and manage staff rosters to handle rush periods.
- Tourists and pilgrims heading to Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Vaishno Devi, Patnitop, Sonamarg and other destinations can use the calendar to plan travel around extended weekends, when local services may be busy or partially closed.
- With harsh winters, highway disruptions and weather-related closures common in J&K, an early view of the official holiday list helps logistics companies, travel agencies and government departments avoid clashes between high-traffic travel days and planned office closures.
FAQs – J&K Govt Holiday List 2026
The holiday list has been notified by the General Administration Department (GAD), Government of Jammu & Kashmir, through Government Order Nos. 1894-JK(GAD) and 1895-JK(GAD) of 2025.
Yes. UT-wide public holidays apply across the entire Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
However:
Provincial holidays apply only to the division mentioned (Jammu or Kashmir).
Restricted holidays are optional, and employees may choose a limited number as per departmental rules and prior approval.
Broadly yes for national days and major religious festivals. But the School Education Department, universities and boards issue their own circulars adapting the government list to the academic calendar (exams, results, winter/summer vacations), so some working days and special closures can differ.
Residents can:
Visit the J&K GAD website and open the Orders/Notifications section, or
Download the PDF from reputable HR/compliance portals that reproduce the official government orders for 2026.
Always cross-check that the document carries the correct order numbers (1894 & 1895-JK(GAD) of 2025) and is issued on GAD letterhead.
Most bank branches follow the RBI’s J&K banking-holiday schedule, which is broadly aligned with the GAD-notified list. On those days, branch banking, cheque clearing and some OTC services remain suspended.
However, ATMs, UPI, net banking and mobile banking normally continue to function, subject to local connectivity and technical conditions.
Disclaimer
This article summarises the J&K Government’s 2026 holiday calendar as reflected in HR and compliance resources that reproduce Government Order Nos. 1894–JK(GAD) and 1895–JK(GAD) of 2025, along with education-sector references that rely on the same orders.
For exact dates, spellings, divisions, and applicability, readers must always rely on:
- The original GAD government orders,
- Any later circulars from the School Education Department, universities, judiciary, RBI and individual departments, and
- Official notifications from their own employer or institution.
http://www.kittonews.com is not an official government portal and does not assume responsibility for any loss, confusion or scheduling issues arising from reliance solely on this summary.
