Veterans Day is a federal holiday, but most banks stay open

Veterans Day falls on November 11 each year. It is a federal holiday, which means federal offices and courts close. Most banks, however, remain open on Veterans Day—they treat it differently than they do Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Christmas.

The reason is straightforward: the Federal Reserve does not observe Veterans Day as a banking holiday. The Fed's official list of banking holidays—the days when the payments system itself shuts down—does not include November 11. Banks follow the Fed's calendar, not the federal holiday calendar, because that is what determines whether the ACH network, wire transfers, and check clearing actually run.

This means your bank branch may be open, your ATM will work, and transfers between your own accounts will process normally. What you will not see is movement on transactions that depend on the payments network—like direct deposits from your employer or payments to other banks.

Key Takeaways

  • Veterans Day is a federal holiday but not a banking holiday, so the Federal Reserve's payments system operates normally.
  • Most bank branches stay open on November 11, though some individual locations may close at the owner's discretion.
  • ACH transfers, wire transfers, and check clearing do not process on Veterans Day because the Federal Reserve does not recognize it as a banking holiday.
  • If you need to move money between banks on Veterans Day, the transaction will queue and process the next business day instead.
  • Call your specific bank branch to confirm whether your local location is open, since hours vary by location and institution.

Which banks actually close on November 11

Most national banks—Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank—keep their branches open on Veterans Day. Some regional banks and credit unions do close, but it is not standard. Your best move is to call your branch directly or check your bank's website the week before, because policies vary by institution and sometimes by individual location.

Some banks close their branches on Veterans Day out of respect, even though they are not required to. Others stay open because customer traffic is usually light and the cost of closing outweighs the benefit. A few banks close some branches but not others, depending on local staffing and demand.

If you use an online-only bank like Ally, Discover, or Charles Schwab, the question of branch closure does not explore—you have no physical location to close. But the same rule about the payments network still holds: transfers between banks will not process until the next business day.

What does and does not process on Veterans Day

The Federal Reserve's payments system—the ACH network, Fedwire, and the check clearing system—does not operate on Veterans Day. This means any transaction that moves money between banks will not settle on November 11. It will sit in a queue and process on the next business day, usually the day after Veterans Day (unless that day is also a weekend).

Transactions that do process on Veterans Day are those that stay within your own bank: transfers between your checking and savings accounts, ATM withdrawals, debit card purchases, and balance inquiries. Your bank's internal systems run 24/7. What stops is the bridge between your bank and other banks.

If you initiate a wire transfer, ACH transfer, or check deposit on Veterans Day, the transaction will not move until the next business day. If you are expecting a direct deposit or a payment from someone else, and that payment was scheduled for Veterans Day, it will arrive on the next business day instead. This matters most if Veterans Day falls on a Friday—your money will not move until Monday.

How to plan payments around Veterans Day

If you know you need to move money between banks and Veterans Day is coming up, initiate the transfer the day before. Most ACH transfers take one to two business days anyway, so sending it on November 10 means it will likely land on November 12 or 13. Waiting until November 11 just adds a day to the timeline.

For bill payments, check your biller's cutoff times. Many billers (utilities, credit card companies, loan servicers) accept payments up until a certain time on the day before the holiday and treat them as if they were received on the holiday itself. If you are cutting it close to a due date and Veterans Day is in the way, pay two days early instead of one.

If you are expecting a paycheck or a government payment (Social Security, tax refund, unemployment) and it is scheduled to arrive on or near Veterans Day, assume it will arrive the next business day. Do not plan to spend that money on November 11. Check your bank's deposit schedule or the sender's website to see whether they account for banking holidays in their processing timeline.

Veterans Day versus other federal holidays that banks do observe

The Federal Reserve recognizes ten banking holidays per year. Veterans Day is not one of them. The ones that matter for banking are: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. On these days, the Fed's payments system closes, and banks treat them as banking holidays.

Veterans Day sits in an unusual middle ground: it is important enough that many people have the day off work, and many federal offices close, but the payments system runs anyway. This can create confusion because you might assume that if the bank branch is closed, the payments network is also closed. It is not.

The distinction matters most if you are planning a time-sensitive transaction. On Memorial Day or Independence Day, you know for certain that nothing between banks will move. On Veterans Day, your branch might be closed, but the ACH network is running—which means your bank is still processing transfers, even if you cannot walk into a physical location.

What to do if you need banking services on Veterans Day

If your branch is closed and you need cash, use your ATM. Your bank's ATM will work on Veterans Day even if the branch is closed, because ATMs run on the bank's internal network, not the Federal Reserve's payments system.

If you need to speak to someone at your bank, call the customer service number on the back of your card. Most banks staff their phone lines on Veterans Day, even if branches are closed. You can ask questions, report fraud, or get help with account issues. You just cannot deposit checks or withdraw large amounts of cash in person.

If you need to move money between banks urgently and Veterans Day is the only day you can do it, initiate the transfer anyway. It will queue and process the next business day. There is no penalty for sending it on a banking holiday—it just will not settle until the network reopens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my direct deposit arrive on Veterans Day?

No. Direct deposits are processed through the ACH network, which does not operate on Veterans Day. If your employer scheduled a deposit for November 11, it will arrive on November 12 instead. Check with your employer or your bank's deposit schedule to confirm the actual arrival date.

Can I use my debit card on Veterans Day?

Yes. Debit card transactions process through your bank's internal systems and do not depend on the Federal Reserve's payments network. You can swipe or tap your card normally. The transaction will settle in your account as usual.

What if I send a wire transfer on Veterans Day?

Wire transfers do not process on Veterans Day. Fedwire, the system that handles wire transfers, closes on banking holidays. Your transfer will queue and send the next business day. If you need the money to arrive by a specific date, send it the day before Veterans Day instead.

Do credit unions close on Veterans Day?

Some do, some do not. Credit unions are not required to follow the Federal Reserve's banking holiday schedule, so each one sets its own policy. Call your credit union directly to ask whether they are open on November 11.

If my bank branch is closed, can I still deposit a check?

You can deposit a check through your bank's mobile app or ATM if your bank offers mobile or ATM deposit. The check will not clear until the next business day anyway, because check clearing does not operate on Veterans Day. If your bank does not offer remote deposit, you will have to wait until the branch reopens.