For banks, business days are Monday through Friday, minus the 11 federal holidays observed by the Federal Reserve. Those are the only days the Fed and most commercial banks settle transactions between accounts, so weekends and holidays pause the clock on transfers, check deposits, and payments — no matter whether your local branch happens to have its doors open.
Business Day vs. Banking Day vs. Calendar Day
Federal banking rules use “business day” to mean any Monday through Friday that is not a federal holiday.1Federal Reserve Board. A Guide to Regulation CC Compliance Saturday and Sunday are never business days. A deposit you walk into an open branch on a Saturday morning is not treated as made on a business day; the bank considers it received the following Monday for processing.
A “banking day” is narrower. It’s a business day on which your specific bank is open for substantially all of its normal operations, up to that bank’s cutoff hour.2Federal Reserve Board. Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks – Compliance Handbook If your bank closes early on a Friday and you deposit a check after that day’s cutoff, the bank treats the deposit as arriving the next banking day. The countdown for when your money becomes available starts from the banking day a deposit is received, not from the calendar day it hits the branch.
Calendar days are every day on the calendar, weekends and holidays included. A three-day holiday weekend is three calendar days but zero business days for purposes of moving money.
The 11 Federal Reserve Holidays
Banks do not process interbank transactions on any Federal Reserve holiday. For 2026 those dates are:3Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. K.8 – Holidays Observed by the Federal Reserve System 2026-2030
- New Year’s Day — January 1
- Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. — January 19
- Washington’s Birthday — February 16
- Memorial Day — May 25
- Juneteenth National Independence Day — June 19
- Independence Day — July 4
- Labor Day — September 7
- Columbus Day — October 12
- Veterans Day — November 11
- Thanksgiving Day — November 26
- Christmas Day — December 25
When one of these holidays falls on a Sunday, all Federal Reserve offices close the following Monday, extending the non-processing window by a day.3Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. K.8 – Holidays Observed by the Federal Reserve System 2026-2030 When a holiday lands on a Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks and branches stay open the preceding Friday, though the Board of Governors itself closes. Most commercial banks follow the Fed’s schedule, so transactions started during a holiday weekend sit in pending status until the next full business day.
Cutoff Times Within a Business Day
Every bank sets a cutoff hour that marks the end of its banking day for processing. A branch may stay open until 6:00 PM, but the bank’s internal cutoff for crediting deposits could be 2:00 PM or 4:00 PM. Anything received after that hour rolls to the next banking day’s ledger. For off-site methods like ATMs and night depositories, the cutoff can be as early as noon.4eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC)
Cutoffs also vary by channel. Mobile deposits often have a later cutoff, sometimes 8:00 PM or later, while in-person teller deposits usually must be done by mid-afternoon. Your account agreement spells out the specific times for each deposit method.
Domestic wire transfers sent through the Fedwire Funds Service have a hard daily deadline: Fedwire closes at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on each business day.5Federal Reserve Banks. Fedwire Funds Service and National Settlement Service Operating Hours Fedwire does not run on weekends or Federal Reserve holidays, so a wire sent on a Friday evening or over a holiday weekend will not settle until the next business day.
How Business Days Affect Check Deposits
Federal law caps how long a bank can delay access to deposited funds, and the deadlines are measured in business days from the banking day of deposit. Under Regulation CC, as of July 2025:4eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC)
- The first $275 of a check deposit must be available by the start of the next business day after the banking day of deposit.
- The remainder of a local check must be available by the second business day.
- Up to $550 of certain check deposits must be available for cash withdrawal by the start of the next business day.
Banks can extend these holds under several exceptions. For deposits totaling more than $6,725 on a single banking day, the standard schedule doesn’t apply to the portion above that threshold, and the bank can tack on additional business days.6eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions Accounts open fewer than 30 calendar days face longer holds on amounts above $6,725, up to the ninth business day after the banking day of deposit. The bank must notify you when it places an extended hold.
ACH Transfers and Wires
Automated Clearing House transfers — the system behind direct deposits, online bill pay, and most bank-to-bank transfers — settle only on business days. A standard ACH payment started on a business day typically settles the next banking day.7Federal Reserve Banks. FedACH Processing Schedule Send one Friday afternoon and it generally settles Monday. Over a holiday weekend, longer.
Same-day ACH is available for payments up to $1 million per transaction and can settle within hours, but only during business-day processing windows.8NACHA. Increasing the Same Day ACH Dollar Limit A same-day ACH submitted on a Saturday still waits until Monday.
The 24/7 Exceptions: FedNow and RTP
Two newer payment networks run around the clock, every day of the year. The FedNow Service, operated by the Federal Reserve, processes instant payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, with no gap between one funds-transfer business day and the next.9Federal Reserve Bank Services. FedNow Service Operating Hours The Real-Time Payments (RTP) network, operated by The Clearing House, also runs 24/7/365 and handles transactions up to $10 million.10The Clearing House. Real Time Payments
Not every bank participates in these networks yet, and your bank may not offer instant payments for all transaction types. Where they are available, you can send and receive money on a Saturday night or Christmas morning as quickly as on a Tuesday afternoon. Check with your bank to see whether it supports FedNow or RTP.
When Payments Are Due on a Weekend or Holiday
If your credit card payment is due on a day the creditor does not accept or receive payments by mail — a Sunday or federal holiday, for instance — the creditor generally cannot treat a mailed payment received the next business day as late.11eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.10 – Payments That protection comes from Regulation Z and applies to payments sent by mail.
Electronic and phone payments work differently. If your creditor accepts electronic payments on the due date, even when it doesn’t accept mail that day, an electronic payment made the following business day can still be treated as late. If your due date lands on a weekend or holiday, schedule electronic payments to arrive before the due date rather than relying on next-business-day grace.