West Bengal | 2026

West Bengal Holidays 2026 & Attendance Compliance Guide

West Bengal 2026 holidays with the Durga Puja block, 1963 Shops Act rules, 8.5-hour daily cap, leave entitlements, and 5-minute attendance setup for Kolkata.

Arjun DesaiUpdated

Labour law at a glance

Governing law
West Bengal Shops and Establishments Act, 1963
Max daily hours
8.5 hours
Max weekly hours
48 hours
Overtime cap
Twice the ordinary wage rate beyond 8.5 daily / 48 weekly
Earned leave
14 days per year after 12 months of service
Sick leave
14 days per year (with medical certificate)
Casual leave
10 days per year
Weekly off
1 full paid day per week (employer-declared closed day)
Source
wblc.gov.in

West Bengal holidays 2026

Download .ics calendar →
DateDayHolidayType
1 Jan 2026ThursdayNew Year's DayRestricted
12 Jan 2026MondaySwami Vivekananda JayantiRegional
23 Jan 2026FridayNetaji Subhas Chandra Bose JayantiRegional
26 Jan 2026MondayRepublic DayNational
3 Mar 2026TuesdayHoli / Dol JatraRegional
21 Mar 2026SaturdayEid-ul-FitrRegional
26 Mar 2026ThursdayRam NavamiRegional
31 Mar 2026TuesdayMahavir JayantiRegional
3 Apr 2026FridayGood FridayNational
14 Apr 2026TuesdayAmbedkar JayantiNational
15 Apr 2026WednesdayPoila Baisakh / Bengali New YearRegional
1 May 2026FridayLabour Day / May DayRegional
9 May 2026SaturdayRabindranath Tagore JayantiRegional
27 May 2026WednesdayBakridRegional
26 Jun 2026FridayMuharramRegional
15 Aug 2026SaturdayIndependence DayNational
4 Sept 2026FridayJanmashtamiRegional
2 Oct 2026FridayGandhi JayantiNational
10 Oct 2026SaturdayMahalayaRegional
19 Oct 2026MondayMaha Astami (Durga Puja)Regional
20 Oct 2026TuesdayMaha Navami (Durga Puja)Regional
21 Oct 2026WednesdayVijaya Dasami (Durga Puja)Regional
11 Nov 2026WednesdayBhratridwitiya (Bhai Phonta)Regional
24 Nov 2026TuesdayGuru Nanak JayantiRegional
25 Dec 2026FridayChristmasNational

Want this calendar in your attendance system? It imports in one click, and leave balances then count around it.

Import the calendar

West Bengal runs under the Shops and Establishments Act, 1963 with an 8.5-hour daily cap and a 48-hour week. The state’s holiday calendar is unusual: Durga Puja alone stretches across four paid days. This guide covers the 2026 holiday list, leave rules, and a fast attendance setup for Kolkata and Siliguri SMBs.

West Bengal’s defining attendance event is Durga Puja. For four to five days in October, Bengal shuts down. Weave that into your shift roster wrong and you face a team revolt. This 2026 guide covers the West Bengal Shops and Establishments Act, 1963, the gazetted holiday list, and how AttendFirst handles the Puja block.

West Bengal’s calendar has more state-specific dates than almost any other Indian state: Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, Netaji Jayanti, Poila Baisakh (Bengali New Year), Tagore Jayanti, the four-day Durga Puja block, and Bhai Phonta. Total gazetted working-day holidays often exceed 20, among the highest in India. Plan roster depth accordingly.

The 8.5-hour daily cap sits between Telangana’s 8 and Rajasthan’s 9. Get this number wrong in your roster template and your overtime math will be off from day one.

How AttendFirst Helps West Bengal SMBs

AttendFirst is attendance + leave, not a roster engine. No OT calculation, no compliance enforcement. For West Bengal SMBs that means:

  • Bulk-import ~20 pan-India gazetted holidays for 2026; add the Durga Puja block (Maha Saptami through Vijaya Dasami), Poila Baisakh (15 Apr), and Tagore Jayanti (9 May) as custom holidays
  • Configurable shifts: set an 8.5-hour shift end with late-after and half-day thresholds so the daily report flags any session past it
  • Per-day work schedule: pick which weekday is your weekly closed day (most Kolkata shops pick Thursday or Sunday)
  • Mobile check-in via GPS, selfie, or QR. Works on any phone as a PWA
  • Daily and monthly reports with CSV export

Setting Up West Bengal Attendance in 5 Minutes

  1. Sign up at attendfirst.com. No payment required.
  2. From Settings → Holidays, bulk-import the 2026 Indian holidays then add the Durga Puja block, Poila Baisakh, and Tagore Jayanti as custom holidays.
  3. Under Settings → Work Schedule, pick which weekday is your closed day.
  4. Import employees via CSV or share the self-join link.
  5. Employees check in from any phone via the PWA. No app download needed.

West Bengal attendance and leave, the Kolkata-friendly way. The Durga Puja dates above import in one click, and leave balances skip them without anyone doing the arithmetic. No payroll module to pay for. Start your team’s record.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does Durga Puja count as a paid holiday in West Bengal?

Typically four: Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami, and Vijaya Dashami. Many employers extend it by one more day for Panchami or Shashthi, making it five paid days. The Labour Department's gazetted list includes the four core days. Plan for everyone to be unavailable for the full five-day block; trying to staff a shop during Puja in Kolkata is an exercise in futility.

Is Poila Baisakh a state holiday in West Bengal?

Yes. Poila Baisakh, the Bengali New Year, falls on 15 April in 2026 and is gazetted under the West Bengal holiday list. It is also observed in parts of Assam and Tripura. Most commercial establishments close for the day. The date moves by one day in some years due to the solar calendar; confirm each year's notification.

What is the weekly closed day rule in West Bengal?

Under the 1963 Act, every shop and establishment must declare one day a week as its closed day and register it with the Inspector under the Shops Act. Traditionally, Kolkata shops close on Thursday, Sunday, or the day of their choice. Once registered, that day must be observed consistently. Employees get it as a paid weekly rest.

What is the overtime rate in West Bengal?

Double the ordinary wage rate for work beyond 8.5 hours in a day or 48 hours in a week. There is no 1.5x tier. The 8.5-hour daily cap means overtime kicks in earlier than in states with a 9-hour cap, a common mistake for employers who operate across multiple states on a unified roster.

Does the West Bengal Shops Act cover IT companies in Sector V Salt Lake?

Yes. The Act covers all commercial establishments including IT, ITES, and BPOs in Kolkata's Sector V and Rajarhat tech clusters. Some IT firms get women's night-shift permissions under a special notification, but the 8.5-hour daily cap, 48-hour weekly cap, and Puja holiday expectations all apply.

Run West Bengal attendance and leave on AttendFirst

Attendance and leave in one record, with West Bengal holidays and your weekly off already applied to every balance. Teams of 4-10 pay ₹3,000/year flat, ₹499 per employee per year from the 11th, and up to 3 employees costs nothing.

Bulk-import the 2026 Indian holidays in one click, then add West Bengal-specific dates as custom holidays.

Start Your Team's Record

Other state guides

Gujarat | 2026

Gujarat Holidays 2026 & Attendance Compliance Guide

Punjab | 2026

Punjab Holidays 2026 & Attendance Compliance Guide