Bank Holiday 2027

Bank Holiday is a day off for banks and certain financial institutions in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It is not a public holiday for anyone else, so most employees work as usual and schools, shops and government offices stay open. The date is the first Monday in August each year. In 2027 Bank Holiday is Monday 2 August, and in 2028 it is Monday 7 August.

Shops, schools and work

Bank Holiday is not a public holiday for the general public. In NSW and the ACT it is a normal working day for nearly all employees, and government offices, schools, shops and businesses keep their usual weekday hours. Public transport typically runs to its weekday timetable. The main change is that many bank branches close. ATMs and digital banking generally operate, but transactions needing branch staff may wait until Tuesday. No part-day holiday is attached, and other workers get no additional day off. In the Northern Territory the same Monday is Picnic Day, a public holiday; in the other states it is an ordinary Monday.

History

The name comes from the British term "bank holiday", which dates from the Bank Holidays Act 1871 in the United Kingdom. In Britain bank holidays became general days off. In New South Wales the first Monday in August remained a closure day for the banking sector only.

NSW law sets the first Monday in August as Bank Holiday and limits it to banks and certain financial institutions. The NSW Government lists it with the state's public holidays but marks it as applying to those institutions only, so it does not give other workers a day off. The Australian Capital Territory observes the same date for banks. Each state and territory sets its own holidays, and none treats the day as a general public holiday.

How Australians spend the day

Bank Holiday has no public customs or ceremonies. It is an administrative closure for the banking sector. Many bank branches in NSW and the ACT shut for the day, and some bank staff have the day off, depending on their employer and agreement. For everyone else it is an ordinary Monday. ATMs, card payments, and internet and phone banking keep operating, and fast payments between accounts generally continue. Services that rely on branch staff, such as in-person enquiries or some manual processing, may be delayed to the next business day. Because the closure is limited to banks, it does not create a long weekend for the general public, and events, sport and retail trading follow their usual weekday schedules.

Facts

• The rule is the first Monday in August, so Bank Holiday always falls between 1 and 7 August.
• Bank Holiday applies only to banks and certain financial institutions; it is not a public holiday for the wider workforce in NSW or the ACT.
• Employees outside banking have no public holiday entitlement on the day under the National Employment Standards, because it is not a general public holiday.
• The day falls during Term 3 for government schools in NSW and the ACT, and schools stay open.
• The first Monday in August is also Picnic Day, a public holiday in the Northern Territory, but that is a separate holiday with no link to banking.