Punjab National Bank was founded on the strength of nationalist sentiment — it’s often cited as the first bank purely managed by Indians with Indian capital, and has since grown into one of the country’s largest public sector banks, with over 7,000 domestic branches and a history that includes absorbing seven other banks over the decades. That scale, though, comes with a genuinely wide spread in how its branch hours get reported.
Daily Branch Hours
This is one of the more scattered figures in the entire series. Closing time alone ranges across sources from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with opening time similarly split between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM. Working Saturdays add another wrinkle — at least one source describes Saturday hours as a shortened 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, distinct from the full weekday window.
| Day | Branch Hours |
| Monday–Friday | 10:00 AM/10:30 AM – 4:00 PM/5:00 PM (varies by source) |
| 1st, 3rd, 5th Saturday | Same as weekdays per most sources; one source cites a shorter 10:00 AM–2:00 PM |
| 2nd & 4th Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
| National/State Bank Holidays | Closed |
Given how much these figures diverge — a full hour’s difference on closing time isn’t a minor rounding issue — PNB is one of the banks in this series where confirming with your specific branch genuinely matters more than picking a single figure to trust.
Cash Counter Cutoff
Cash deposit and withdrawal services typically stop at 3:30 PM, regardless of which broader closing-time figure your branch follows, giving staff time for balancing and end-of-day compliance work. Branches also tend to slow acceptance of paperwork-heavy or approval-dependent requests after 3:30 PM specifically, so entering by 3:15 PM is the safer rule for full service.
RTGS and NEFT: Genuinely Inconsistent Figures
This is another area where PNB’s reported timings diverge more than most banks in this series:
- NEFT through the branch — reported figures range from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, to 8:00 AM to 6:40 PM, to a much narrower 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM tied directly to general branch hours
- NEFT (online) — genuinely 24×7, with after-hours transactions processed via Straight Through Processing (STP) mode, debited immediately even outside standard hours
- RTGS through the branch — similarly scattered: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in some sources, 8:00 AM to 4:20 PM in another
- RTGS (online) — 24×7/365, with a minimum transfer amount of ₹2 lakh and no stated upper limit
Given this spread, the safest general rule is to treat the narrower, branch-hours-tied figures (10:00 AM–5:00 PM, or 8:00 AM–4:20 PM for RTGS) as the more conservative assumption for planning a same-day, branch-based transfer, and to use online channels whenever timing genuinely matters.
Lunch: Staggered, No Full Closure
PNB does not close for lunch. Staff rotate through breaks — the commonly cited window is 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM — so counters remain available throughout the day, though busy branches may see somewhat slower service during that stretch.
Best Time to Visit
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM is the consistently recommended window across sources — ahead of the lunch rotation and well within the cash counter’s active hours. Given how much uncertainty exists around PNB’s exact closing time and Saturday schedule, treating the earlier, more conservative figures as your planning baseline avoids the risk of arriving expecting a longer window than your specific branch actually offers.
Working Saturdays
PNB follows the RBI’s standard alternate-Saturday policy: open on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays, closed on the 2nd and 4th. Note that at least one source describes working Saturdays as running a shortened schedule (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM) rather than mirroring full weekday hours — worth confirming with your branch if you’re planning a Saturday visit specifically.
Beyond Branch Hours
- PNB Internet Banking, PNB ONE, and PNB PIHU apps — 24×7 for transfers, bill payments, and account management
- PNB BHIM (UPI) — available round the clock for fund transfers
- NEFT and RTGS (online) — both genuinely 24×7, with after-hours NEFT processed via STP mode
- IMPS — available 24×7 on any calendar day, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
- Missed call and SMS banking services — additional lightweight access channels outside app or branch use
- Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) — installed at various locations for cash access outside branch hours
FAQs
Q1. What are Punjab National Bank’s standard branch hours?
Reports genuinely vary — opening between 10:00 and 10:30 AM, closing between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. Confirming with your specific branch is worthwhile given how wide this spread is.
Q2. Does PNB close for lunch?
No. Staff rotate through breaks, generally between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM, while counters stay available throughout.
Q3. When do cash counters actually stop working?
3:30 PM, consistently across sources, regardless of which broader closing time your branch follows.
Q4. What’s the real cutoff for a branch-based RTGS or NEFT transfer?
Sources disagree meaningfully — anywhere from a narrow 10:00 AM–5:00 PM window to a wider 8:00 AM–7:00 PM figure for NEFT. Treating the narrower figures as your safe assumption avoids being caught out.
Q5. Is PNB open on all Saturdays?
Only the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays, following the standard RBI rule, though at least one source describes a shortened Saturday schedule compared to weekdays — worth confirming locally.
