Option Expiry Dates 2026: Nifty Tuesday, Sensex Thursday and the Full Calendar
If you still think Nifty expires on Thursday, you are trading on an old calendar. India’s F&O expiry schedule has changed twice since late 2024, and getting the day wrong can cost you real money.
This guide explains the current expiry days for Nifty, Sensex, Bank Nifty and stock options, how holidays shift them, and the remaining expiry dates for 2026.
Expiry Days in 2026 at a Glance
| Contract | Exchange | Weekly expiry | Monthly expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 options | NSE | Every Tuesday | Last Tuesday of the month |
| Bank Nifty, Fin Nifty, Midcap Nifty | NSE | No weekly | Last Tuesday of the month |
| Stock futures and options | NSE | No weekly | Last Tuesday of the month |
| Sensex options | BSE | Every Thursday | Last Thursday of the month |
| Bankex and other BSE contracts | BSE | No weekly | Last Thursday of the month |
If an expiry day is a trading holiday, expiry moves to the previous trading day.
What Changed and Why
Step 1 (late 2024): SEBI limited each exchange to weekly options on just one benchmark index. NSE kept Nifty 50, and Bank Nifty weeklies were discontinued in November 2024. Our post on Bank Nifty weekly expiry being gone covers how traders adapted.
Step 2 (September 2025): NSE moved its expiry day from Thursday to Tuesday, and BSE’s Sensex weekly moved to Thursday. The two exchanges now expire on different days.
The goal was to reduce speculative expiry-day frenzy. It helped only partly: SEBI’s FY26 study found that 59% of index-options turnover still happened on expiry day itself. For the wider rule changes, read SEBI’s 2026 F&O overhaul.
Remaining Expiry Dates in 2026
These dates follow the current schedule and the 2026 NSE holiday list (Dussehra on 20 Oct, Diwali-Balipratipada on 10 Nov and Guru Nanak Jayanti on 24 Nov fall on Tuesdays). Always confirm on the NSE or BSE website before trading.
| Month | Nifty 50 weekly (NSE) | Nifty / NSE monthly | Sensex weekly (BSE) | Sensex / BSE monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 19 Oct (Mon, holiday shift) | 27 Oct (Tue) | 15, 22 Oct (Thu) | 29 Oct (Thu) |
| November 2026 | 3 Nov; 9 Nov (Mon, holiday shift); 17 Nov | 23 Nov (Mon, holiday shift) | 5, 12, 19 Nov (Thu) | 26 Nov (Thu) |
| December 2026 | 1, 8, 15, 22 Dec (Tue) | 29 Dec (Tue) | 3, 10, 17, 24 Dec (Thu) | 31 Dec (Thu) |
How Expiry Settlement Works
- Index options (Nifty, Sensex): cash-settled. In-the-money options pay their intrinsic value; out-of-the-money options expire worthless.
- Stock options and futures: physically settled. An in-the-money stock option at expiry means you must take or give delivery of shares, which needs full funds or shares. Brokers often square off such positions in the last days.
See our quick FAQ on the expiry date in options trading.
What Expiry Day Means for Your Trades
- Theta is at its fastest. Time value collapses on the last day, which hurts buyers and helps sellers. Read theta decay in options.
- Gamma risk is highest. Small index moves cause big swings in near-the-money option prices.
- Spreads widen in far OTM strikes. Cheap “lottery ticket” options are hard to exit at fair prices.
- Weekly and monthly overlap. On the last Tuesday, weekly and monthly Nifty contracts expire together, so volumes spike.
6 Expiry-Day Mistakes to Avoid
- Trading Nifty weeklies as if they still expire on Thursday.
- Buying far OTM options on expiry morning hoping for a 10x move.
- Holding stock options into expiry without funds for physical delivery.
- Ignoring holiday shifts (like the Monday expiries in October and November 2026).
- Selling naked options without a stop-loss on expiry day.
- Over-sizing because premiums look “cheap”. Remember that 87.7% of individual F&O traders lost money in FY26; see why 9 in 10 F&O traders lose money.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nifty expiry day in 2026? Nifty 50 weekly options expire every Tuesday, and the monthly contract expires on the last Tuesday of the month.
What is the Sensex expiry day in 2026? Sensex weekly options expire every Thursday on BSE, with the monthly contract on the last Thursday.
Does Bank Nifty have weekly expiry now? No. Bank Nifty has only a monthly contract, expiring on the last Tuesday of the month.
What happens if expiry day is a holiday? The contract expires on the previous trading day.
Are stock options cash-settled or physically settled? Stock options in India are physically settled; index options are cash-settled.
Conclusion
In 2026, mark two days: Tuesday for Nifty and Thursday for Sensex, with monthly contracts on the last Tuesday or Thursday. Check holiday shifts every month. If you want to trade expiry-week setups with proper risk control, our Options & Futures course covers 24+ strategies with live option chain practice in Dadar and Thane. Start with the basics in call and put options explained. Want to see how we teach? Book a free demo class at our Dadar or Thane branch, or call +91 99304 40999.
Disclaimer: This article is for education only and is not investment advice. Expiry dates are as per exchange schedules at the time of writing; always verify with NSE/BSE circulars.