Sending Money Home for Dashain: Plan It Before the Rush

Why the rush is real

Dashain drives the year's biggest surge in transfers to Nepal — millions of people sending at roughly the same time, for the same reason. Exchange house queues lengthen, processing slows, and provider margins can widen during genuinely high-demand stretches. Our timing guide covers this pattern across the full year.

Send a week ahead, not the week of

Sending by early October — before the October 11 start — avoids the worst of both the queue and the processing slowdown. Your family also benefits from having the money in hand before the festival actually begins, rather than waiting on a transfer during the days it's most needed.

This is likely your largest transfer of the year

Dashain sends tend to be bigger than routine monthly amounts, which makes comparing providers matter more than usual — on a larger transfer, even a small margin difference translates into real money. Our amount-tier guide covers why the cheapest provider for a large transfer isn't always the one you use monthly.

Bank holidays compound the timing issue

Nepal's banking week runs Monday to Friday, and the Dashain period itself brings extended closures on top of that. A bank deposit sent close to or during the festival can sit longer than usual — cash pickup and wallet delivery are less affected, which is worth considering if timing is tight.

A practical plan

Decide your amount now, compare providers this week rather than in the rush, and aim to send by the first week of October. If you're cutting it close, prioritize a provider offering cash pickup or wallet delivery over a bank deposit — our speed comparison covers which options land fastest.

See also: Nepal bank holidays 2026 · best time to send money to Nepal