UK Bank Holidays

The short answer

• England and Wales: 8 bank holidays a year.
• Scotland: 9, including 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, but not Easter Monday.
• Northern Ireland: 10, including St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
• When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday is given instead.

Bank holidays in 2027

In 2027 Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. In 2028, New Year’s Day is a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 3 January, and Easter falls later, with Good Friday on 14 April.

Differences between the nations

In Scotland, bank holidays are mainly days when banks close. Many Scottish employers follow local public holidays set by councils instead, which can differ from the bank holiday list.

Substitute days

If a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next weekday that is not already a bank holiday becomes a substitute day. When Christmas Day is on a Sunday, Boxing Day stays on Monday and Christmas moves to Tuesday. When both fall at the weekend, they move to Monday and Tuesday.

Why Easter moves

Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, using church tables. It can fall between 22 March and 25 April, so Good Friday and Easter Monday move each year. In 2026 Easter Sunday was 5 April; in 2027 it is 28 March; in 2028 it is 16 April.

Your rights at work

• There is no legal right to paid time off on bank holidays.
• Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which can include bank holidays.
• Your contract says whether bank holidays are extra to your annual leave or part of it.
• Your employer can require you to work on a bank holiday if your contract allows it.
• Extra pay for working a bank holiday depends on your contract, not the law.

Part-time workers

Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably. Because most bank holidays fall on Mondays, someone who never works Mondays could lose out if bank holidays are given only to those who work that day. Many employers give part-time staff a pro-rata share of bank holiday entitlement as hours, which they take on days they would normally work.

Pay on a bank holiday

If a bank holiday is part of your paid leave, you are paid as normal. Some employers pay time-and-a-half or double time for working a bank holiday, or give a day off in lieu, but this is not required by law. Check your contract or staff handbook.

Making the most of your leave

Christmas and Easter give the best return, because two bank holidays fall close together. The calculator shows the plans for any year and nation, and you can change how many days of leave to use.

Working days in a year

The days between dates calculator counts working days between any two dates, allowing for bank holidays.

Banks, payments and deadlines

Bank holidays are non-working days for most payment systems. Payments due on a bank holiday are usually made on the next working day, and salaries are often paid the working day before. Statutory deadlines that fall on a bank holiday may move too, but check the rules for each one: some HMRC deadlines do not move.

One-off bank holidays

The government can create extra bank holidays or move existing ones by royal proclamation. Recent examples include the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, and the coronation of King Charles III on 8 May 2023. The early May bank holiday was moved to 8 May in 2020 for VE Day.

Bank holidays in 2028

These dates follow the usual rules. The government confirms bank holidays a year or two ahead and occasionally changes them, so check GOV.UK before booking travel.

A short history

Bank holidays began with the Bank Holidays Act 1871, introduced by Sir John Lubbock, which gave bank staff four days off a year in England, Wales and Ireland, plus Christmas Day and Good Friday, which were already traditional holidays. The Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 set out the modern framework. New Year’s Day became a bank holiday in England and Wales in 1974, and the early May bank holiday followed in 1978.

Travel and services

Public transport usually runs a Sunday or reduced timetable on bank holidays, and engineering works are often planned for long weekends. GP surgeries and many council services close, while pharmacies may open on a rota. Rubbish collections often move by a day in the week after a bank holiday. Check local arrangements, especially over Christmas and New Year.

Shift workers and the self-employed

Shift workers in hospitals, care homes, transport, hospitality and retail often work bank holidays. Rotas usually share them out fairly, and some contracts give extra pay or a day in lieu. The self-employed have no paid holiday, so bank holidays are simply days they choose whether to work. Clients may be closed, so plan invoices and deadlines around them.

Schools and bank holidays

Schools close on bank holidays, and Easter often falls in or next to the spring holiday. Term dates are set by councils or academy trusts, not by the bank holiday list, so the spring half-term usually includes the spring bank holiday but Easter holidays vary.

Compared with other countries

England and Wales have fewer public holidays than many European countries, several of which have 11 to 14. The UK statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, which can include bank holidays, is broadly similar to the European minimum of four weeks plus public holidays.

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