UK Bank Holidays Table
| Date | Day | Holiday (England & Wales) |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Thursday | New Year’s Day |
| April 3 | Friday | Good Friday |
| April 6 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| May 4 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| May 25 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| August 31 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| December 25 | Friday | Christmas Day |
| December 28 | Monday | Boxing Day |
| January 1 | Friday | New Year’s Day |
| March 26 | Friday | Good Friday |
| March 29 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| May 3 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| May 31 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| August 30 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| December 27 | Monday | Christmas Day |
| December 28 | Tuesday | Boxing Day |
England and Wales get eight permanent bank holidays a year: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the early-May and spring holidays, the summer holiday, and Christmas with Boxing Day - sixteen across 2026 and 2027 as the government's official dataset lists them below. When a fixed holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute weekday keeps it: see 2027, where Christmas (Saturday) and Boxing Day (Sunday) both roll to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.
The United Kingdom does not share its days off. Scotland adds 2nd January and St Andrew's Day; Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne - and both sometimes gain one-off national days the other nations never see. The live tool counts down to the next England & Wales holiday from the same official list, so the table and the timer can never disagree.
How to use
- Read the next holiday from the live tool - it runs on the official 2026-2028 list and rolls over automatically.
- Check the substitute rule before booking: a weekend Christmas means the Monday and Tuesday after are the actual days off.
- Cross-border workers get the richest deal - a Northern Ireland resident can stack St Patrick's Day with the shared Easter days.
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays does the UK have?
England and Wales get eight permanent ones a year, Scotland nine, and Northern Ireland ten - the UK is three (really four) holiday calendars wearing one flag. 2027 stacks an extra pair onto the end: Christmas falls on Saturday and Boxing Day on Sunday, so Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December become substitute days off, giving some years nine or ten days off in practice.
What is the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday?
Bank holiday is the legal term - days when banks close under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act - and it grew into everyday speech for all public days off. Most 'bank holidays' are statutory; a few, like the King's birthday proclaim, are royal one-offs. Either way, whether you actually get the day depends on your contract, not the act: bank holidays are not an automatic right to paid leave.
Which days do Scotland and Northern Ireland add?
Scotland adds 2nd January and St Andrew's Day (30 November); Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July, observed on the Monday). Both sometimes gain one-off national days on top - the official dataset has carried extra days for special occasions - so workers in Belfast and Glasgow can run one or two richer calendars than London's.
Why do Easter-linked holidays move every year?
Good Friday and Easter Monday ride on Easter, which is set by the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox - a church rule from 325 AD, not a civil one. That is why the April holidays slide between late March and late April: 2027's Good Friday lands on March 26, nearly a week earlier than 2026's April 3. The Easter dates table on this site runs the arithmetic out to 2040.
Do bank holidays affect pay and deliveries?
Banks close and many offices shut, but hospitals, transport and hospitality run on - and plenty of contracts pay a premium for working them. Deliveries, collections and payment clearing dates slip by the holiday, which is why the substitute-day rule matters: 2027's four-day December weekend will move more payment dates than any other stretch of that year.