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Quick answer

In 2026, England and Wales have 8 bank holidays, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10. The same totals apply in 2027. Bank holidays do not give an automatic right to paid leave - it depends on the employment contract. When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday (normally the following Monday) becomes the bank holiday.

How many bank holidays in the UK?

The UK has no single national bank holiday calendar. Each nation observes a different mix, set in law and published by HM Treasury (England, Wales, Scotland) and the Northern Ireland Office.

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England & Wales
8
bank holidays per year
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Scotland
9
bank holidays per year
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Northern Ireland
10
bank holidays per year

Six holidays are observed across all four nations: New Year's Day, Good Friday, the Early May bank holiday, the Spring bank holiday, Christmas Day, and the Boxing Day substitute. Every other date differs by at least one nation.

All UK bank holidays 2026

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England & Wales 2026
Official GOV.UK bank holiday list
8 days
HolidayDateDay
New Year's Day1 Jan 2026Thursday
Good Friday3 Apr 2026Friday
Easter Monday6 Apr 2026Monday
Early May bank holiday4 May 2026Monday
Spring bank holiday25 May 2026Monday
Summer bank holiday31 Aug 2026Monday
Christmas Day25 Dec 2026Friday
Boxing Day Substitute28 Dec 2026Monday (26 Dec falls on Saturday)
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Scotland 2026
Official GOV.UK bank holiday list
9 days
HolidayDateDay
New Year's Day1 Jan 2026Thursday
2nd January2 Jan 2026Friday
Good Friday3 Apr 2026Friday
Early May bank holiday4 May 2026Monday
Spring bank holiday25 May 2026Monday
Summer bank holiday3 Aug 2026Monday (first Monday of August)
St Andrew's Day30 Nov 2026Monday
Christmas Day25 Dec 2026Friday
Boxing Day Substitute28 Dec 2026Monday (26 Dec falls on Saturday)
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Northern Ireland 2026
Official nidirect bank holiday list
10 days
HolidayDateDay
New Year's Day1 Jan 2026Thursday
St Patrick's Day17 Mar 2026Tuesday
Good Friday3 Apr 2026Friday
Easter Monday6 Apr 2026Monday
Early May bank holiday4 May 2026Monday
Spring bank holiday25 May 2026Monday
Battle of the Boyne Substitute13 Jul 2026Monday (12 Jul falls on Sunday)
Summer bank holiday31 Aug 2026Monday
Christmas Day25 Dec 2026Friday
Boxing Day Substitute28 Dec 2026Monday (26 Dec falls on Saturday)

All UK bank holidays 2027

2027 has a notable feature: both Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, so substitute days roll into Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. Combined with New Year's Day 2028 (likely also a weekend substitute), it creates an unusually long Christmas shutdown for many businesses.

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England & Wales 2027
Official GOV.UK bank holiday list
8 days
HolidayDateDay
New Year's Day1 Jan 2027Friday
Good Friday26 Mar 2027Friday
Easter Monday29 Mar 2027Monday
Early May bank holiday3 May 2027Monday
Spring bank holiday31 May 2027Monday
Summer bank holiday30 Aug 2027Monday
Christmas Day Substitute27 Dec 2027Monday (25 Dec falls on Saturday)
Boxing Day Substitute28 Dec 2027Tuesday (26 Dec falls on Sunday)
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Scotland 2027
Official GOV.UK bank holiday list
9 days
HolidayDateDay
New Year's Day1 Jan 2027Friday
2nd January Substitute4 Jan 2027Monday (2 Jan falls on Saturday)
Good Friday26 Mar 2027Friday
Early May bank holiday3 May 2027Monday
Spring bank holiday31 May 2027Monday
Summer bank holiday2 Aug 2027Monday (first Monday of August)
St Andrew's Day30 Nov 2027Tuesday
Christmas Day Substitute27 Dec 2027Monday
Boxing Day Substitute28 Dec 2027Tuesday
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Northern Ireland 2027
Official nidirect bank holiday list
10 days
HolidayDateDay
New Year's Day1 Jan 2027Friday
St Patrick's Day17 Mar 2027Wednesday
Good Friday26 Mar 2027Friday
Easter Monday29 Mar 2027Monday
Early May bank holiday3 May 2027Monday
Spring bank holiday31 May 2027Monday
Battle of the Boyne12 Jul 2027Monday
Summer bank holiday30 Aug 2027Monday
Christmas Day Substitute27 Dec 2027Monday
Boxing Day Substitute28 Dec 2027Tuesday

Regional differences explained

The differences between the four nations come down to a handful of unique observances. This table shows where each holiday is observed:

Holiday E&W Scot NI
New Year's Day✓✓✓
2nd January-✓-
St Patrick's Day (17 Mar)--✓
Good Friday✓✓✓
Easter Monday✓-✓
Early May (1st Mon)✓✓✓
Spring (last Mon May)✓✓✓
Battle of the Boyne (12 Jul)--✓
Summer (1st Mon Aug, Scot)-✓-
Summer (last Mon Aug, E&W, NI)✓-✓
St Andrew's Day (30 Nov)-✓-
Christmas Day✓✓✓
Boxing Day✓✓✓
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Cross-border employers: which calendar applies?
If your team works across UK nations, the bank holiday list that applies to each employee is the one set in their employment contract - not the nation where the head office sits. Spell this out in writing to avoid disputes, especially around Easter Monday and the August dates.

Long weekends and leave hacks

Used well, the bank holiday calendar can stretch annual leave significantly. Here are the strongest opportunities across 2026 and 2027:

Easter 2026 - 10 days off for 4 days leave
Fri 3 Apr - Sun 12 Apr
Take Tue 7 - Fri 10 April off. Combined with Good Friday, Easter Monday, and both weekends, that gives 10 days off using only 4 days of annual leave. Applies in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Easter 2027 - 10 days off for 4 days leave
Fri 26 Mar - Sun 4 Apr
Take Mon 22, Tue 23, Wed 24, Thu 25 March off. With Good Friday and Easter Monday on either side of two weekends, you get a 10-day stretch for 4 days of leave.
May 2026 - 9 days off for 4 days leave
Sat 2 May - Sun 10 May
Take Tue 5 - Fri 8 May off. Combined with the Early May bank holiday on Monday 4 May and the surrounding weekends, that's 9 days off for 4 days of annual leave.
Christmas 2027 - 11 days off for 3 days leave
Sat 25 Dec - Mon 3 Jan
With Christmas and Boxing Day substitutes falling on Mon 27 and Tue 28 December, plus New Year's Day substitute on Mon 3 Jan 2028, taking just Wed 29 - Fri 31 December gives an 11-day shutdown.

What this means for employers

The legal position on bank holidays is more permissive than most staff assume. The key points:

  1. No automatic right to paid time off. The Working Time Regulations 1998 entitle workers to 5.6 weeks of paid leave - they say nothing specific about bank holidays. Whether bank holidays form part of that 5.6 weeks, sit on top, or aren't paid at all is a matter for the contract. (Our guide to UK annual leave entitlement covers the underlying rules in detail.)
  2. No statutory premium pay for working bank holidays. Time-and-a-half or double-time only applies if the contract says so. Many UK employers offer no premium at all, and the law doesn't require one.
  3. Substitute days have full legal weight. When a bank holiday is moved (e.g., Boxing Day 2026 to Monday 28 December), the substitute Monday is the bank holiday for all legal and contractual purposes.
  4. Part-timers must be treated equivalently. Under the Part-time Workers Regulations 2000, if full-timers get bank holidays paid, part-timers must get a pro-rata share of the bank holiday allowance, even if the holiday doesn't fall on their normal working day. Our part-time holiday entitlement guide walks through the pro-rata calculation.
  5. Contracts can require working a bank holiday. Many shift, retail, hospitality, and care contracts require staff to work on bank holidays as a normal working day, sometimes with a day off in lieu.
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Best practice for clarity
In the contract or staff handbook, state explicitly: (a) whether bank holidays count toward the 5.6-week statutory minimum or are additional; (b) what happens when a bank holiday falls on a non-working day for a part-timer; (c) any premium pay rate for working a bank holiday; (d) which nation's calendar applies if you have cross-border staff.

Sources

Every date in this guide is taken from the official UK government sources. For the latest published list (and downloadable .ics calendar files), go to:

SourceWhat it covers
GOV.UK - Bank holidays Official list for England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Includes downloadable .ics calendar files.
nidirect - Bank holidays Northern Ireland-specific guidance, including substitute day rules.
GOV.UK - Holiday entitlement rights The 5.6-week statutory minimum and how bank holidays interact with annual leave.
Working Time Regulations 1998 The statutory framework for paid annual leave.
Part-time Workers Regulations 2000 Rules on equivalent treatment of part-time staff.
ACAS - Checking holiday entitlement Practical guidance on bank holiday treatment in the leave year.

Frequently asked questions

The questions UK employers and staff ask most often about bank holidays.

How many bank holidays are there in the UK in 2026?

England and Wales have 8 bank holidays in 2026, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10. The number varies because each nation observes different combinations of regional and religious holidays.

Do employees have a legal right to paid time off on UK bank holidays?

No. There is no automatic statutory right to paid leave on bank or public holidays in the UK. Whether bank holidays are paid time off depends entirely on the employment contract. Many employers grant them either as part of the 5.6-week statutory minimum or in addition to it.

What happens when a UK bank holiday falls on a weekend?

When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute weekday becomes the bank holiday - normally the following Monday. In 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday so the substitute is Monday 28 December. In 2027, both Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on the weekend, with substitutes on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

Why does Scotland have different bank holidays from England and Wales?

Scotland observes 2nd January and St Andrew's Day (30 November) as bank holidays, neither of which apply elsewhere in the UK. Scotland also does not observe Easter Monday and takes the Summer Bank Holiday on the first Monday of August (rather than the last Monday). These differences are set in Scottish law.

Are part-time workers entitled to bank holidays in the UK?

Part-time workers must be treated no less favourably than full-timers under the Part-time Workers Regulations 2000. If full-timers receive bank holidays as paid time off, part-timers must receive a pro-rata share of the bank holiday allowance, even if those bank holidays don't fall on their normal working days.

Can my employer make me work on a bank holiday?

Yes, if your employment contract says so. There is no automatic right to refuse work on a bank holiday. Whether you receive enhanced pay (such as time-and-a-half or double time) depends entirely on the contract - there is no statutory premium pay rate for bank holiday work.

About this guide

Written by the Book Time Off editorial team. We build leave management software for UK SMEs and write practical guides on UK employment law, holiday entitlement, and HR best practice. All dates are verified against GOV.UK and nidirect at the time of publication and reviewed annually.

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This is not legal advice
This guide summarises publicly available UK government information. It is general guidance, not legal advice on a specific contract or workplace situation. For complex cases - particularly disputes over enhanced pay, cross-border contracts, or part-time bank holiday entitlement - consult a qualified employment law solicitor or contact the ACAS helpline.