Bank holiday dates
These dates come from the same code the calculator uses. For 2019 to 2028 they match the GOV.UK bank holiday feed exactly. Years after the published feed are projections from the rules, so a future one-off holiday appears only once it is announced and added.
UK bank holidays (England and Wales), 2026 to 2030. Observed dates.
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
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| New Year’s Day | Thu, Jan 1 | Fri, Jan 1 | Mon, Jan 3 substitute | Mon, Jan 1 | Tue, Jan 1 |
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| Good Friday | Fri, Apr 3 | Fri, Mar 26 | Fri, Apr 14 | Fri, Mar 30 | Fri, Apr 19 |
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| Easter Monday | Mon, Apr 6 | Mon, Mar 29 | Mon, Apr 17 | Mon, Apr 2 | Mon, Apr 22 |
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| Early May bank holiday | Mon, May 4 | Mon, May 3 | Mon, May 1 | Mon, May 7 | Mon, May 6 |
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| Spring bank holiday | Mon, May 25 | Mon, May 31 | Mon, May 29 | Mon, May 28 | Mon, May 27 |
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| Summer bank holiday | Mon, Aug 31 | Mon, Aug 30 | Mon, Aug 28 | Mon, Aug 27 | Mon, Aug 26 |
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| Christmas Day | Fri, Dec 25 | Mon, Dec 27 substitute | Mon, Dec 25 | Tue, Dec 25 | Wed, Dec 25 |
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| Boxing Day | Mon, Dec 28 substitute | Tue, Dec 28 substitute | Tue, Dec 26 | Wed, Dec 26 | Thu, Dec 26 |
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How substitute days work
New Year's Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day have fixed dates. When one falls on a weekend, the holiday moves to the next weekday that is not already a holiday. Christmas and Boxing Day sit next to each other, so the order matters:
| Christmas Day falls on | Bank holidays that week | Example year |
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| Friday | Friday 25 (Christmas) and Monday 28 (Boxing Day substitute) | 2026 |
| Saturday | Monday 27 (Christmas substitute) and Tuesday 28 (Boxing Day substitute) | 2027 |
| Sunday | Monday 26 (Boxing Day) and Tuesday 27 (Christmas substitute) | 2022 |
The Sunday case surprises people. Boxing Day keeps its own date because Monday 26 is a weekday, and Christmas takes the next free day, Tuesday 27.
Easter moves two holidays by up to five weeks
Good Friday and Easter Monday follow Easter Sunday, which falls between March 22 and April 25. In 2027 Good Friday is March 26. In 2030 it is April 19. That shift moves a working day between the first and second quarter of the year, which matters for quarterly reporting and payroll months. The month table below shows it: April 2027 has 22 working days, and April 2030 has 20.
Working days per month
Monday to Friday dates in each month, minus England and Wales bank holidays. The bracket shows how many holidays were removed.
Working days per month after weekends and UK bank holidays (England and Wales) are removed.
| Month | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
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| January | 21 (1 off) | 20 (1 off) | 20 (1 off) | 22 (1 off) | 22 (1 off) |
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| February | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
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| March | 22 | 21 (2 off) | 23 | 21 (1 off) | 21 |
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| April | 20 (2 off) | 22 | 18 (2 off) | 20 (1 off) | 20 (2 off) |
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| May | 19 (2 off) | 19 (2 off) | 21 (2 off) | 21 (2 off) | 21 (2 off) |
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| June | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
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| July | 23 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
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| August | 20 (1 off) | 21 (1 off) | 22 (1 off) | 22 (1 off) | 21 (1 off) |
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| September | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 |
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| October | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
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| November | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
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| December | 21 (2 off) | 21 (2 off) | 19 (2 off) | 19 (2 off) | 20 (2 off) |
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| Year total | 253 | 253 | 252 | 253 | 253 |
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One-off holidays since 1978
Royal and national events have added or moved bank holidays by proclamation. The calculator includes each one, so a working-day count across 2022 removes the Platinum Jubilee and the State Funeral of Elizabeth II.
One-off and moved bank holidays in England and Wales, 1978 to 2026.
| Year | Date | Holiday |
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| 1981 | Wed, Jul 29, 1981 | Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer |
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| 1995 | Mon, May 8, 1995 | Early May bank holiday, moved from May 1, 1995 |
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| 1999 | Fri, Dec 31, 1999 | Millennium Celebrations |
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| 2002 | Mon, Jun 3, 2002 | Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II |
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| 2002 | Tue, Jun 4, 2002 | Spring bank holiday, moved from May 27, 2002 |
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| 2011 | Fri, Apr 29, 2011 | Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton |
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| 2012 | Mon, Jun 4, 2012 | Spring bank holiday, moved from May 28, 2012 |
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| 2012 | Tue, Jun 5, 2012 | Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II |
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| 2020 | Fri, May 8, 2020 | Early May bank holiday, moved from May 4, 2020 |
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| 2022 | Thu, Jun 2, 2022 | Spring bank holiday, moved from May 30, 2022 |
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| 2022 | Fri, Jun 3, 2022 | Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II |
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| 2022 | Mon, Sep 19, 2022 | State Funeral of Elizabeth II |
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| 2023 | Mon, May 8, 2023 | Coronation of Charles III |
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Scotland and Northern Ireland differ
The calculator covers England and Wales only. If you work in Scotland or Northern Ireland, adjust the result with these differences, taken from the GOV.UK list for 2026:
- Scotland has no Easter Monday holiday. It adds January 2, St Andrew's Day (observed Monday, November 30, 2026), and a summer holiday on the first Monday in August instead of the last. Scotland also has a one-off World Cup bank holiday on June 15, 2026.
- Northern Ireland follows England and Wales and adds St Patrick's Day (March 17) and the Battle of the Boyne (July 12, observed Monday, July 13, 2026).
A bank holiday is not always a day off
UK law gives almost all workers 5.6 weeks of paid leave a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week. There is no separate statutory right to have bank holidays off. An employer can count bank holidays as part of the 28 days, or give them on top. Your contract decides which applies, so a working-day count with bank holidays removed is right only if you do not work them.
Count a range with these holidays
In the calculator, choose Working days and set Public holidays to remove to UK bank holidays. December 2026 shows 23 weekdays and 21 working days, with Christmas Day and the Boxing Day substitute listed by name.
