You will have slightly different bank holidays in the UK depending on where you live. We’ve broken down UK bank holidays based on region so you can have a quick overview of the upcoming days off.
Table of Contents
- Key Facts
- Full List of UK Bank Holidays 2025 and 2026
- How do you maximise your annual leave?
- Employee Rights: Bank Holidays
- Part-Time Workers and Bank Holidays
- What holiday records should employers keep?
- Annual Leave Management with Factorial
- FAQs
Key Facts
- UK bank holidays differ by nation: England and Wales usually have 8, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10.
- For 2026, the official GOV.UK lists 8 bank holidays in England and Wales, 10 in Scotland, and 10 in Northern Ireland.
- The Office for National Statistics reported 148.8 million working days lost to sickness or injury in the UK in 2025.
- A four-day leave request after a Monday bank holiday can create a nine-day break when both weekends are included, based on GOV.UK bank holiday dates.
Full List of UK Bank Holidays 2025 and 2026
England & Wales
2025 Bank Holidays in England & Wales
| Date | Holiday | Day |
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | Wednesday |
| 18-Apr | Good Friday | Friday |
| 21-Apr | Easter Monday | Monday |
| 5-May | Early May Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 26-May | Spring Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-Aug | Summer Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | Thursday |
| 26-Dec | Boxing Day | Friday |
2026 Bank Holidays in England & Wales
| Date | Holiday | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | Thursday |
| 3-Apr | Good Friday | Friday |
| 6-Apr | Easter Monday | Monday |
| 4-May | Early May Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-May | Spring Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 31-Aug | Summer Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | Friday |
| *28-Dec | Boxing Day | Monday |
*Boxing Day is observed on Monday, 28 December, because the 26th falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday is moved to the following Monday.
GOV.UK states that if a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday normally becomes the bank holiday. This is why Boxing Day is observed on Monday 28 December in 2026.
The Early May bank holiday normally falls on the first Monday in May, so it is not always 1 May. GOV.UK lists it as 4 May in 2026.
Scotland
2025 Bank Holidays in Scotland
| Date | Holiday | Day |
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | Wednesday |
| 2-Jan | 2nd January | Thursday |
| 18-Apr | Good Friday | Friday |
| 5-May | Early May Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 26-May | Spring Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 4-Aug | August Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 1-Dec | St Andrew’s Day (substitute day) | Monday |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | Thursday |
| 26-Dec | Boxing Day | Friday |
2026 Bank Holidays in Scotland
| Date | Holiday | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | Thursday |
| 2-Jan | 2nd January | Friday |
| 3-Apr | Good Friday | Friday |
| 4-May | Early May Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-May | Spring Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 15-Jun | World Cup bank holiday | Monday |
| 3-Aug | Summer Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 30-Nov | St Andrew’s Day | Monday |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | Friday |
| 28-Dec | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Monday |
The Scottish Government confirms that Monday 15 June 2026 was approved as a national bank holiday to mark Scotland playing in the men’s football World Cup.
Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland
2025 Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland
| Date | Holiday | Day |
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | Wednesday |
| 17-Mar | St Patrick’s Day | Monday |
| 18-Apr | Good Friday | Friday |
| 21-Apr | Easter Monday | Monday |
| 5-May | Early May Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 26-May | Spring Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 14-Jul | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) | Monday |
| 25-Aug | Summer Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | Thursday |
| 26-Dec | Boxing Day | Friday |
2026 Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland
| Date | Holiday | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | Thursday |
| 17-Mar | St Patrick’s Day | Tuesday |
| 3-Apr | Good Friday | Friday |
| 6-Apr | Easter Monday | Monday |
| 4-May | Early May Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-May | Spring Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 13-Jul | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) (substitute day) | Monday |
| 31-Aug | Summer Bank Holiday | Monday |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | Friday |
| 28-Dec | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Monday |
As of 11 September 2026, GOV.UK lists the next remaining 2026 bank holiday as St Andrew’s Day on 30 November in Scotland, and Christmas Day on 25 December in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
How do you maximise your annual leave?
2025
England & Wales
You can request 27 days of holiday and have 35 working days off. Here’s how you can do it:
- 14-17 April and 22-25 April: taking eight days of leave around the Easter weekend gives you two whole weeks
- 6-19 May: taking four days of leave after the Early May Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 27-30 May: taking four days of leave after the Monday Spring Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 26-29 August: taking four days of leave after the Summer Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 22-24 December and 29-31 December: taking six days of leave before and after Christmas gives you eight days out of the office, if you take seven days and book off 2 January, you end up with two weeks of leave
Scotland
- 14-17 April and 22-25 April: taking eight days of leave around the Easter weekend gives you two whole weeks
- 6-19 May: taking four days of leave after the Early May Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 27-30 May: taking four days of leave after the Monday Spring Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 5-8 August: taking four days of leave after the Summer Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 2-5 December: taking four days leave after the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 22-24 December and 29-31 December: taking six days of leave before and after Christmas gives you eight days out of the office, if you take seven days and book off 2 January, you end up with two weeks of leave
Northern Ireland
- 14-17 April and 22-25 April: taking eight days of leave around the Easter weekend gives you two whole weeks
- 6-19 May: taking four days of leave after the Early May Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 27-30 May: taking four days of leave after the Monday Spring Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 15-16 July: taking four days of leave after the Battle of the Boyne Holiday gives you a whole week
- 26-29 August: taking four days of leave after the Summer Bank Holiday gives you a whole week
- 22-24 December and 29-31 December: taking six days of leave before and after Christmas gives you eight days out of the office, if you take seven days and book off 2 January, you end up with two weeks of leave
2026
England & Wales
Across 2026, a Monday-to-Friday employee in England or Wales could use 28 days of annual leave to create up to 63 calendar days away from work across separate holiday windows.
- 1-4 January: taking 1 day off on 2nd January will give you 4 days off.
- 30 March-2 April and 7-10 April: taking 4 days off between Easter holidays can give you a total of 16 days.
- 5-9 May: taking 4 days off after the Early May Bank Holiday will give you a total of 9 consecutive days off.
- 26-29 May: taking 4 days off will give you a total of 9 consecutive days off.
- 1-4 September: taking four days off after the Summer Bank Holiday gives a total of nine days away from work.
- 21-24 and 29-31 December: taking 4 days off before Christmas and 3 days off after Boxing Day (substitute day) will give you 13 days off. Counting Friday 1 January 2027 and the following weekend extends the break to 16 days.
Scotland
Across 2026, Scotland’s additional World Cup bank holiday means this leave plan should use 31 days of annual leave across seven holiday windows, because the Scottish Government confirmed Monday 15 June 2026 as a national bank holiday.
- 30-31 March and 1-2 April: taking off 4 days before Good Friday will give you 9 consecutive days off.
- 5-8 May: taking 4 days off after the Early May Bank Holiday will give you 9 days off.
- 26-29 May: taking 4 days off after the Spring Bank Holiday will give you 9 days off.
- 16-19 June: taking four days off after the World Cup bank holiday gives employees nine days away from work.
- 4-7 August: taking four days off after the Summer Bank Holiday gives employees nine days away from work.
- 1-4 December: taking 4 days off St. Andrew’s Day will give you 9 days off work.
- 21-24 and 29-31 December: taking off 7 days in total (4 days before Christmas and Boxing Day) will give you 13 days off work to end the year. Counting Friday 1 January 2027 and the following weekend extends the break to 16 days.
Northern Ireland
Across 2026, a Monday-to-Friday employee in Northern Ireland could use 36 days of annual leave to create up to 81 calendar days away from work across separate holiday windows, based on GOV.UK bank holiday dates.
- 2 January: taking 1 day off after New Year’s Day will give you a total of 4 days off work.
- 16 and 18-20 March: taking four days off around St Patrick’s Day on Tuesday 17 March gives employees nine consecutive days away from work.
- 30-31 March and 1-2 and 7-10 April: taking eight days off around Good Friday and Easter Monday gives employees 16 consecutive days away from work.
- 5-8 May: taking 4 days off after Early May Bank Holiday will give you a total of 9 days off.
- 26-29 May: taking 4 days off after Spring Bank Holiday will give you a total of 9 days off.
- 14-17 July: taking four days off after the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) gives employees nine days away from work.
- 1-4 September: taking 4 days off after the Summer Bank Holiday will give you a total of 9 days off.
- 21-24 and 29-31 December: taking seven days off before and after Christmas and the Boxing Day substitute day gives employees 13 days away from work in 2026. Counting Friday 1 January 2027 and the following weekend extends the break to 16 days.
Employee Rights: Bank Holidays
There is no statutory right to take leave on a bank holiday. GOV.UK states that bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and employers can choose to include them within statutory annual leave.
There is also no statutory right to extra pay for working on a bank holiday. GOV.UK explains that holiday pay depends on the worker’s pay pattern and statutory leave rules.
GOV.UK also states that most workers who work a five-day week must receive at least 28 days’ paid annual leave a year, equivalent to 5.6 weeks.
Employees cannot refuse to work if an employer has made it clear in their terms of employment that the employee is required to work on a bank holiday. However, employers should be aware that refusing religious employees time off for any of the bank holidays that have a religious significance could be seen as indirect religious discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 protects workers against direct and indirect discrimination.
Part-Time Workers and Bank Holidays
Part-time employees have the same rights to annual leave as full-time employees under the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000. GOV.UK states that part-time workers with regular hours are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday, but this amounts to fewer than 28 days when they work fewer days per week.
For example, GOV.UK states that a worker on three days per week must receive at least 16.8 days’ leave a year, calculated as 3 × 5.6.
To adhere to government regulations, companies should offer part-time employees a prorated allowance of paid bank holidays regardless of whether they are scheduled to work on that holiday.
What holiday records should employers keep?
From 6 April 2026, GOV.UK states that employers must keep detailed annual leave and holiday pay records for at least six years from the date the records were made.
For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, GOV.UK states that irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue statutory holiday using the 12.07% method, up to 5.6 weeks a year.
For HR teams managing full-time, part-time, and irregular-hours contracts, Factorial’s HR software can help keep bank holidays and annual leave visible in one shared absence calendar.
Annual Leave Management with Factorial
Managing annual leave is a complicated business for HR teams and managers. It becomes even more complex when you start dealing with bank holidays, part-time employees and other types of leave, such as parental or carer’s leave.
Our Holiday and Absence Management Software allows you to centralise and automate the process and keep track of employee time off from one centralised team calendar, giving you complete visibility over upcoming time off.
FAQ
How many bank holidays will there be in 2025?
The number of bank holidays varies by UK country. In 2025, England and Wales have eight, Scotland has nine, and Northern Ireland has ten.
What are the bank holidays for Easter in 2025?
The UK has two bank holidays for Easter in 2025: Good Friday on April 18th and Easter Monday on April 21st.
How can I maximise my leave for 2025?
Maximise your leave by booking annual leave days around bank holidays. For instance, taking four days off during a week with a Monday bank holiday gives you a full week off. Factorial, an all-in-one business management software, can help you track these requests and manage team calendars efficiently.
Is it double pay on bank holidays?
There is no statutory right to extra pay for working on a bank holiday. Any enhanced pay depends entirely on the terms of your employment contract.
What if a public holiday falls on a weekend?
If a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute day is given on the next working day, which is usually the following Monday.
