Christmas and Boxing Day Bank Holidays in the UK

Many newcomers are surprised to find that bank holidays are not the same across the UK. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own bank holiday calendars, and the Christmas and New Year period is where the differences are most likely to affect your work, travel plans and access to services.

The good news is that all four nations observe Christmas Day and Boxing Day as bank holidays. Where things differ is in the total number of holidays, the New Year arrangements, and what happens when holiday dates fall on weekends. This guide covers all of it, with the 2026 and 2027 dates published on GOV.UK.

Christmas Bank Holidays at a Glance: All Four Nations

The table below shows the Christmas and New Year bank holidays for 2026 across all four UK nations. All dates are confirmed from GOV.UK.

And for Christmas 2027, for forward planning. The January 2028 dates follow the usual substitute rule; check GOV.UK once they are published.

England and Wales

England and Wales share the same bank holiday calendar, with eight bank holidays a year. Saints’ days such as St George’s Day and St David’s Day are not bank holidays in either nation.

The Christmas bank holidays for England and Wales are Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December). When either date falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday is observed.

In 2026, Christmas Day falls on a Friday, a weekday, so no substitute is needed. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December 2026. This gives most workers in England and Wales a four-day Christmas weekend: Friday 25 December, Saturday 26 December, Sunday 27 December, and Monday 28 December.

New Year’s Day (1 January) is also a bank holiday in England and Wales. In 2027, New Year’s Day falls on a Friday, so no substitute is needed, and most people get another three-day weekend.

Scotland: Christmas, Boxing Day and the New Year Holidays

Scotland has nine bank holidays a year, one more than England and Wales. The additional holiday is 2 January, part of Hogmanay, Scotland’s New Year celebration, which many Scots treat as just as important as Christmas.

Scotland has the same Christmas bank holidays as the rest of the UK, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but Easter Monday is not a bank holiday there. St Andrew’s Day (30 November) is a bank holiday in Scotland only.

The 2 January holiday means many people in Scotland get a longer New Year break than elsewhere in the UK. As everywhere in the UK, though, whether you get a bank holiday off depends on your employer and your contract, and some Scottish employers follow local holidays instead.

A note on Scottish banks

Since 1996, the Scottish clearing banks have aligned their closing days with England and Wales, so they close on Easter Monday and the late August bank holiday even though these are not Scottish bank holidays. Some banks open on 2 January, often with a limited service, so check with your branch before you go.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has ten bank holidays a year, the most of any UK nation. In addition to the holidays shared across the UK, Northern Ireland observes St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne / Orangemen’s Day (12 July).

The Christmas bank holidays in Northern Ireland are identical to England and Wales: Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (26 December), with the same substitute rules applying. In 2026 the substitute Boxing Day falls on Monday 28 December.

Northern Ireland does not have an extra holiday on 2 January, so in 2027 the New Year bank holiday is Friday 1 January only, the same as England and Wales.

The Substitute Bank Holiday Rule Explained

The substitute day rule often confuses newcomers, particularly those from countries where public holidays are always observed on the calendar date itself.

In the UK, when a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute weekday becomes the bank holiday instead, normally the following Monday. When two consecutive holidays both fall on weekend days (as happens when Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day falls on a Sunday), the substitutes are the following Monday and Tuesday.

The substitute day is confirmed on GOV.UK each year. The calendar date itself (for example, Saturday 26 December) is not treated as the bank holiday; the substitute weekday is. This matters for contracts, benefit payments and service availability.

Do You Have a Right to Christmas Bank Holidays Off Work?

Most full-time workers are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year (28 days for someone working five days a week), and employers can count bank holidays as part of that. Many contracts are more generous, often written as “25 days plus bank holidays”. Some contracts, particularly in retail, hospitality and healthcare, require you to work bank holidays, often for a higher rate of pay.

If you have to work on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, any extra pay depends on your contract. There is no statutory minimum premium for working on a bank holiday in the UK.

Check your employment contract carefully. If you are unsure, speak to your HR team, contact Acas, or read our guide to UK employment contracts.

Part-time workers

Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday, worked out pro rata: someone working three days a week is entitled to 16.8 days, which can include bank holidays. There is no separate legal right to bank holidays off, so many employers give part-time staff a pro-rata share instead (4.8 days a year for three days a week in England and Wales) rather than whichever bank holidays fall on their working days. Check how your employer handles it.

What’s Closed Over the Christmas Bank Holidays?

On Christmas Day and Boxing Day (or their substitute days), these are usually closed or running a much reduced service:

• Banks: all branches closed. Online banking and ATMs continue to operate.
• Royal Mail: no deliveries on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and a reduced service over the bank holidays. Check Royal Mail’s last posting dates if you are sending cards or parcels.
• GP surgeries: closed. For urgent advice, call 111 (NHS 111 in England, NHS 24 on 111 in Scotland, NHS 111 Wales); in Northern Ireland, contact your GP out-of-hours service. Call 999 in an emergency.
• Schools: usually closed for about two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Term dates are set locally, so check with your council or school.
• Government offices and HMRC: closed.
• Courts and tribunals: closed.
• Supermarkets: shops larger than 280 square metres must close on Christmas Day by law, so all the big supermarkets are shut. Many open on Boxing Day with shorter hours.
• Public transport: no National Rail services on Christmas Day, and no Tube or buses in London. On Boxing Day, train services are very limited; in London the Tube, buses and trams run a Sunday service, but the Elizabeth line does not run.

For a full breakdown of what is open and closed over Christmas, including supermarket hours and NHS services, see our dedicated guide: What’s open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in the UK.

Benefits and Payments Over Christmas

If you receive Universal Credit, Child Benefit, or other benefit payments, the payment schedule may shift over Christmas. When a payment is due on a bank holiday, it is usually paid on the working day before.

GOV.UK publishes the changed Christmas payment dates each year. Check the GOV.UK website or your benefit claim account in advance, and do not rely on a payment arriving on the usual date during the Christmas period.

Similarly, payroll payments due on Christmas Day or Boxing Day are typically processed early by employers. Confirm with your employer or payroll department if you are unsure of your December pay date.

Making the Most of Christmas Leave: Annual Leave Planning

With the right leave planning, the Christmas bank holidays allow you to take an extended break using relatively few days of annual leave.

Always check your contract for any restrictions on taking annual leave over the Christmas period. Some employers, particularly in retail, hospitality and healthcare, restrict leave at this time of year or ask you to save holiday for it.

Frequently Asked Questions