UK Bank Holidays & Public Holidays: Complete Guides for Expats (2026 & 2027)
UK bank holidays are the country's national public holidays — official days off set by law. Full dates for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2026 and 2027, plus what they mean for your work contract, your pay, and your daily life as someone new to the UK.
Bank holidays are the UK's national public holidays — official days established by law on which most workers are entitled to time off. The UK has between 8 and 10 per year depending on which nation you live and work in: England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10, with each nation observing some dates the others do not.
What is a UK bank holiday (public holiday)?
A bank holiday in the UK is a public holiday established by law under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. The term dates from the nineteenth century, when these were literally days on which banks were closed by statute and commercial activity paused. Today, "bank holiday" and "public holiday" are used interchangeably in everyday speech, though the formal legal term remains bank holiday.
For most people, a bank holiday means a day off work, though this is not automatically guaranteed by law — your employment contract governs whether bank holidays form part of your annual leave entitlement or are additional to it. Most full-time employment contracts in the UK include bank holidays as paid time off, but this must be stated explicitly in writing. If you are new to the UK and reviewing your first employment contract, the section to check is the annual leave clause: it should state your statutory entitlement (currently 5.6 weeks per year) and whether bank holidays are included within that figure or granted on top.
Important for expats: There is no legal obligation on employers to give workers bank holidays off, nor to pay a premium rate for bank holiday working. Your rights depend entirely on your contract. The UK government's official bank holiday dates are published at gov.uk and are the definitive source — always verify dates there before making travel or leave plans.
UK bank holiday dates 2026
The table below shows all UK public holidays (bank holidays) in 2026 and which nations observe each date. England and Wales share the same calendar. Scotland and Northern Ireland diverge on several dates — these differences matter if you live in one nation but your employer is headquartered in another, or if you are planning travel between nations over a long weekend.
| Date | Holiday | Eng & Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan (Thu) | New Year's Day | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2 Jan (Fri) | 2nd January | No | Yes | No |
| 17 Mar (Tue) | St Patrick's Day | No | No | Yes |
| 3 Apr (Fri) | Good Friday Past | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 6 Apr (Mon) | Easter Monday Past | Yes | No | Yes |
| 4 May (Mon) | Early May Bank Holiday | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 25 May (Mon) | Spring Bank Holiday | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 12 Jul (Sun) | Battle of the Boyne | No | No | Yes |
| 31 Aug (Mon) | Summer Bank Holiday | Yes | No | Yes |
| 30 Nov (Mon) | St Andrew's Day | No | Yes | No |
| 25 Dec (Fri) | Christmas Day | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 28 Dec (Mon) | Boxing Day (substitute) | Yes | No | Yes |
Scotland's Summer Bank Holiday falls on 5 August 2026 (the first Monday in August), not at the end of August as in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is a significant practical difference: if you work for an employer based in Scotland but live in England, or vice versa, check which nation's calendar your contract follows.
How bank holidays differ by nation
Understanding the differences between the four nations is particularly useful when you first arrive in the UK, because conversations about "the bank holiday weekend" often assume a shared calendar that does not actually exist across the whole country.
England and Wales
Eight bank holidays per year. The calendar is anchored by the two May bank holidays — the Early May Bank Holiday on the first Monday of May and the Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday of May — which together give most workers two separate three-day weekends in the same month. The August Summer Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday of August. Neither St Patrick's Day nor St Andrew's Day are observed.
Scotland
Nine bank holidays per year. Scotland includes 2nd January and St Andrew's Day (30 November) but does not observe Easter Monday or Boxing Day. The Summer Bank Holiday falls in early August rather than late August. Local bank holidays also exist in some Scottish towns and cities, set by local authorities rather than central government — these are separate from the national list and can vary by council area.
Northern Ireland
Ten bank holidays per year. Northern Ireland observes all the England and Wales holidays, plus St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July, or a substitute date when it falls on a weekend). These two additional days reflect Northern Ireland's distinct civic and cultural calendar and have no equivalent in Great Britain.
Tip for new arrivals: If your employer is headquartered in one nation but you work remotely from another, your employment contract should specify which nation's bank holiday calendar applies to you. This is worth clarifying at the start of employment — the difference can amount to two paid days per year.
All public holiday guides
Use the guides below for full date lists, nation-specific information, and expat context for each part of the UK public holiday calendar.
Complete date list across all four nations with nation comparison.
Read guide →All 8 bank holiday dates for England and Wales with expat employer guidance.
Read guide →Scotland's 9 bank holidays including 2nd January and St Andrew's Day.
Read guide →All 10 bank holidays including St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
Read guide →Early May and Spring Bank Holiday dates for all four nations.
Read guide →Summer bank holiday dates — note Scotland's date differs from the rest of the UK.
Read guide →Christmas Day and Boxing Day dates, substitute days when they fall at weekends.
Read guide →The history of bank holidays in the UK
The UK's bank holiday system has its roots in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, introduced by Liberal MP Sir John Lubbock and nicknamed "St Lubbock's Days" in his honour. The original Act designated four bank holidays in England, Wales and Ireland, and five in Scotland. Easter was already observed as a common law holiday and was not included in Lubbock's list.
The system was substantially updated by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which replaced the 1871 Act and is the primary legal instrument governing bank holidays today. Under this Act, the Treasury has the power to appoint additional bank holidays by Royal Proclamation for exceptional occasions — this mechanism was used for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and her state funeral in September 2022, both of which generated extra days off.
One practical consequence of this history is that bank holidays in the UK are not constitutionally guaranteed in the way public holidays are in some other countries. The government retains the power to add, move, or in theory remove bank holidays, and has done so on multiple occasions. For expats arriving from countries where public holidays are embedded in the constitution or labour code, this more flexible system can come as a surprise.
Bank holidays and your work rights as an expat
Your nationality and immigration status have no bearing on your bank holiday entitlement. All workers in the UK — whether British citizens, EU settled status holders, skilled worker visa holders, or on any other immigration route — are subject to the same employment law framework.
The statutory minimum annual leave entitlement in the UK is 5.6 weeks per year for full-time workers. Employers may include bank holidays within this 5.6 weeks, or grant them as additional days on top — both approaches are legal. Your contract must make this clear. If your contract states "25 days annual leave plus bank holidays," you receive bank holidays as additional paid days. If it states "33 days annual leave," that figure likely includes bank holidays, and you should verify this with your employer.
Part-time workers are entitled to a pro-rata share of the 5.6 weeks. Workers on zero-hours contracts are entitled to the same proportional leave, calculated over a 52-week reference period. Agency workers gain the same rights after 12 continuous weeks with the same employer.
If your employer requires you to work on a bank holiday: There is no statutory right to extra pay (such as double time) for working on a bank holiday. Extra pay is a contractual benefit, not a legal requirement. Check your contract or staff handbook for the employer's policy on bank holiday working pay.
What makes the UK bank holiday system genuinely interesting is how much variation exists within a single country — variation that most British people only discover when they move between nations. For expats arriving with experience of a unified national holiday system, the four-nation model takes some adjustment. The practical upshot is that your bank holiday calendar depends not on where you are in the UK, but on what your employment contract says about which nation's calendar applies to you.
The legal framework is deliberately thin: the government sets dates, but employment rights around those dates are almost entirely a matter of contract law. This places more responsibility on workers to read and understand their contracts carefully — something that is worth doing in your first week at any new UK employer, not after a bank holiday dispute arises.
The guides linked above give you the full date lists and the practical context for each set of holidays. If you are unsure about your specific rights, the ACAS helpline (0300 123 1100) provides free, impartial advice on employment law in England, Wales and Scotland.
Frequently asked questions
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays per year. These are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Scotland and Northern Ireland have additional or different bank holidays not observed in England and Wales.
No. England and Wales share the same 8 bank holidays, but Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own distinct lists. Scotland observes 9 bank holidays, including 2nd January and St Andrew's Day, but does not observe Easter Monday or Boxing Day. Northern Ireland has 10 bank holidays, including St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne. Scotland's Summer Bank Holiday also falls in early August rather than late August.
There is no statutory right to time off on bank holidays in the UK. Whether you must work depends on your employment contract. Many contracts give workers bank holidays off as part of annual leave entitlement, but this is not legally required. Your contract should state whether bank holidays are included in your statutory 5.6 weeks of annual leave or are additional to it.
In the UK, "bank holiday" and "public holiday" are used interchangeably in everyday speech, but they technically differ. Bank holidays are set by law under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 and originally applied to banks. Public holidays are a broader term for days of public observance. In practice, all UK bank holidays function as public holidays and you will encounter both terms used to describe the same days.
When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute bank holiday is given on the following Monday (or in some cases Tuesday). This is known as a bank holiday "in lieu." For example, if Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, the substitute holiday is observed on Monday 27 December. In 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the substitute day is Monday 28 December.
After Easter 2026 (Good Friday 3 April, Easter Monday 6 April), the next bank holidays in England and Wales are the Early May Bank Holiday on Monday 4 May 2026, followed by the Spring Bank Holiday on Monday 25 May 2026. This gives most workers two separate three-day weekends in May.
Expats working in the UK are subject to the same employment laws as UK nationals. Your right to take bank holidays off depends on your employment contract, not your nationality or immigration status. If your contract includes bank holidays as part of your statutory annual leave allowance of 5.6 weeks, then bank holidays count toward that entitlement. If they are granted on top, you receive them as additional paid days off.
Yes, Good Friday is a bank holiday in Scotland, but Easter Monday is not. This is one of the key differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK. England, Wales and Northern Ireland observe both Good Friday and Easter Monday as bank holidays, while Scotland has Good Friday off but works on Easter Monday.
St Andrew's Day, celebrated on 30 November, is Scotland's national day and is a public holiday in Scotland. It was made an official bank holiday under the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. It is not a bank holiday in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. In 2026, 30 November falls on a Monday.
Most large supermarkets and retailers are open on bank holidays, though often with reduced hours. Christmas Day is the main exception when most shops close entirely. Boxing Day, Easter and the May bank holidays generally see normal or slightly reduced trading. It is always worth checking individual shop opening hours before travelling, particularly over the Christmas and Easter periods.
Workers on zero-hours contracts in the UK are still entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday pay, calculated based on average pay over a 52-week reference period. Whether bank holidays are included in this entitlement or paid separately depends on the contract terms. Employers cannot legally discriminate against zero-hours workers when it comes to holiday entitlement.
In theory, yes. Bank holidays in the UK are set by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, and the government retains the power to alter them by Royal Proclamation. In practice, changes to the standing list of bank holidays are rare and politically sensitive. The government has added extra bank holidays on special occasions (such as the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022) but has not removed any from the standard list in recent history.
This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal or employment advice. Bank holiday dates and employment rights are subject to change — always check your employment contract and the UK government website for the latest information.