UK Bank Holidays 2026: Complete List for Employers

Planning staffing, payroll, and leave for 2026? Here is every UK bank holiday date you need, broken down by region, along with practical guidance for employers on statutory entitlement, part-time workers, and how to keep your leave calendar accurate.

England & Wales bank holidays 2026

England and Wales share 8 bank holidays in 2026. Note that Boxing Day (26 December) falls on a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December.

Scotland bank holidays 2026

Scotland has 9 bank holidays in 2026. The key differences from England & Wales are: Scotland observes 2 January as a bank holiday, does not observe Easter Monday, and has St Andrew's Day on 30 November.

Northern Ireland bank holidays 2026

Northern Ireland has 10 bank holidays in 2026 — the most of any UK region. It shares most dates with England & Wales but adds St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (13 July).

Regional comparison at a glance

The table below shows which bank holidays apply in each region so you can quickly spot the differences.

Totals: England & Wales = 8 • Scotland = 9 • Northern Ireland = 10

Are bank holidays included in the 28-day statutory minimum?

Yes. Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, all UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks (28 days for a full-time employee) of paid annual leave. There is no separate legal right to bank holidays on top of that — the 28 days can include bank holidays.

In practice, most employers give bank holidays as paid days off and treat them as part of the 28-day entitlement. That typically leaves 20 discretionary days + 8 bank holidays = 28 days. However, some employers offer bank holidays in addition to 28 days as a benefit — this is entirely at the employer's discretion.

Part-time workers and bank holidays

Part-time employees are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks of leave, calculated pro rata. This includes their share of bank holidays — even if a bank holiday doesn't fall on one of their working days.

For example:

The simplest approach is to give part-time staff a total pro-rata entitlement (including a pro-rata share of bank holidays) and let them book all days — including bank holidays that fall on their working days — from that single allowance.

Best practice for employers

• Add all 2026 bank holidays to your leave calendar now — don't wait until the week before each holiday to remember.
• Plan coverage early — bank holidays that fall mid-week (like New Year's Day on a Thursday) often trigger "bridge day" leave requests. Anticipate this and agree cover in advance.
• Communicate your policy clearly — make sure employment contracts or your staff handbook states whether bank holidays are included in, or additional to, the 28-day entitlement.
• Handle regional differences — if you have employees in Scotland or Northern Ireland, they may be entitled to different bank holidays. Ensure your system supports regional variants.
• Review part-time entitlements — double-check that part-time workers receive a fair pro-rata share of bank holiday allowance.
• Consider enhanced offerings — offering bank holidays as extra paid leave (above the 28-day minimum) is a popular employee benefit that costs relatively little.

Preview: 2027 bank holidays (England & Wales)

Planning ahead? Here are the provisional 2027 bank holiday dates for England and Wales:

Note: Christmas Day 2027 falls on a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday moves to Monday 27 December. Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, with the substitute on Tuesday 28 December.

How Leavely helps with bank holidays

Managing bank holidays manually — especially across multiple UK regions — is tedious and error-prone. Leavely takes the hassle out of it:

• UK bank holidays pre-loaded — England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland dates are built in. No manual entry needed.
• Automatic deduction — when a bank holiday falls on a working day, it's automatically deducted from leave balances (if your policy includes bank holidays in the entitlement).
• Regional variants — assign the correct bank holiday region to each employee so Scottish and Northern Irish staff see the right dates.
• Part-time calculations built in — pro-rata entitlements are calculated correctly, including bank holiday allowances.
• Visual leave calendar — bank holidays appear on the team calendar so managers can plan coverage at a glance.