UK Bank Holidays 2027: Full List of Dates

Planning staffing, payroll, and leave for 2027? Here is every UK bank holiday date for next year, broken down by region, along with practical guidance for employers on statutory entitlement, part-time workers, and the substitute days that land at both ends of the year.

All dates below are taken from the official GOV.UK bank holidays list, checked on 16 October 2026. Where GOV.UK marks a date as a "Substitute day", we show it as such.

England & Wales bank holidays 2027

England and Wales share 8 bank holidays in 2027. Christmas Day (25 December) falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day (26 December) on a Sunday, so both move: the substitute days are Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December.

Scotland bank holidays 2027

Scotland has 9 bank holidays in 2027. The key differences from England & Wales are: Scotland observes 2nd January (which falls on a Saturday in 2027, so the substitute day is Monday 4 January), does not observe Easter Monday, takes its Summer Bank Holiday at the start of August, and has St Andrew's Day on Tuesday 30 November.

Northern Ireland bank holidays 2027

Northern Ireland has 10 bank holidays in 2027, the most of any UK region. It shares most dates with England & Wales but adds St Patrick's Day (Wednesday 17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (Monday 12 July).

Regional comparison at a glance

The table below shows which 2027 bank holidays apply in each region so you can quickly spot the differences.

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

Christmas bank holidays 2027

Christmas Day 2027 is a Saturday and Boxing Day is a Sunday. When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday becomes the bank holiday, so the Christmas 2027 bank holidays are Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December in every UK region. New Year's Day 2028 is also a Saturday, which gives a further substitute day on Monday 3 January 2028.

Saturday 25 December and Sunday 26 December 2027 are not bank holidays themselves. For staff who normally work weekends, such as in retail, care or hospitality, your contract and rota decide whether they work on the 25th and 26th and how the substitute days are treated. If you close between Christmas and New Year, staff can book three days of leave (29 to 31 December) and get a break from Saturday 25 December to Monday 3 January 2028. Check our Christmas shutdown leave guide before requiring staff to use holiday for a closure.

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

They can be. Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, almost all UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks (28 days for someone working a 5-day week) of paid annual leave. Bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave on top of that; an employer can choose to include bank holidays as part of the statutory entitlement. Statutory paid holiday is capped at 28 days, even for staff who work 6 days a week.

In practice, many employers give bank holidays as paid days off and treat them as part of the 28-day entitlement. With 8 bank holidays in England & Wales in 2027, that typically leaves 20 discretionary days + 8 bank holidays = 28 days. Some employers offer bank holidays in addition to 28 days as a benefit, which is entirely at the employer's discretion.

Part-time workers and bank holidays

Part-time employees who work regular hours 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. Our pro rata leave calculator works out the figure for you.

Planning notes for 2027

• Easter is early: Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March, so both fall before the start of April. If your leave year runs April to March, those two days count against the 2026/27 leave year, not 2027/28.
• Christmas needs two substitute days: with Christmas Day on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, the bank holidays are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December in every UK region.
• Scotland starts the year with a substitute day: 2nd January falls on a Saturday, so Scottish staff have Monday 4 January off instead.
• Mid-week dates: St Patrick's Day (Wednesday, Northern Ireland) and St Andrew's Day (Tuesday, Scotland) fall mid-week, which can trigger "bridge day" leave requests. Agree cover in advance.

Best practice for employers

• Add all 2027 bank holidays to your leave calendar now: don't wait until the week before each holiday to remember.
• 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.

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 calendars: choose the England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland bank holiday pack for your workspace, based on the official GOV.UK list.
• 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.

Bank holidays 2027: common questions