There are 253 working days in England and Wales in 2026 on a Monday-to-Friday calendar. That figure excludes Saturdays, Sundays and the eight official bank holidays that fall on weekdays. The holiday calendar and totals below were checked on 27 July 2026.
| Component | Days |
|---|---|
| Calendar days in 2026 | 365 |
| Saturdays and Sundays | 104 |
| Monday-to-Friday dates | 261 |
| England and Wales bank holidays falling on those weekdays | 8 |
| Working days in the base calendar | 253 |
There are 261 Monday-to-Friday dates in 2026. Subtract the eight bank holidays and the result is 253. The monthly figures below add to the same total, so they provide a useful check on the annual calculation.
The eight bank holidays in the calculation
| Date | Day | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 4 May 2026 | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 25 May 2026 | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 31 August 2026 | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day |
| 28 December 2026 | Monday | Boxing Day (substitute day) |
Boxing Day falls on Saturday 26 December in 2026. That Saturday is already excluded as a weekend day. Monday 28 December is the substitute bank holiday, so it is the date excluded from the 261 weekdays. The Privy Council's 2025 sealing order appoints the Monday for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Example: three working days across Easter
Assume a three-working-day planning period starts from Thursday 2 April 2026, with the start date excluded and the third working day included. This example demonstrates the England and Wales base calendar only; the document or rule governing a real period must supply the correct trigger date and boundary wording.
| Date | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Thursday 2 April | Trigger date: excluded |
| Friday 3 April | Good Friday: excluded |
| Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April | Weekend: excluded |
| Monday 6 April | Easter Monday: excluded |
| Tuesday 7 April | Working day 1 |
| Wednesday 8 April | Working day 2 |
| Thursday 9 April | Working day 3 |
The result is Thursday 9 April 2026. The two bank holidays and the weekend turn a three-working-day count into seven elapsed calendar days.
| Setting | Selection |
|---|---|
| Mode | Deadline |
| Start date | 2 April 2026 |
| Direction | Forward |
| Jurisdiction | England and Wales |
| Number of working days | 3 |
| Include start date | No |
| Include deadline date | Yes |
| Optional shutdown | None |
Open the Easter example in the calculator.
Working days by month
The annual figure is useful for broad planning, but the monthly totals show when bank holidays affect the calendar.
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend days | Weekday bank holidays | Working days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 |
| March | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 2 | 20 |
| May | 31 | 10 | 2 | 19 |
| June | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 0 | 23 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 |
| October | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
| November | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 |
| 2026 total | 365 | 104 | 8 | 253 |
| Quarter | Working days |
|---|---|
| January–March | 63 |
| April–June | 61 |
| July–September | 65 |
| October–December | 64 |
May has the fewest working days, with 19. It has ten weekend days and both May bank holidays. July has the most, with 23, because it has no bank holiday. For a selectable year and jurisdiction, use the year summary.
Two long stretches without a bank holiday
The table below shows the two longest periods between England-and-Wales bank holidays. It can help with general capacity planning, although it does not account for leave or workplace closures.
| Window | Calendar span | Working days, inclusive |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 26 May to Friday 28 August | 95 days | 69 |
| Tuesday 1 September to Thursday 24 December | 115 days | 83 |
The longer period runs from the day after the summer bank holiday to the day before Christmas Day. No England and Wales bank holiday falls between those dates.
What the 253-day figure represents
This is a base calendar, not a record of when a particular workplace is open or when an individual employee is available. It does not include annual leave, part-time working patterns, sickness, school holidays, industry shutdowns or other workplace closure days.
GOV.UK explains that employers do not have to give paid leave on bank or public holidays. An employer can also include bank holidays in statutory annual leave. Subtracting a standard leave allowance from 253 would therefore not describe any particular employee's entitlement or availability.
Do not use the annual total as a deadline rule
For a legal, contractual or procedural deadline, start with the definition in the document or rule that governs the period. A working day or business day may exclude a different set of dates, use calendar days instead, treat the start date differently or apply a separate closure calendar.
The 253-day total is useful for annual planning based on the England and Wales bank-holiday calendar. It does not establish the date of a specific deadline.
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays for England and Wales, the official 2026 dates and substitute-day explanation; checked 27 July 2026
- Privy Council, 2026 bank-holiday sealing order, appointing Monday 28 December in place of Saturday 26 December
- GOV.UK, holiday entitlement on the distinction between bank holidays and paid annual leave
