Bank holidays are not the same throughout the UK. In 2026, the England and Wales calendar has eight bank holidays on weekdays. Scotland and Northern Ireland each have ten.
After weekends and bank holidays are excluded, the calculator shows:
| Jurisdiction | Bank holidays on weekdays | Working days |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 8 | 253 |
| Scotland | 10 | 251 |
| Northern Ireland | 10 | 251 |
Scotland and Northern Ireland have the same total but different holiday dates. The same working-day count can therefore end on different dates depending on which calendar you use.
The dates below were checked against the official calendars on 7 October 2026.
UK bank holidays in 2026
| Date | Bank holiday | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 January | New Year's Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fri 2 January | 2nd January | — | ✓ | — |
| Tue 17 March | St Patrick's Day | — | — | ✓ |
| Fri 3 April | Good Friday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 6 April | Easter Monday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Mon 4 May | Early May bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 25 May | Spring bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 15 June | World Cup bank holiday | — | ✓ | — |
| Mon 13 July | Battle of the Boyne holiday (substitute day) | — | — | ✓ |
| Mon 3 August | Summer bank holiday | — | ✓ | — |
| Mon 31 August | Summer bank holiday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Mon 30 November | St Andrew's Day | — | ✓ | — |
| Fri 25 December | Christmas Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mon 28 December | Boxing Day (substitute day) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Total | 8 | 10 | 10 |
Six dates are common to all three: New Year's Day, Good Friday, the Early May bank holiday, the Spring bank holiday, Christmas Day and the Boxing Day substitute.
The other eight dates are not common to all three calendars.
How the three calendars differ
The Scotland calendar includes 2 January, a one-off World Cup bank holiday on 15 June, the Scottish summer bank holiday on 3 August and St Andrew's Day on 30 November. Easter Monday is not a Scottish bank holiday.
The Northern Ireland calendar includes St Patrick's Day on 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne holiday. In 2026, 12 July falls on a Sunday, so the bank holiday is Monday 13 July. Northern Ireland also observes Easter Monday and uses 31 August for its summer bank holiday.
England and Wales observes Easter Monday and the 31 August summer holiday. It does not observe 2 January, St Patrick's Day, the World Cup holiday, the Battle of the Boyne holiday, Scotland's August holiday or St Andrew's Day.
Scotland's World Cup bank holiday applies only in 2026. It was appointed by Royal Proclamation to mark the men's national team competing in the FIFA World Cup. It should not be treated as a bank holiday that recurs every June.
Why the annual total is not enough
The differences affect particular months, even when the annual totals match. For example:
| Month | Difference in the base calendar | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| March | Northern Ireland has 21 working days; England and Wales and Scotland have 22 | St Patrick's Day |
| April | Scotland has 21 working days; England and Wales and Northern Ireland have 20 | Easter Monday is not a Scottish bank holiday |
| June | Scotland has 21 working days; England and Wales and Northern Ireland have 22 | Scotland's one-off World Cup holiday |
Use the 2026 year summary for all monthly totals, then change jurisdiction to compare them. The England and Wales annual guide explains how weekdays and substitute holidays produce the 253-day total.
How a different calendar changes a deadline
Suppose a ten-working-day period starts on Monday 8 June 2026. Count the start date as day one and include the tenth working day. Do not apply a shutdown period.
| Jurisdiction | Holiday inside the period | Tenth working day |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | None | Friday 19 June 2026 |
| Scotland | World Cup bank holiday, Monday 15 June | Monday 22 June 2026 |
Excluding Scotland's World Cup holiday moves the result from Friday 19 June 2026 to Monday 22 June 2026. The extra excluded holiday changes the deadline by three calendar days because the next two dates are a weekend.
Open the Scotland example in the calculator, then change Jurisdiction to England and Wales to reproduce the other row.
A similar difference appears in March. A ten-working-day period starting on Monday 9 March 2026 ends on Friday 20 March under the England and Wales calendar. Under the Northern Ireland calendar, St Patrick's Day is excluded and the period ends on Monday 23 March.
These comparisons change only the bank-holiday calendar. A different result may follow if your rule excludes the start date, counts calendar days or adjusts a deadline that falls on a non-working day.
Which calendar should you use?
The calculator's Jurisdiction setting applies the bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Your current location does not necessarily determine the right choice. Check the contract, court rule, workplace policy or other source that governs the period.
The jurisdiction settings guide shows how to select the calendar. Check your rule for the counting method, whether the start date counts, any additional closures and what happens if the final date is not a working day.
A bank holiday does not necessarily mean that every workplace is closed. GOV.UK states that employers do not have to provide paid leave on bank or public holidays and may include them within statutory annual leave. The Scottish Government also notes that local holidays vary and that banks and businesses do not always close.
Court calendars can add further exclusions. For Scottish litigation, the Scottish court-holiday guide compares the SCTS closure dates for different court locations.
Check the official calendar again before relying on a future date. Scotland's one-off bank holiday on 15 June 2026 shows why a previous year's list is not enough.
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays — the official 2026 lists for all three calendars, including substitute dates; checked 7 October 2026
- Scottish Government, bank holiday dates, the complete Scottish list, the World Cup holiday and the local-holiday distinction
- Privy Council, Scotland World Cup bank-holiday proclamation, appointing Monday 15 June 2026
- Privy Council, England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2026 proclamation, the Boxing Day substitution and Northern Ireland's 13 July appointment
- GOV.UK, holiday entitlement on bank holidays and paid annual leave
