What Are Bank Holidays?

Bank holidays are public holidays in the United Kingdom when banks and most businesses close. The term dates back to the Bank Holidays Act 1871, which first designated certain days for banks to close. Today, bank holidays are governed by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.

Jurisdictional Variations

The UK has different bank holiday arrangements for each jurisdiction:

• England & Wales: 8 bank holidays including New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May bank holiday, Spring bank holiday, Summer bank holiday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.
• Scotland: 9 bank holidays. Scotland observes 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November) but does not observe Easter Monday, which is a bank holiday in England & Wales.
• Northern Ireland: 10 bank holidays, including all England & Wales holidays plus St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July).

Substitute Day Rules

When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, the following Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is already a bank holiday) becomes a substitute bank holiday. This ensures that everyone benefits from the day off, regardless of their normal working pattern.

Examples:

• Christmas Day on Saturday → Substitute bank holiday on Monday
• Boxing Day on Sunday → Substitute bank holiday on Monday
• Christmas Day on Sunday + Boxing Day on Monday → Substitute bank holiday on Tuesday

The calculator handles these substitutions automatically based on the year and jurisdiction you select.

One-Off Bank Holidays

Occasionally, the government proclaims additional one-off bank holidays for special occasions, such as royal jubilees, coronations, or state funerals. These are announced in advance and the calculator will include them in the relevant years.

Calculator Tip

The Working Day Calculator automatically excludes bank holidays when counting working days. Simply select your jurisdiction (England & Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland) and enter your date range. The calculator will handle all substitutions and jurisdictional variations for you.

Why SCTS Closures Matter for Deadline Calculations

The Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service (SCTS) publishes annual closure calendars covering 46 court locations across Scotland. These privilege days (in addition to bank holidays and weekends) must be excluded when calculating working-day court deadlines under Scottish civil procedure rules.

Missing a deadline because your court was closed can result in struck-out claims, wasted costs orders, or dismissed applications. Using the correct closure schedule for your specific court location is essential.

Universal Closure Dates in 2026

All 46 SCTS locations observe these closure dates:

• January: 1, 2 (New Year closure)
• April: 3, 6 (Easter recess)
• May: 4 (Early May Bank Holiday)
• December: 25, 28 (Christmas period)

Court-Specific Closures

Beyond the universal dates, each court location has 3–4 additional location-specific closure dates. For example:

• Edinburgh Sheriff Court: Additional closures in May (18), April (20), and October (21)—11 total closure days
• Glasgow Sheriff Court: Additional closures in April (25), August (20), October (28)—11 total closure days
• Inverness Sheriff Court: Additional closures in August (6), September (17), October (5)—11 total closure days

The variation across locations means you cannot use a generic "Scottish court holidays" list. You must identify your exact court and use its specific schedule.

Which Court Schedule Applies to Your Case?

• Sheriff Court cases: Use the schedule for the Sheriff Court district covering your case
• Supreme Court (Court of Session): Use "Supreme Courts Edinburgh" or "Supreme Courts Glasgow" schedule
• Tribunal cases: Use the specific Tribunals Operations centre schedule (e.g., MHTS, TSBU, LTC)

Using Court Rules Mode with SCTS Calendars

The Working Day Calculator's Court Rules Mode automatically applies 2026 SCTS closure dates. To use it:

1. Enable Court Rules Mode in the calculator
2. Select Scotland as your jurisdiction
3. Choose your specific court from the SCTS locations dropdown
4. Enter your dates and the calculator handles all closure exclusions

The results show excluded closure dates, automatic deadline rollover if applicable, and a full audit trail for your case file.

Read the Full Guide

For comprehensive information about 2026 SCTS holidays, closure dates for all 46 court locations, practical deadline calculation examples, and tips for legal professionals:

England & Wales (Civil Procedure Rules)

The Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) Part 2 set out how to calculate time limits for civil proceedings in England & Wales. Court Rules Mode reproduces CPR 2.8 definitions so you can rely on the calculator for acknowledgement, defence, and application windows without manual adjustments.

• Working day (CPR 2.8(4)): Any day except Saturday, Sunday, a bank holiday, Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec), or Good Friday. Note: Weekdays between Christmas and New Year (27–31 Dec) are working days unless they fall on a weekend or are bank holidays (e.g., if 27 Dec is a substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day falling on a weekend).
• Clear days (CPR 2.8(2)): Excludes both the start and end days. Court Rules Mode disables the include toggles so the correct behaviour is guaranteed.
• Short notice thresholds: ≤5 days count working days; longer periods switch to calendar days automatically.

Scotland (SCTS Court Calendars)

Scottish proceedings follow the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service guidance. Court Rules Mode combines your selected SCTS court calendar with bank holidays, respects half-day closures, and uses calendar-day counting for notices (civilis computatio).

• Calendar days for notice: All notice periods count calendar days with the final day included.
• Court calendars: Select the relevant sheriff court or the Court of Session so privilege holidays and half days are considered.
• Bank holidays: The SCTS schedule is applied automatically, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 2 January, and any half-day finishes.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland follows its own Rules of Court. Court Rules Mode mirrors the published guidance, including the short-notice threshold and holiday treatment.

• Notice thresholds: High Court matters use a 7-day threshold (≤7 days count working days). County Court matters use a 3-day threshold (≤3 days count working days). Choose the court level in the calculator to apply the correct rules automatically.
• Clear days: Notices exclude both endpoints; filings include the filing day. Bank holidays and weekends are removed automatically.

Practical Example: 7 Clear Days' Notice (England & Wales)

You need to serve an application with 7 clear days' notice. You serve it on Monday 8 January 2025.

• Exclude the service date (Monday 8 Jan)
• Day 1: Tuesday 9 Jan
• Day 7: Monday 15 Jan
• Exclude the final day (Monday 15 Jan)
• Earliest hearing date: Tuesday 16 January 2025

In the calculator, enter start date 8 Jan and add 7 days. Court Rules Mode automatically applies the correct clear-day rules and confirms which rule was applied, highlighting any adjustments.

Calculator Tips

• Enable Court Rules Mode: This locks direction, counting method, and holiday handling for your chosen jurisdiction.
• Select Notice or Filing: Each workflow enforces the correct thresholds, clear-day rules, and adjusts the direction automatically.
• Choose a Scottish court calendar: When Scotland is selected, pick the relevant SCTS calendar so the right privilege holidays and half days are applied.
• Review the summary: The results panel explains which rule was applied and highlights any extensions to the next court open day.

Managing Conveyancing Deadlines

Property transactions involve multiple sequential deadlines that must be tracked carefully. Missing a completion deadline or Notice to Complete can have serious financial consequences. The Working Day Calculator helps solicitors, conveyancers, and property buyers/sellers stay on track.

Sequential Periods for Property Transactions

Conveyancing rarely involves a single deadline. Instead, you're managing a chain of connected dates:

• Finance approval → Mortgage offer received, start exchange countdown
• Exchange of contracts → Binding agreement, completion date set
• Completion → Funds transfer, keys handed over
• Notice to Complete → Final 10 working days if delays occur

The calculator's Sequential Periods mode lets you chain these deadlines together. Each period's end date becomes the next period's start date, and the calculator handles boundary dates automatically.

Notice to Complete

A Notice to Complete is a formal notice that can be served by either party (provided they are ready, able and willing to complete) requiring completion within a specified timeframe—typically 10 working days. This is a crucial deadline:

• Either party can serve a Notice to Complete if the other has failed to complete and they themselves are ready, able and willing
• If the receiving party fails to complete within the notice period, the serving party may rescind the contract
• Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays
• Jurisdictional bank holiday differences (Scotland, Northern Ireland) can affect the deadline
• The date of service is usually excluded from the count

Use the calculator to determine the exact completion deadline when a Notice to Complete is served.

Regional Considerations

Bank holidays vary across the UK, which can impact conveyancing timelines:

• Scotland: Different bank holidays including St Andrew's Day (30 Nov) and 2 January
• Northern Ireland: Additional holidays including St Patrick's Day (17 Mar) and Battle of the Boyne (12 Jul)
• England & Wales: 8 bank holidays including Easter Monday and August bank holiday

Select the correct jurisdiction in the calculator to ensure accurate working day counts for your transaction.

Practical Example: Exchange to Completion

You exchange contracts on Friday 2 May 2025, with completion set for 14 working days later:

1. Start date: Friday 2 May 2025 (exchange)
2. Count 14 working days (excluding weekends and the Early May bank holiday on 5 May)
3. Completion date: Friday 23 May 2025

The calculator shows you every excluded day and provides an audit trail for your file.

Getting Started

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Accurate Timeline Planning for UK Businesses

Project managers, business analysts, and operations teams need accurate working day calculations for realistic timeline planning. The Working Day Calculator helps you account for weekends, bank holidays, and regional variations across the UK.

Common Business Scenarios

• Project milestones: Calculate delivery dates for multi-phase projects
• SLA tracking: Monitor service level agreements based on working days
• Contract deadlines: Track notice periods and renewal dates
• Procurement timelines: Plan tender submission and evaluation periods
• Resource planning: Calculate available working days for capacity planning

Working Days vs Calendar Days

Understanding the difference is crucial for accurate planning:

• Working days: Monday-Friday, excluding bank holidays. Standard for most UK business operations
• Calendar days: All days including weekends and holidays. Used in some retail, hospitality, and manufacturing contexts

The calculator defaults to working days but you can toggle to calendar days if your business operates seven days a week.

Example: SLA deadline planning

If a contract gives you 15 working days to deliver after kickoff, use deadline mode, select the correct jurisdiction, and count 15 working days forward. The calculator will skip weekends and bank holidays, then show the precise due date plus the excluded days for your audit trail.

For multi-region projects, run the calculation once per jurisdiction and plan to the most conservative deadline.

Regional Working Day Variations

If your business operates across multiple UK regions, be aware that working day counts differ:

• England & Wales typically has 252-253 working days per year
• Scotland and Northern Ireland have slightly different counts due to additional bank holidays
• One-off royal events (jubilees, coronations) create additional bank holidays

For multi-jurisdiction projects, consider using the jurisdiction with the fewest working days for conservative timeline estimates.

Multi-Phase Project Planning

Complex projects often have sequential phases with interdependent deadlines. Use Sequential Periods mode to:

• Chain up to 6 project phases with automatic date linking
• See exactly when each phase starts and ends
• Account for bank holidays across the entire project timeline
• Export the full timeline as a PDF for stakeholder reporting

Year-Round Planning

For annual planning and capacity forecasting, check the Year Summary page which provides:

• Total working days by jurisdiction for the current and upcoming years
• Month-by-month working day breakdowns
• Visual calendar showing all bank holidays and weekends

Getting Started

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HR Tools for UK Holiday Management

Human Resources teams need accurate working day calculations for leave management, notice period tracking, and workforce planning. The Working Day Calculator helps HR professionals handle the complexities of UK statutory leave entitlements and jurisdictional bank holiday variations.

UK Statutory Leave Entitlement

All UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year under the Working Time Regulations. For full-time employees working 5 days per week, this equals 28 days. However, the statutory entitlement is capped at 28 days by law—even employees working 6 or 7 days a week are only guaranteed a minimum of 28 days' paid holiday. Key points:

• The 28-day cap is the statutory minimum—employers can offer more, but are not legally required to exceed this limit
• Bank holidays may or may not be included, depending on the employment contract (see below)
• Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks entitlement pro-rated to their working pattern
• For irregular hours or part-year workers, leave accrues at 12.07% of hours worked (post-2024 guidance)
• Leave accrues from the first day of employment

Bank Holidays and Leave Entitlement

There is no automatic legal right to time off on bank holidays. Under UK employment law, bank holidays are treated just like any other day—time off, extra pay, or any special treatment on bank holidays is entirely at the employer's discretion and must be specified in the employment contract. Employers can require staff to work on bank holidays and are not required to pay a premium unless contractually agreed.

Whether bank holidays count toward the statutory 28-day minimum or come in addition depends entirely on the contract wording:

• Inclusive contracts: "28 days including bank holidays" = 20 days discretionary leave + 8 bank holidays (meets the statutory minimum)
• Exclusive contracts: "28 days plus bank holidays" = 28 days discretionary leave + 8 bank holidays (36 total days—exceeds statutory minimum)

HR teams must clearly specify in contracts whether bank holidays are included in or additional to the statutory 28-day entitlement. Any bank holiday benefit is a contractual choice, not a legal obligation, as long as the total leave meets the 28-day statutory minimum.

Jurisdictional Considerations for Multi-Site Employers

If your organisation operates across multiple UK jurisdictions, be aware of the different number of public holidays observed in each jurisdiction. Note that these are the number of bank/public holidays designated in each jurisdiction, not automatic employee entitlements—whether employees get these days off depends on their contract:

• England & Wales: 8 bank holidays per year
• Scotland: 9 bank holidays (includes 2 January and St Andrew's Day; no Easter Monday)
• Northern Ireland: 10 bank holidays (includes St Patrick's Day and Battle of the Boyne)

All UK workers still have the same statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks/28 days' leave regardless of jurisdiction. For example, a Northern Ireland employee's 10 public holidays might be counted as part of their 28 days if the contract specifies "28 days including bank holidays."

To avoid complexity and ensure fairness, some employers standardise leave policies across jurisdictions by giving all UK staff the same number of bank holiday days off (e.g., 10 days to match Northern Ireland). This is a company policy choice, not a legal requirement, but helps equalize time off across regions.

Notice Periods for Annual Leave

The UK Working Time Regulations establish statutory minimum notice requirements for annual leave. Unless an employer's policy or contract specifies otherwise (and meets or exceeds these minima), the default legal rules are:

• Employee notice: Employees must give at least twice the length of the requested leave as advance notice (e.g., 10 working days' notice for 5 days' leave)
• Employer refusal/cancellation: Employers must give notice at least equal to the length of the leave period to refuse or cancel a holiday request
• These are legal minimums, not just common practices—employers can set longer notice periods, but not shorter, in their policies

Use the calculator to determine statutory notice deadlines and ensure compliance with the Working Time Regulations.

Example: Leave notice calculation

If your policy requires 10 working days' notice for a 5-day leave request, count back 10 working days from the first day of leave. The calculator will skip weekends and any bank holidays in the relevant jurisdiction so you can set the latest notice date accurately.

If your policy uses calendar days instead, switch to calendar-day mode to avoid missing the statutory minimum.

Working Day Calculations for HR

Common HR scenarios requiring working day calculations:

• Notice periods: Calculate last working day for resignations and terminations
• Leave year planning: Calculate annual working days for capacity planning
• TUPE transfers: Calculate consultation periods and transfer dates
• Grievance and disciplinary timelines: Track statutory timelines for employment procedures

Capacity Planning and Resource Management

For workforce planning, knowing the exact number of working days available is crucial. The Year Summary page provides:

• Total working days per year by jurisdiction
• Month-by-month breakdowns for capacity forecasting
• Visual calendar highlighting bank holidays and weekends
• Comparison across England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland

Getting Started

Calculate Leave Periods & Notice Dates →