UK Bank Holidays 2026
See every bank holiday in 2026 for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, plus a checker for the next bank holiday and the working days left this year.
Check Your Bank Holidays
Choose your region and a date in 2026. The checker tells you whether it is a bank holiday, when the next one falls and how many working days are left in the year.
Bank Holiday Checker
Countdown, dates and working days for your region.
How it Works
Four quick steps to plan your year
Choose Your Region
Pick England & Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, because each has its own bank holidays.
Pick a Date
Select any day in 2026 to check, or leave it on today’s date to look ahead from now.
See the Next Bank Holiday
Get the name, date and days remaining, plus whether your chosen date is itself a bank holiday.
Plan Your Leave
Use the working days left and long weekend tips to decide when to book annual leave.
Full List of UK Bank Holidays 2026
Every 2026 bank holiday in date order, showing which parts of the UK observe each one. A tick means the day is a bank holiday in that region.
| Date | Day | Bank Holiday | England & Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Thursday | New Year’s Day | ✔Yes | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| 2 January | Friday | 2nd January | –No | ✔Yes | –No |
| 17 March | Tuesday | St Patrick’s Day | –No | –No | ✔Yes |
| 3 April | Friday | Good Friday | ✔Yes | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| 6 April | Monday | Easter Monday | ✔Yes | –No | ✔Yes |
| 4 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday | ✔Yes | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| 25 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday | ✔Yes | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| 13 July | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (substitute for Sunday 12 July) | –No | –No | ✔Yes |
| 3 August | Monday | Summer bank holiday (Scotland) | –No | ✔Yes | –No |
| 31 August | Monday | Summer bank holiday | ✔Yes | –No | ✔Yes |
| 30 November | Monday | St Andrew’s Day | –No | ✔Yes | –No |
| 25 December | Friday | Christmas Day | ✔Yes | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| 28 December | Monday | Boxing Day (substitute for Saturday 26 December) | ✔Yes | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Total bank holidays in 2026 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
Dates follow the official UK government bank holiday lists for 2026. Extra one-off bank holidays can be announced by the government, so check gov.uk/bank-holidays for the latest updates.
2026 Long Weekends & Short Breaks
Most 2026 bank holidays fall on a Monday or Friday, so each one creates a built-in long weekend.
| Break | Dates | Days Off | Applies To |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year | Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 January | 4 days | Scotland (with 2 January) |
| Easter | Friday 3 – Monday 6 April | 4 days | England, Wales & Northern Ireland |
| Good Friday weekend | Friday 3 – Sunday 5 April | 3 days | Scotland |
| Early May | Saturday 2 – Monday 4 May | 3 days | All UK |
| Spring | Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May | 3 days | All UK |
| Battle of the Boyne | Saturday 11 – Monday 13 July | 3 days | Northern Ireland |
| Summer (Scotland) | Saturday 1 – Monday 3 August | 3 days | Scotland |
| Summer | Saturday 29 – Monday 31 August | 3 days | England, Wales & Northern Ireland |
| St Andrew’s Day | Saturday 28 – Monday 30 November | 3 days | Scotland |
| Christmas | Friday 25 – Monday 28 December | 4 days | All UK |
Working Days in 2026 by Region
2026 has 261 weekdays. Every bank holiday above falls on a weekday, so each one removes a working day.
| Region | Weekdays in 2026 | Bank Holidays | Working Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | 261 | 8 | 253 |
| Scotland | 261 | 9 | 252 |
| Northern Ireland | 261 | 10 | 251 |
How UK Bank Holidays Work
Bank holidays are set separately for each nation, and a holiday that lands on a weekend is moved to a weekday.
Substitute bank holidays
When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute day is given on the next available weekday, usually the following Monday. This happens twice in 2026.
Example: Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December 2026, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. In Northern Ireland, the Battle of the Boyne on Sunday 12 July moves to Monday 13 July.
Why do the regions differ?
- England and Wales: 8 bank holidays, including Easter Monday and the summer bank holiday on the last Monday of August.
- Scotland: 9 bank holidays, including 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, with the summer bank holiday in early August and no Easter Monday.
- Northern Ireland: 10 bank holidays, including St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne, plus Easter Monday and the late August summer bank holiday.
- Employers: there is no automatic right to have bank holidays off, so always check your contract.
UK Bank Holidays 2026 FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about 2026 bank holiday dates, regional differences, substitute days and working days.
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays in 2026, Scotland has 9 and Northern Ireland has 10. These counts include substitute days, such as Monday 28 December for Boxing Day.
The 2026 bank holidays in England and Wales are Thursday 1 January, Friday 3 April, Monday 6 April, Monday 4 May, Monday 25 May, Monday 31 August, Friday 25 December and Monday 28 December.
Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the substitute bank holiday moves to the next available weekday, Monday 28 December. Christmas Day falls on Friday 25 December, which gives a four-day weekend.
Use the checker above to see the next bank holiday for your region from any date in 2026. The last bank holidays of the year are St Andrew’s Day in Scotland on Monday 30 November, Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December.
Each nation sets its own bank holidays. Scotland has 2 January, St Andrew’s Day and a summer bank holiday in early August, but no Easter Monday. Northern Ireland has St Patrick’s Day on 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne substitute on Monday 13 July, plus Easter Monday and the late August summer bank holiday.
There is no automatic right to time off on bank holidays. Whether you get them off, and whether they are paid, depends on your employment contract. Most full-time workers are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave, and employers can include bank holidays in that allowance.
There are 261 weekdays in 2026. After removing bank holidays, that leaves 253 working days in England and Wales, 252 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland.