UK Bank Holidays 2026: Full List

Whether you are planning your own holidays or managing leave for a team, knowing the bank holidays for 2026 is essential. Bank holidays affect annual leave entitlement, staffing levels, and business operations across the UK. This guide lists every bank holiday in 2026 for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and explains how they interact with your team's leave allowance.

England and Wales Bank Holidays 2026

England and Wales share the same eight bank holidays each year. In 2026, Christmas Day falls on a Friday and Boxing Day on a Saturday, so Monday 28 December is the substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day.

The substitute day for Boxing Day arises because 26 December falls on a Saturday in 2026. When a bank holiday lands on a weekend, the next available weekday becomes the substitute.

Scotland Bank Holidays 2026

Scotland observes nine bank holidays in 2026. The key differences from England and Wales are that Scotland has an additional day on 2 January, does not observe Easter Monday, and includes St Andrew's Day on 30 November.

Note that Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland. Scottish employees who previously worked in England sometimes assume they will get Easter Monday off, so it is worth clarifying this in your company's leave policy.

Northern Ireland Bank Holidays 2026

Northern Ireland shares most bank holidays with England and Wales but has two additional days: St Patrick's Day on 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) on 13 July. This gives Northern Ireland a total of ten bank holidays in 2026.

How Bank Holidays Affect Annual Leave Entitlement

In the UK, full-time workers are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year, which works out to 28 days. A common point of confusion is whether bank holidays are included in that figure or added on top. The answer depends on the employment contract.

Most employers include bank holidays within the 28-day statutory minimum. For example, a worker in England with eight bank holidays would have 20 days of annual leave to use freely, plus eight bank holidays, totalling 28 days. However, there is no legal requirement for employers to give bank holidays off at all. An employer can require staff to work on a bank holiday and offer a different day off instead.

This distinction matters when your business operates across the UK. A team member in Northern Ireland has ten bank holidays, while a colleague in England has eight. If your contracts state that bank holidays are included in the 28-day entitlement, the Northern Ireland employee would have only 18 discretionary days compared to 20. Employers should review contracts carefully to ensure fairness across regions.

For a more detailed breakdown of how statutory leave works, including part-time and irregular hours, see our UK holiday entitlement guide.

Do Employers Have to Give Bank Holidays Off?

There is no automatic right to time off on a bank holiday in the UK. Whether employees get bank holidays off depends entirely on the terms of their employment contract. Many employers choose to close on bank holidays and grant the day as paid leave, but others, particularly in retail, hospitality, healthcare, and emergency services, require staff to work on these days.

If your contract states that employees receive "20 days' annual leave plus bank holidays", then bank holidays are in addition to the standard leave allowance. If it states "28 days including bank holidays", the bank holidays are already counted within the entitlement.

Employers who ask staff to work on a bank holiday are not required by law to pay an enhanced rate. Any additional pay, sometimes called "time and a half" or "double time", is a contractual matter rather than a statutory one. It is good practice to be transparent about bank holiday arrangements in your staff handbook or employment contracts.

Tips for Planning Leave Around Bank Holidays in 2026

Bank holidays create natural opportunities to extend breaks without using too many days of annual leave. Here are some key dates to consider for 2026:

• Easter: Good Friday (3 April) and Easter Monday (6 April) create a four-day weekend. Taking the week of 30 March to 3 April off means booking only three days of leave for a ten-day break.
• Early May: The bank holiday on Monday 4 May gives a three-day weekend. Book Tuesday to Friday off and enjoy nine consecutive days away.
• Late May: The Spring bank holiday on Monday 25 May offers another three-day weekend, ideal for a short trip.
• Christmas: With Christmas Day on a Friday and the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28 December, booking 29 to 31 December off gives an extended festive break using just three days of leave.

Of course, these same periods tend to be the busiest for leave requests. If you manage a team, you will likely see a surge of holiday requests around Easter, the May bank holidays, and Christmas. Planning ahead is essential to avoid understaffing.

Key Differences Between Nations

It is worth summarising the main differences between the four nations, as these can catch employers off guard if they have staff in more than one part of the UK.

If your business operates across multiple nations, make sure your leave policy accounts for these differences. A single UK-wide approach can inadvertently short-change employees in one region or create inconsistencies in how leave is tracked.

Final Thoughts

Bank holidays are a straightforward part of the UK calendar, but they have real implications for how you manage annual leave, staffing, and business operations. Knowing the exact dates for 2026, understanding how they differ across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and having a clear policy in place will help you avoid confusion and keep your team running smoothly.

For more guidance on statutory leave, part-time entitlement, and other common questions, explore our UK holiday entitlement guide.