Public holidays in United Kingdom, 2026

How United Kingdom public holidays work in 2026

The United Kingdom does not have public holidays in the continental sense. England and Wales recognise bank holidays under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, plus common-law holidays such as Christmas Day and Good Friday. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own statutory lists, which is why St Andrew's Day, Battle of the Boyne and the second January bank holiday appear on some calendars and not others. The Department for Business and Trade publishes the official schedule each year. Employers are under no statutory obligation to give workers paid leave on bank holidays; entitlement is whatever the employment contract specifies, set against the Working Time Regulations 5.6 weeks minimum.

Working days in United Kingdom

Working days in UK statute usually mean any day other than Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday and a bank holiday in the relevant part of the United Kingdom, the wording used in the Companies Act 2006 and the Civil Procedure Rules. The Working Time Regulations 1998 entitle workers to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave, which can include bank holidays at the employer's discretion. Banking settlement follows the Bank of England's calendar, which tracks the bank holiday list. Scotland's bank holidays differ from England and Wales: 2 January is a Scottish bank holiday and Easter Monday is not.

For people planning cross-border meetings, the practical move is to overlay United Kingdom's calendar with the calendars of the other countries on your team. A week that looks completely clear from your end might be a national holiday on theirs. The compare tool above pairs two country calendars and highlights the overlapping closures, so you can spot the weeks where almost no one is at their desk before you put a launch on the board.