Holidays in United Kingdom 2026
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026 · Holiday data: May 19, 2026
The 2026 United Kingdom holiday table below lists 8 dates, each one a day this calculator treats as closed. 8 fall on a weekday and 0 land on a weekend, leaving 253 working days across the year on the national-only count. A date is not always a holiday of its own: 1 is marked observed or additional, the day a holiday was moved to or a further day granted with it.
2026 bank holidays calendar
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday |
| Apr 6 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| May 4 | Monday | Early May Bank Holiday |
| May 25 | Monday | Spring Bank Holiday |
| Aug 31 | Monday | Summer Bank Holiday |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day |
| Dec 28 | Monday | Boxing Day (observed) |
2026 year summary
Total days
365
Weekend days
104
Bank holidays on weekdays
8
Working days
253
All 8 dates land on weekdays in 2026, so each one takes a working day out of the count. The table follows the bank holidays GOV.UK publishes for England and Wales: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the Early May, Spring and Summer bank holidays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with the substitute weekday GOV.UK lists when one of them falls on a weekend. Only part of that list is written into Schedule 1 to the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which names Easter Monday, the last Mondays in May and August, 26 December, and 27 December in a year when Christmas Day or Boxing Day is a Sunday; section 1(3) lets further days be appointed by royal proclamation. The Bank of England's CHAPS payment system is usually open Monday to Friday, excluding bank or public holidays in England and Wales.
Sources for these rules
- UK bank holidays: the lists for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with substitute days (GOV.UK)
- Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, Schedule 1: bank holidays in England and Wales (Easter Monday, the last Mondays in May and August, 26 December, 27 December when 25 or 26 December is a Sunday), in Scotland (New Year's Day, 2 January, Good Friday, the first Mondays in May and August, 30 November, Christmas Day) and in Northern Ireland (17 March and the England and Wales days) (legislation.gov.uk)
- Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, section 1(3): a special day may be appointed a bank holiday by proclamation (legislation.gov.uk)
- CHAPS: the system is usually open from 6am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank or public holidays in England and Wales) (Bank of England)
Checked October 13, 2026. All sources
Holidays not included
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own bank holidays, which GOV.UK lists separately. Under Schedule 1 to the 1971 Act, Scotland has 2 January, the first Monday in August rather than the last, and St Andrew's Day on 30 November (the following Monday when that is a Saturday or Sunday), but no Easter Monday; Northern Ireland has St Patrick's Day on 17 March. GOV.UK's Northern Ireland list also carries the Battle of the Boyne on 12 July, or a substitute weekday. None of these is in the England and Wales count above. Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own page on this site, and the Advanced options take any date a contract adds.
Sources for these rules
- UK bank holidays: the lists for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with substitute days (GOV.UK)
- Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, Schedule 1: bank holidays in England and Wales (Easter Monday, the last Mondays in May and August, 26 December, 27 December when 25 or 26 December is a Sunday), in Scotland (New Year's Day, 2 January, Good Friday, the first Mondays in May and August, 30 November, Christmas Day) and in Northern Ireland (17 March and the England and Wales days) (legislation.gov.uk)
Checked October 13, 2026. All sources
Other years
Sources and verification
Official source: GOV.UK (gov.uk) (opens in a new tab)
Cross-checked against this source on May 19, 2026.