UK Bank Holidays 2026 by Nation
The United Kingdom has no single bank holiday calendar. In 2026 England and Wales get eight days, Scotland ten and Northern Ireland ten — and the overlap is smaller than most people assume, because Scotland skips Easter Monday and takes its summer holiday four weeks earlier than everyone else. The table below is the England and Wales list; Scotland’s and Northern Ireland’s dates follow underneath.
Dates in 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Thursday | New Year's DayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| April 3, 2026 | Friday | Good FridayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| April 6, 2026 | Monday | Easter MondayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| May 4, 2026 | Monday | Early May bank holidayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| May 25, 2026 | Monday | Spring bank holidayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| August 31, 2026 | Monday | Summer bank holidayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| December 25, 2026 | Friday | Christmas DayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| December 28, 2026 | Monday | Boxing Day (substitute day)Boxing Day (Dec 26) falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday Dec 28.Substitute holiday | Substitute holiday |
Scotland: ten bank holidays in 2026
Scotland’s 2026 list runs: New Year’s Day (Thu Jan 1), 2nd January (Fri Jan 2), Good Friday (Fri Apr 3), Early May (Mon May 4), Spring (Mon May 25), a one-off World Cup bank holiday (Mon Jun 15), Summer (Mon Aug 3), St Andrew’s Day (Mon Nov 30), Christmas Day (Fri Dec 25) and the Boxing Day substitute (Mon Dec 28).
Two differences matter most in practice. Scotland does not observe Easter Monday at all, so the Easter break there is a three-day weekend rather than four days. And Scotland takes its summer bank holiday on the first Monday of August rather than the last — 3 August against 31 August — which pulls Scottish school and business calendars out of step with England for most of the month.
In exchange Scotland keeps 2nd January, a legacy of Hogmanay, and St Andrew’s Day on 30 November. St Andrew’s Day is a slightly unusual case: it became a bank holiday under the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, but the Act does not oblige employers to close, and many Scottish businesses trade as normal. In 2026 it falls on a Monday, so no substitute is needed. The World Cup bank holiday on 15 June is a one-off declared for 2026 only and does not recur.
Northern Ireland: the two extra days
Northern Ireland follows the England and Wales pattern and then adds two days of its own: St Patrick’s Day (Tue Mar 17, 2026) and the Battle of the Boyne, also known as Orangemen’s Day. The Boyne anniversary is 12 July, which is a Sunday in 2026, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 13 July.
Unlike Scotland, Northern Ireland does keep Easter Monday (Mon Apr 6) and takes the summer bank holiday on the last Monday of August (Mon Aug 31), in step with England and Wales. Its full 2026 list is ten days: New Year’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May, Spring, the Battle of the Boyne substitute, Summer, Christmas Day and the Boxing Day substitute.
What a bank holiday does — and does not — give you
A bank holiday is not a statutory right to paid leave anywhere in the UK. Whether you are paid, and whether you get the day at all, is set by your employment contract. Many contracts fold bank holidays into the statutory 28 days of annual leave rather than adding to them, which is why two people on the same salary can end up with very different numbers of days off.
This matters most when a contract crosses a border. A clause promising “all UK bank holidays” is genuinely ambiguous — a Glasgow employee and a Manchester employee reading the same words would take different days. Employers with staff in more than one nation normally name the nation whose list applies.
When a fixed-date bank holiday lands on a weekend, a substitute weekday is created, normally the following Monday. Substitutes are the main reason the three lists occasionally realign at the end of December even when they differ all year.
Official sources & data
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays does each UK nation get in 2026?+
England and Wales have eight, Scotland has ten and Northern Ireland has ten. Scotland’s higher count comes from 2nd January, St Andrew’s Day and the one-off World Cup bank holiday, offset by dropping Easter Monday; Northern Ireland’s comes from St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
Do I get St Andrew’s Day off in Scotland?+
Not automatically. St Andrew’s Day (Mon Nov 30, 2026) is a bank holiday in Scotland under the 2007 Act, but that Act does not require employers to close or to give paid leave. Many Scottish shops, offices and services run as normal, so check your contract.
Does Scotland have Easter Monday off?+
No. Easter Monday (Apr 6, 2026) is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but not in Scotland, where only Good Friday (Apr 3) appears on the list. Scottish employers who give the Monday off do so by contract, not by statute.
When is the Battle of the Boyne bank holiday in 2026?+
Monday 13 July 2026. The anniversary itself is 12 July, but that is a Sunday in 2026, so Northern Ireland takes the substitute bank holiday on the following Monday.
Why is Scotland’s summer bank holiday in early August?+
Scotland fixes it to the first Monday of August (Aug 3 in 2026), while England, Wales and Northern Ireland use the last Monday (Aug 31). It is a long-standing divergence that also shows up in school terms — Scottish schools return in mid-August, weeks before English ones.
Is the World Cup bank holiday a permanent Scottish holiday?+
No. Monday 15 June 2026 is a one-off bank holiday declared in Scotland for that year only. It does not appear on the 2027 list and it applies in Scotland alone, not in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.