What are the dates for UK bank holidays in 2026?

Before you start fantasising about white sandy beaches or a fun staycation, it’s worth knowing what UK bank holidays there are in 2026, so you can add them to your calendar.

Moreover, being mindful of these dates as an employer can help you plan out workforce projects and, of course, assist your employees in making the most of their leave.

So, without rambling on any more, here’s a useful guide and reference for HR and office managers keen to update their calendars (or plot a getaway or two).

Let’s review the 2026 UK bank holidays, as well as those upcoming in 2027 and 2028 (for those who want to get extra organised).

How many UK bank holidays are there in 2026?

Let’s start with how many bank holidays there are in the UK in 2026. Well, there are 8 public bank holidays in England and Wales, 9 in Scotland, and 10 in Northern Ireland, starting with New Year's Day on the 1st of January as outlined in our table below:

There are two important things to note here. The first is that there are some differences between the countries of the UK, especially concerning national holidays and the August bank holiday. The second is that substitute weekdays are when the actual day falls on the weekend, and so the bank holiday is moved to the following Monday, for example, in the case of Boxing Day in 2026.

How is the legislation on bank holidays evolving? 

While no extra bank holidays are currently planned for 2026, the legislative landscape for leave and working hours is evolving. The Employment Rights Bill is expected to bring significant reforms by 2026, including changes to zero-hours contracts and flexible working rights.

Employers must also ensure compliance with the April 2024 holiday pay reforms, which reintroduced the 12.07% accrual method for irregular hours and part-year workers. Staying ahead of these changes is crucial for accurate holiday pay calculations and avoiding compliance pitfalls.

What are the bank holidays for 2027?

If you’re looking to plan even further ahead, the government has already laid out their bank holiday plans for 2027 and 2028. Here are the UK bank holidays for 2027:

And how many bank holidays can we expect in 2028?

And for those of us who want to be really ahead of the game, here are the bank holidays for 2028:

Does the 28 days holiday entitlement include bank holidays?

In the UK, all full-time employees are entitled to the equivalent of 28 days’ annual leave a year. However, how bank holidays fit into this entitlement can often be a source of confusion.

What exactly is the legal position on bank holidays?

It is a common myth that, of the standard holiday entitlement, eight days are automatically assigned to bank holidays. The truth is that there is no statutory entitlement to be paid for UK bank holidays. Instead, employers have the right to decide when someone takes their annual leave.

Put differently, employees do not have an automatic legal entitlement to paid leave on bank holidays. Any right to time off or extra pay for working on those days is entirely dependent on the terms laid out in their employment contract.

How should company policies handle bank holiday closures?

Because there is no automatic right to time off, the handling of these days falls to company policy. Many companies choose to remain closed on bank holidays, and therefore allocate these days as part of their employees’ statutory annual leave entitlement. However, this must be clearly communicated to employees to avoid disputes.

How is UK bank holiday pay calculated?

This is a big topic, which we cover at length on our blog. But to sum things up, calculating holiday pay is comes down to working out the average number of days worked in a week.

Holiday pay is generally calculated to ensure that an employee receives their normal pay rate during their leave. For salaried employees, this is straightforward, but for those with variable hours, it often involves calculating the average pay over a reference period (currently 52 weeks).

How should part-time and irregular hours be handled?

Calculating entitlement for non-standard workers demands extra care:

• Part-time workers: If part-time workers work the same amount of hours every week, just part-time, then their holiday entitlement would be 5.6 times the days they work in a week. Also, bank holiday entitlement should be pro-rated to ensure fairness, especially for part-time workers who do not work on Mondays.

• Zero-hours contracts: Zero or irregular-hours employees’ bank holiday pay is a different story, but it boils down to calculating either accrued annual leave or rolled-up holiday pay.

How can payroll software help with leave management?

Integrated payroll software aims to simplify the lives of both employers and employees, including with regards to bank holidays, and leave and absence management.

Beyond simply tracking dates, modern platforms automate the complex calculations often associated with bank holidays, such as pro-rata entitlements for part-time staff. This reduces the risk of human error and ensures compliance with evolving legislation.

Typically, both admins and employees have access to their own portals:

• For employees: They can make annual leave requests while having full visibility over their team’s calendar. This helps them plan their leave effectively, ensuring no clashes during popular bank holiday periods.

• For managers: Admins can approve or refuse requests instantly, with a clear view of workforce availability.

What’s more, approved leave balances are automatically updated on the employee space and automatically reflected on the employee’s payslip, removing the need for manual data entry.

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