Skip to content

Arrow keys select, Enter opens, Esc closes.

    United Kingdom working days and public holidays 2026

    United Kingdom, 2026: 251–253 working days, depending on the region. There are 5 national public holidays, and regions add their own. The table below and the calculator, once you pick a region, give the exact number.

    United Kingdom 2026 at a glance

    The number of working days depends on the region. Pick a region to see the exact number.

    Invalid date range.

    Failed to load holiday data.

    Working days (depends on the region)
    251–253
    Standard hours
    2008–2024
    Free days
    112–114
    Calendar days
    365
    Holidays in period
    5
    Free days from holidays
    5
    Holidays on weekends
    0

    Public holidays 2026

    January

    • 1 Jan Thursday New Year's Day England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
    • 2 Jan Friday 2 January Scotland

    March

    • 17 Mar Tuesday Saint Patrick's Day Northern Ireland

    April

    • 3 Apr Friday Good Friday
    • 6 Apr Monday Easter Monday England, Wales, Northern Ireland

    May

    • 4 May Monday Early May Bank Holiday
    • 25 May Monday Spring Bank Holiday

    June

    • 15 Jun Monday World Cup Bank Holiday Scotland

    July

    • 13 Jul Monday Battle of the Boyne Northern Ireland

    August

    • 3 Aug Monday Summer Bank Holiday Scotland
    • 31 Aug Monday Summer Bank Holiday England, Wales, Northern Ireland

    November

    • 30 Nov Monday Saint Andrew's Day Scotland

    December

    • 25 Dec Friday Christmas Day Next
    • 28 Dec Monday Boxing Day

    Working days by month 2026, national holidays only

    Month Working days Hours
    January 22 176
    February 20 160
    March 22 176
    April 3 Apr Good Friday 21 168
    May 4 May Early May Bank Holiday, 25 May Spring Bank Holiday 19 152
    June 22 176
    July 23 184
    August 21 168
    September 22 176
    October 22 176
    November 21 168
    December 25 Dec Christmas Day, 28 Dec Boxing Day 21 168
    Total 256 2048

    Working days by region 2026

    Region Working days Hours
    England1 Jan New Year's Day, 6 Apr Easter Monday, 31 Aug Summer Bank Holiday 253 2024
    Northern Ireland1 Jan New Year's Day, 17 Mar Saint Patrick's Day, 6 Apr Easter Monday, 13 Jul Battle of the Boyne, 31 Aug Summer Bank Holiday 251 2008
    Scotland1 Jan New Year's Day, 2 Jan 2 January, 15 Jun World Cup Bank Holiday, 3 Aug Summer Bank Holiday, 30 Nov Saint Andrew's Day 251 2008
    Wales1 Jan New Year's Day, 6 Apr Easter Monday, 31 Aug Summer Bank Holiday 253 2024

    How it works?

    This calculator counts working days, public holidays, and shortened workdays for a selected country and period. A working day is any day outside the weekend (Saturday and Sunday; in Egypt Friday and Saturday) that is not a public holiday. Shortened workdays: in Estonia the working day immediately before New Year's Day, Independence Day, Victory Day and Christmas Eve is 3 hours shorter. In Latvia and Lithuania the working day immediately before every public holiday is 1 hour shorter (Latvian Labour Law § 135, Lithuanian Labour Code art. 112).

    Holiday data comes from the Nager.Date public holiday database, updated annually.

    Frequently asked questions

    What counts as a working day?

    A working day is any day that is neither a weekend day nor a public holiday. In Estonia and most countries the weekend is Saturday and Sunday; in Egypt it is Friday and Saturday.

    Link to this answer

    What is a shortened workday?

    Under § 53 of the Estonian Employment Contracts Act, the working day before New Year's Day, Independence Day (24 February), Victory Day (23 June) and Christmas Eve (24 December) is shortened by three hours. The day shortened is the one immediately before the holiday: if that day is a day off (for example a Sunday), no working day is shortened - the Friday before stays a full day. In Estonia the day before other public holidays is not shortened. In Latvia (Labour Law § 135) and Lithuania (Labour Code art. 112) the working day right before every public holiday is one hour shorter for full-time staff.

    Link to this answer

    Why don’t some public holidays reduce the working day count?

    If a public holiday falls on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday), it does not reduce the working day count, since those days would not be working days regardless.

    Link to this answer

    How are annual working hours calculated?

    Multiply the working days by 8 hours and subtract the shortening for each shortened day - 3 hours in Estonia, 1 hour in Latvia and Lithuania: working days × 8 − shortened days × 3 (or × 1). Monthly norm hours work the same way from that month's working days. For part-time staff, use the agreed daily hours instead of 8.

    Link to this answer

    Working days and public holidays in other countries

    Related tools

    Vacation Days Optimizer

    Plan your leave so that vacation days, public holidays and weekends add up to the longest possible time off. Three plans with three goals.

    Salary ↔ Hourly Calculator

    Calculate the hourly rate from an annual or monthly salary, and the monthly or annual salary from an hourly rate.

    Absence Pay Deduction

    Calculate how much is deducted from gross pay for hours of unpaid absence.

    Salary and Tax Calculator

    Calculate net salary from gross salary or the other way round, with all Estonian payroll taxes and the total employer cost.

    Write to us

    Something not working, a figure that looks wrong, or a question? Write here. We read every message.

    The address of this page comes with your message. What we keep

    Country