UK bank holidays differ across the three calendars — England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — and several of them move each year or shift to a substitute day when they land on a weekend. For employment-law notice periods, contract deadlines, and SLA windows you need the correct set. This tool counts net working days between two dates using the proper bank-holiday calendar for the nation you choose.
How it works
For each year your range spans, the tool assembles the bank-holiday set for the selected nation from three kinds of rule:
- Fixed-date holidays (New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, plus St Patrick’s Day, the Battle of the Boyne, St Andrew’s Day, and Scotland’s 2 January) get a substitute day when they fall on a weekend — the next working day is taken instead.
- Monday holidays are computed by position: Early May (first Monday of May), Spring (last Monday of May), and Summer (last Monday of August; first Monday of August in Scotland).
- Easter holidays — Good Friday and Easter Monday — are derived from Easter Sunday using the Gauss algorithm.
The tool then walks the inclusive range, removing Saturdays, Sundays, and any bank-holiday date.
Notes and example
Christmas Day 2027-12-25 falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day 2027-12-26 on a Sunday, so their substitute holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December — and those are the weekdays deducted. A holiday already on a weekend is not deducted twice.
The tool covers the standard recurring bank holidays only. Occasional one-off bank holidays announced for royal or national events are not included; add them manually if your range covers one.