England and Wales have eight bank holidays in 2027 once the substitute days are counted. Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland has 10. Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, so the days off are December 27 (Monday) and December 28 (Tuesday), although in Scotland those two days rest on GOV.UK’s list alone. New Year’s Day is a Friday, and Scotland’s 2nd January holiday falls on a Saturday, so Scotland takes Monday, January 4 instead. GOV.UK lists no extra or one-off bank holiday for 2027 as of October 27, 2026, though one can still be added: Scotland had a World Cup bank holiday on June 15, 2026. Two comparisons below show why the counts matter. In England and Wales, a worker on 3 days a week can use 6 days of leave on bank holidays while another uses 2, and a leave year that starts in April holds 10 bank holidays in 2026-27 but only 6 in 2027-28, if the January 3, 2028 substitute day holds.
Employers do not have to give paid leave on bank holidays. What staff get depends on the contract. The practical questions are whether you count the days toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday and what that does to part-time staff. The dates below come from GOV.UK’s bank holiday data, checked October 27, 2026.
All 27 holidays on this pageIn date order, each with who it affects, what to do and the source
January 2027In 64 days4 holidays
New Year's Day
Friday, January 1, 2027. A bank holiday in England and Wales.
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
New Year's Day
Friday, January 1, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
New Year's Day
Friday, January 1, 2027. A bank holiday in Scotland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
2nd January
Saturday, January 2, 2027. The day off is Monday, January 4, 2027, a substitute day named in the July 8, 2026 Scotland order.
Observed Monday, Jan 4
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
March 2027In 139 days6 holidays
St Patrick's Day
Wednesday, March 17, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland only.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
Good Friday
Friday, March 26, 2027. A bank holiday in England and Wales.
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Good Friday
Friday, March 26, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
Good Friday
Friday, March 26, 2027. A bank holiday in Scotland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Easter Monday
Monday, March 29, 2027. A bank holiday in England and Wales.
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Easter Monday
Monday, March 29, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
May 2027In 186 days6 holidays
Early May bank holiday
Monday, May 3, 2027. A bank holiday in England and Wales.
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Early May bank holiday
Monday, May 3, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
Early May bank holiday
Monday, May 3, 2027. A bank holiday in Scotland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Spring bank holiday
Monday, May 31, 2027. A bank holiday in England and Wales.
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Spring bank holiday
Monday, May 31, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
Spring bank holiday
Monday, May 31, 2027. A bank holiday in Scotland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
July 2027In 256 days1 holiday
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day)
Monday, July 12, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland only.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
August 2027In 277 days3 holidays
Summer bank holiday
Monday, August 2, 2027. A bank holiday in Scotland. England, Wales and Northern Ireland have theirs on August 30.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Summer bank holiday
Monday, August 30, 2027. A bank holiday in England and Wales.
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
Summer bank holiday
Monday, August 30, 2027. A bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for this day.
November 2027In 397 days1 holiday
St Andrew's Day
Tuesday, November 30, 2027. A bank holiday in Scotland only.
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check whether contracts give this day as paid leave or count it toward the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday.
December 2027In 422 days6 holidays
Christmas Day
Saturday, December 25, 2027. The day off is Monday, December 27, 2027, a substitute day listed by GOV.UK.
Observed Monday, Dec 27
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check contracts and rotas for December 27 and 28. Confirm whether closure days count toward statutory holiday and do not deduct leave for staff who do not usually work those days.
Christmas Day
Saturday, December 25, 2027. The day off is Monday, December 27, 2027, a substitute day listed by GOV.UK.
Observed Monday, Dec 27
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for December 27 and 28.
Christmas Day
Saturday, December 25, 2027. GOV.UK lists Monday, December 27, 2027 as the substitute day. The July 8, 2026 Scotland order does not name it, so it rests on GOV.UK's list alone as of October 27, 2026.
Observed Monday, Dec 27
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check contracts and rotas for December 27 and 28. Confirm whether closure days count toward statutory holiday and do not deduct leave for staff who do not usually work those days.
Boxing Day
Sunday, December 26, 2027. The day off is Tuesday, December 28, 2027, a substitute day listed by GOV.UK.
Observed Tuesday, Dec 28
- Who
- Employers and workers in England and Wales
- Do
- Check contracts and rotas for December 27 and 28. Confirm whether closure days count toward statutory holiday and do not deduct leave for staff who do not usually work those days.
Boxing Day
Sunday, December 26, 2027. The day off is Tuesday, December 28, 2027, a substitute day listed by GOV.UK.
Observed Tuesday, Dec 28
- Who
- Employers and workers in Northern Ireland
- Do
- Check the contract and rota for December 27 and 28.
Boxing Day
Sunday, December 26, 2027. GOV.UK lists Tuesday, December 28, 2027 as the substitute day. The July 8, 2026 Scotland order does not name it, so it rests on GOV.UK's list alone as of October 27, 2026.
Observed Tuesday, Dec 28
- Who
- Employers and workers in Scotland
- Do
- Check contracts and rotas for December 27 and 28. Confirm whether closure days count toward statutory holiday and do not deduct leave for staff who do not usually work those days.
2027 bank holidays by nation
Every one of these days falls on a weekday.
| Date | Day | Holiday | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Friday | New Year’s Day | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| January 4 | Monday | 2nd January (substitute day) | – | Yes | – |
| March 17 | Wednesday | St Patrick’s Day | – | – | Yes |
| March 26 | Friday | Good Friday | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| March 29 | Monday | Easter Monday | Yes | – | Yes |
| May 3 | Monday | Early May bank holiday | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| May 31 | Monday | Spring bank holiday | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| July 12 | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) | – | – | Yes |
| August 2 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | – | Yes | – |
| August 30 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | Yes | – | Yes |
| November 30 | Tuesday | St Andrew’s Day | – | Yes | – |
| December 27 | Monday | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Yes | Yes* | Yes |
| December 28 | Tuesday | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Yes | Yes* | Yes |
* GOV.UK lists this day for Scotland. The Scotland order of July 8, 2026 does not name it.
Three of the days are substitutes. January 2 is a Saturday, so Scotland moves its holiday to Monday, January 4. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Saturday and a Sunday, so GOV.UK lists December 27 (Monday) and December 28 (Tuesday) as the substitute days in every column of the table.
Outside Scotland, the law behind December 27 is Schedule 1 to the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which makes December 27 a bank holiday in a year when December 25 or 26 is a Sunday. December 28 comes from a Proclamation, to which an Order in Council of July 8, 2026 directed the Great Seal to be affixed.
Scotland is different. Schedule 1 makes Christmas Day itself a Scottish bank holiday unless it falls on a Sunday. The Scotland order of July 8, 2026 names January 4 and May 31, 2027. It does not name December 27 or 28. The starred Scottish days in the table therefore rest on GOV.UK’s list alone as of October 27, 2026, so recheck them before you fix a Scottish rota.
Do bank holidays count toward the 5.6 weeks?
The rules in this section are for Great Britain. This page does not cover the Northern Ireland rules on holiday entitlement.
Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave a year, capped at 28 days, according to GOV.UK. An employer can include bank holidays in those 5.6 weeks, and some give them on top. A full-time worker on 28 days whose employer counts every bank holiday has 20 days left to choose in England and Wales and 19 in Scotland, counting the two starred days.
Acas sets conditions for making someone take a bank holiday as part of their holiday. The day must be one they usually work, the workplace must be shut or the business stopped, and the contract must say so or the employer must give notice. If the bank holiday falls on a day a part-time worker does not usually work, the employer cannot make them use it as holiday.
That matters in 2027 because most bank holidays are Mondays. In England and Wales, five of the eight fall on a Monday and two on a Friday. The last is Tuesday, December 28. Take two workers on 3 days a week, who both get 5.6 weeks, or 16.8 days. If the business closes on bank holidays and counts them as leave, then in England and Wales:
- A worker on Monday to Wednesday uses 6 of the 16.8 days: the five Mondays and Tuesday, December 28. That leaves 10.8 days.
- A worker on Wednesday to Friday uses 2 days: January 1 and Good Friday. That leaves 14.8 days.
Acas describes the same effect: a worker who has Mondays off uses fewer days.
If your leave year runs April to March
The number of bank holidays in a leave year depends on where Easter lands. Counting from the GOV.UK dates:
| Leave year | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 | 10 | 11 (10 without the World Cup day) | 12 |
| April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Calendar year 2027 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
The Recruitment & Employment Confederation also counts 10 bank holidays for England and Wales in 2026-27. That leave year holds the Good Friday and Easter Monday of both 2026 and 2027. The next leave year has none of the Easter days: Easter 2028 falls in April 2028, after that leave year ends. The 2027-28 row also includes the January 3, 2028 substitute for New Year’s Day, and January 4, 2028 in Scotland. GOV.UK lists those days, but the July 8, 2026 orders name no 2028 date, so treat that row as provisional.
Staff in England and Wales choose 18 days in 2026-27 and 22 days in 2027-28, if the January 3, 2028 day holds, where a contract gives 28 days including bank holidays. If your contract gives bank holidays on top of the 28 days, the extra days still differ between those two years. Check which wording your contracts use before staff book time off.
What to check before you publish the 2027 rota
Check
- The contract says whether bank holidays are on top of the 28 days or inside them
- Staff know the 2027 Christmas days off are December 27 and 28
- Part-time staff are not charged leave for a bank holiday that falls on a day they do not work
- Scottish and Northern Irish sites use their own dates, since they differ from England and Wales
- Your leave year start date is checked against the Easter dates
In Scotland, the Scottish Government says local councils decide local public holidays, so a site-specific holiday can come on top of the bank holidays above.
For the other dates that change your calendar in 2027, see UK Employment Law Changes 2027 and UK Payroll and Tax Dates 2027. Public Holidays 2027 by Country covers other countries, and the Get ready for 2027 play lists the documents to update.
Start with your part-time staff. For each person, list which of the 2027 bank holidays fall on a day they normally work, and compare it with what their contract says.
Written and reviewed by the HR Riant Editorial Team. General information, not legal advice.