Why are Scottish bank holidays different?

Scotland has distinct bank holiday dates rooted in historical and legal differences from England. Scotland observes 2 January as a bank holiday (Hogmanay tradition), has different summer bank holiday dates, and does not observe Easter Monday. Scotland also has a separate legal system and separate bank holiday legislation.

Does this include Good Friday?

Good Friday is a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland. Easter bank holiday dates change every year because Easter is a moveable feast calculated from the lunar calendar. The calculator applies the correct dates for each year.

What are custom holidays for?

Custom holidays let you add company-specific closure days that are not on the official bank holiday calendar. Common uses include company Christmas shut-down periods (beyond the statutory days), local observance days, or one-off closure dates for specific projects.

Does the start date count as a working day?

By default, yes. The \\\"include start date\\\" toggle is on. If your deadline calculation should exclude the start date (for example, a notice period starting the day after an event), switch the toggle off.

What is the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday?

In the UK, bank holidays are statutory days when banks are required to close by law. Public holiday is a broader term that includes bank holidays. In practice, most UK employers treat bank holidays as paid days off, but this is a contractual matter, check your employment contract or HR policy for specific treatment.

Can I compare working days across all three UK regions?

Yes. Enable the \\\"compare all regions\\\" option to see the working day count for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland simultaneously. This is useful for contracts or projects spanning multiple regions where delivery timelines differ.

UK Working Days Calculator

Count business days between two dates, skipping weekends and UK bank holidays for your region.

Date range

Start dateEnd date

Include start dateInclude end date

UK region

Bank holiday calendarCompare working days for all three regionsCustom holidays (YYYY-MM-DD, one per line)

Working days (England & Wales)

Calendar days in range

Weekends excluded

Bank holidays excluded

Working days

Per-week breakdown

Week	Working	Weekends
Week of 2026-07-05	1	1
Week of 2026-07-12	5	2
Week of 2026-07-19	5	2
Week of 2026-07-26	5	2
Week of 2026-08-02	5	2

Add deadline to Google Calendar

Bank holiday dates follow GOV.UK rules through 2030. Confirm contract deadlines against your employer calendar.

How this tool works

Select your start date, end date, and UK region. The calculator steps through every calendar day in the range, skips Saturdays and Sundays, skips bank holidays for the selected region, and counts the remaining days as working days.

Worked example

Start: 20 December 2024. End: 3 January 2025. Region: England and Wales. Calendar days: 15 (Dec 20 to Jan 3) Weekends removed: Dec 21-22, Dec 28-29, Jan 4-5 (but Jan 4 is outside range) = 4 weekend days in range Bank holidays removed: Dec 25 (Christmas), Dec 26 (Boxing Day), Jan 1 (New Year's) = 3 days Working days: 15 - 4 weekends - 3 bank holidays = 8 working days Scotland result: same, because Jan 2 falls on a Thursday in this example, but in years where Jan 2 is a weekday, Scotland gets one

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Frequently asked questions

Why are Scottish bank holidays different?
Scotland has distinct bank holiday dates rooted in historical and legal differences from England. Scotland observes 2 January as a bank holiday (Hogmanay tradition), has different summer bank holiday dates, and does not observe Easter Monday. Scotland also has a separate legal system and separate bank holiday legislation.
Does this include Good Friday?
Good Friday is a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland. Easter bank holiday dates change every year because Easter is a moveable feast calculated from the lunar calendar. The calculator applies the correct dates for each year.
What are custom holidays for?
Custom holidays let you add company-specific closure days that are not on the official bank holiday calendar. Common uses include company Christmas shut-down periods (beyond the statutory days), local observance days, or one-off closure dates for specific projects.
Does the start date count as a working day?
By default, yes. The \\\"include start date\\\" toggle is on. If your deadline calculation should exclude the start date (for example, a notice period starting the day after an event), switch the toggle off.
What is the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday?
In the UK, bank holidays are statutory days when banks are required to close by law. Public holiday is a broader term that includes bank holidays. In practice, most UK employers treat bank holidays as paid days off, but this is a contractual matter, check your employment contract or HR policy for specific treatment.
Can I compare working days across all three UK regions?
Yes. Enable the \\\"compare all regions\\\" option to see the working day count for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland simultaneously. This is useful for contracts or projects spanning multiple regions where delivery timelines differ.