Are bank holidays paid in the UK?

Short answer: are bank holidays paid?

Not automatically. UK law gives almost all workers 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for someone working five days a week. There is no extra, separate right to be paid for bank holidays or to have them off. GOV.UK states that bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and that an employer can include them as part of the statutory 5.6 weeks.

In practice, many contracts say something like “20 days plus bank holidays”. That is the legal minimum written another way: 20 + 8 bank holidays in England and Wales = 28 days. A contract that says “28 days including bank holidays” gives the same total. Anything above 28 days is contractual extra leave.

How many bank holidays are there in each part of the UK?

England and Wales normally have 8 bank holidays a year, Scotland 9 and Northern Ireland 10. The number can change when an extra holiday is announced; for example, GOV.UK lists an additional bank holiday in Scotland on 15 June 2026. The statutory minimum does not grow with the number of bank holidays: it stays at 5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days. So a worker in Northern Ireland whose employer gives all 10 bank holidays off as part of the minimum would have 18 other days to choose.

In Scotland, bank holidays are not necessarily the days local businesses close; many employers observe local holidays instead. Check your contract or staff handbook for which days your employer treats as holidays.

Part-time workers and bank holidays

Part-time workers with regular hours get 5.6 times their usual working week. Someone working 3 days a week is entitled to at least 16.8 days (3 × 5.6). Because most bank holidays fall on a Monday, a part-timer who never works Mondays could lose out if the employer simply gives everyone “bank holidays off”. Many employers therefore give part-timers a pro-rata share of bank holidays, whichever days they work, so that they are not treated less favourably than comparable full-timers.

In England, Wales and Scotland, workers with irregular hours or who work only part of the year build up holiday as they work, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, at 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period. That April 2024 accrual method does not apply in Northern Ireland—check nidirect and the Labour Relations Agency for NI rules. Use the GOV.UK holiday entitlement calculator for Great Britain figures.

Working on a bank holiday: do you get extra pay?

There is no legal right to extra pay, such as time and a half, for working on a bank holiday, and no legal right to a day off in lieu. Whether you get either depends on your contract, staff handbook or collective agreement. If you work a bank holiday that your contract counts as part of your leave, you should still receive the full statutory number of days off at some other time in the year.

Your employer can tell you to take holiday on particular days, including bank holidays or the Christmas shutdown, but must give notice at least twice as long as the leave, unless your contract says otherwise.

Holiday pay rate and leaving a job

When you take statutory holiday, including a bank holiday that counts as leave, you should be paid your normal pay. For at least the first 4 weeks, that generally includes regular overtime, commission and similar regular payments, not only basic pay.

If you leave part-way through the holiday year, you are entitled to be paid for statutory holiday you have built up but not taken. Bank holidays that have not yet happened are not owed separately; they are simply part of the total that is pro-rated. Our guide on holiday balances at exit shows how to check the figure.

Northern Ireland and other differences

Northern Ireland has its own Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016, but the core rule is the same: 5.6 weeks of paid leave, capped at 28 days, which can include bank and public holidays. Advice and dispute resolution in Northern Ireland come from the Labour Relations Agency rather than Acas, and claims go to an industrial tribunal.

If you believe your employer is not giving your full entitlement, raise it in writing first. In Great Britain, unpaid holiday pay can be claimed in an employment tribunal after notifying Acas, within the time limit that applies to the payment.

Example: checking a part-time contract

Hypothetical: you work Tuesday to Thursday (3 days a week) in England. Your contract says you get “bank holidays off plus 10 days”. Your statutory minimum is 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days. In a year when only 1 of the 8 bank holidays falls on a Tuesday to Thursday, you are effectively getting 1 + 10 = 11 days, which is 5.8 days short. Ask HR to confirm how many days of paid leave you get in total, and how bank holidays that fall on your non-working days are handled.

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Frequently asked questions

Are bank holidays paid in the UK?

Not as a separate right. Workers get 5.6 weeks (28 days for a 5-day week) of paid leave, and an employer can count bank holidays as part of it. Your contract may give bank holidays on top.

Do part-time workers get bank holidays?

Part-timers are entitled to 5.6 times their working week. Many employers give a pro-rata share of bank holidays so part-timers are not treated less favourably than full-timers.

Do I get paid extra for working a bank holiday?

Only if your contract says so. There is no legal right to premium pay or a day off in lieu for working a bank holiday.

Can my employer make me use holiday for bank holidays?

Yes. An employer can require you to take leave on particular days, including bank holidays, if it gives notice at least twice as long as the leave, or as your contract says.

How many bank holidays are there in Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Usually 9 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland, compared with 8 in England and Wales. The statutory minimum stays at 28 days for a 5-day week everywhere.

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