England and Wales have eight bank holidays a year, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have different sets. To count working days, take the calendar days between two dates, remove Saturdays and Sundays, then remove any bank holidays that fall on weekdays.
Doing this by hand is easy to get wrong around Christmas, Easter and substitute days, so a calculator is quicker for anything that matters, such as notice periods or delivery deadlines.
The UK’s bank holidays
The UK does not have one list. England and Wales have eight:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Summer bank holiday (last Monday of August)
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
Scotland and Northern Ireland differ. Scotland has 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, among others, while Northern Ireland has St Patrick’s Day and 12 July. When a holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday is usually given. Check GOV.UK for the official list and for any one-off additions.
What counts as a working day?
A working day is normally Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. That is a common definition, but contracts and companies vary. Some treat Saturday as a working day, and some regions have a different working week, so always check the exact wording in your contract, lease or order terms.
Employers can treat bank holidays differently. Whether you are entitled to the day off, or to time off in lieu, depends on your contract, so check yours or GOV.UK.
How to count working days between two dates
By hand:
- Count the calendar days between the two dates.
- Subtract the Saturdays and Sundays.
- Subtract any bank holidays that land on weekdays.
Remember to decide whether the start and end dates are included. Different tools and contracts handle that differently.
For a worked example, take 21 December 2026 to 8 January 2027 in England and Wales. The Working days and bank holidays tool gives:
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Calendar days | 19 |
| Weekend days | 4 |
| Holidays on working days | 3 |
| Working days | 12 |
The three holidays are Christmas Day (Friday 25 December), the Boxing Day substitute (Monday 28 December) and New Year’s Day (Friday 1 January). Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026, so the bank holiday moves to the Monday.
Counting down to a date
If you only want to know how long until an event, deadline or holiday, the Countdown to a date tool is simpler. For Christmas Day 2026, counting from 5 October 2026, it shows:
- 81 days, or 11 weeks and 4 days
- 59 working days (Monday to Friday)
- 22 weekend days
- Roughly 1,944 hours
Note that the working-day count in the countdown tool is Monday to Friday only. Use the working days calculator when you need bank holidays removed too.
Common mistakes when counting working days
- Forgetting that bank holidays differ by nation, so a Scottish office and an English office may not share the same days off.
- Missing substitute days when a holiday falls on a weekend.
- Counting both the start and end date when the agreement only counts one of them.
- Assuming the same Monday to Friday week applies in every country; in some places the weekend falls on different days.
Where a legal deadline or notice period is involved, confirm how the document counts days and whether it says “working days” or “business days”.
Using working days for pay and planning
Working days matter well beyond leave planning. They affect delivery times, payment terms and project plans. If you want to know what a shorter month means for your wages, see Hourly rate to salary, and how to work out overtime and How to work out your take-home pay from a UK salary. If you work with people overseas, Time zones explained: how to convert times without mistakes explains how to plan meetings across regions.
The workdays tool covers 100+ countries’ public holidays using built-in rules, with a choice of weekend pattern. Holidays set by decree or by lunar calendars should be checked with an official source before you rely on the result.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Our tools give estimates. Check GOV.UK, your contract or your employer for holiday entitlement and exact dates.
Try the calculator
Use the Working days and bank holidays calculator to count working days between two dates in the UK or another country, or the Countdown to a date calculator to see how long is left until a date.
Open the free Working days and bank holidays
Frequently asked questions
How many bank holidays are there in the UK?
England and Wales have eight a year. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different lists, so the number and dates vary by nation.
What happens when a bank holiday falls on a weekend?
A substitute weekday is usually given, often the following Monday. In 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the substitute is Monday 28 December.
Do bank holidays count as working days?
Not in a normal Monday to Friday definition. But contracts vary, so check the exact wording.
Is Saturday a working day?
Not usually, but some contracts and businesses include it. Our tool lets you change the weekend pattern.