Working Days Calculator (UK)

Count the working days (Monday to Friday) between two dates, or the days from Monday to Saturday. Bank holidays in England and Wales, including substitute days, are deducted automatically.

Bank holidays and working days in 2026

In 2026, England and Wales have 253 working days (Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays) and 305 days from Monday to Saturday. No bank holiday is lost to the weekend: when Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute weekday is given.

When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, the substitute weekday is shown. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different bank holidays.

Calendar days, working days and business days

These terms appear in contracts, terms and conditions and deadlines, and they do not always mean the same days:

Always check how a contract defines its days. Some agreements treat Saturday as a working day, and court rules in England and Wales use their own definitions, such as “clear days”, which exclude the day the period starts and, when the period ends with an event, the day of that event.

What are working days used for?

Holiday entitlement

Almost all workers in Great Britain are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year: 28 days for someone working five days a week, with a cap of 28 days. Employers can choose to include bank holidays in that total. Knowing the number of working days in each month makes it easier to plan leave around bank holidays.

Notice periods and deadlines

Many contracts and procedures set deadlines in working days, which skip weekends and bank holidays. To find the date at the end of a period, use the add days to a date calculator and choose the “Working days” unit.

Deliveries and bank payments

Delivery times and some bank payments are given in working days. A Bacs payment, for example, usually takes three working days to arrive. An order received on a Friday and dispatched “within 3 working days” will leave the warehouse by the following Wednesday at the latest (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), unless there is a bank holiday in between.

Frequently asked questions

Is Saturday a working day?

Not for most office jobs, but it is for many people in retail, hospitality and other sectors. Choose “Mon–Sat” in the calculator if Saturdays should count.

Are Scottish and Northern Irish bank holidays included?

No, only those of England and Wales. Scotland has bank holidays on 2 January and St Andrew’s Day (30 November), its summer bank holiday is the first Monday in August, and Easter Monday is not a bank holiday there. Northern Ireland adds St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July). Deduct these days yourself if you need to.

What happens when a bank holiday falls on a weekend?

A substitute day is given, normally the following Monday. In 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. In 2027, Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Saturday and a Sunday: the bank holidays are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. The calculator applies these substitute days automatically.

How many working days are there in a year?

In England and Wales, between 252 and 254 depending on the year: 253 in both 2026 and 2027. Extra one-off bank holidays, such as the one for the coronation in May 2023, reduce the total for that year; the calculator includes those of recent years.

Is the start date included?

Yes. By default both dates are counted, as for a holiday or a period of sick leave. Untick “Include the start date” or “Include the end date” to exclude them.

How to calculate working days between two dates

1. Count the calendar days in the period, including both dates.
2. Subtract Saturdays and Sundays (only Sundays if you count Monday to Saturday).
3. Subtract the bank holidays that fall on a weekday in the period, including substitute days.

Example: a holiday from Monday 21 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 covers 12 calendar days. Remove the 2 weekend days (Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December) and 3 bank holidays: Christmas Day (Friday 25), the substitute day for Boxing Day (Monday 28) and New Year’s Day (Friday 1 January). Result: 7 working days.

Bank holidays in England and Wales

England and Wales have eight bank holidays a year: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the early May bank holiday (first Monday in May), the spring bank holiday (last Monday in May), the summer bank holiday (last Monday in August), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Good Friday and Easter Monday depend on the date of Easter and change every year. Most bank holidays are set by, or proclaimed under, the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, while Christmas Day and Good Friday are traditional common law holidays. The government occasionally moves a bank holiday or adds an extra one for a national event, as for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

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