Mustafa Bilgic
Financial Calculations Expert · Updated 20 February 2026 · 13 min read
Bank Holiday Pay Calculator
Enter your pay details and working pattern to calculate bank holiday entitlement and pay.
England & Wales Bank Holidays 2026 — All 8 Dates
New Year's DayThursday, 1 January 2026
Good FridayFriday, 3 April 2026
Easter MondayMonday, 6 April 2026
Early May Bank HolidayMonday, 4 May 2026
Spring Bank HolidayMonday, 25 May 2026
Summer Bank HolidayMonday, 31 August 2026
Christmas DayFriday, 25 December 2026
Boxing DaySaturday, 26 December 2026 (substitute: Monday 28 Dec)
Scotland: Has additional bank holidays — 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November). Northern Ireland: Has St Patrick's Day (17 March) and Battle of the Boyne (12 July) as additional bank holidays.
Your Legal Rights on Bank Holidays
The 28-Day Statutory Minimum
All workers in the UK are legally entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks' paid holiday per year (28 days for a full-time 5-day-week worker). This is the statutory minimum — your employer cannot offer less.
Crucially, this 28-day minimum can include bank holidays. So:
Option A: Employer gives you 20 days holiday + 8 bank holidays = 28 days total ✓
Option B: Employer gives you 28 days holiday + 8 bank holidays on top = 36 days total ✓ (more generous)
Option C: Employer gives you 22 days holiday + 8 bank holidays = 30 days — if they say you must use 8 on bank holidays, you only effectively have 22 days to choose ✓ (still legal)
No automatic right to extra pay on bank holidays: Unless your contract says so, you have no legal right to enhanced pay (time-and-a-half, double time) for working on a bank holiday. Your employment contract determines this.
Part-Time Workers
Under the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000, part-time workers must receive pro-rata bank holiday entitlement. A worker doing 3 days per week is entitled to 3/5 × 8 = 4.8 bank holiday days.
Working on Bank Holidays — Your Rights
Is It Legal to Be Required to Work on a Bank Holiday?
Yes — if your contract requires it. Many sectors (retail, hospitality, healthcare, emergency services) routinely require work on bank holidays. Your employer must:
Have this requirement in your contract
Give you your full statutory leave entitlement in total
Pay you at least your normal rate (enhanced pay is contractual not statutory)
TOIL — Time Off in Lieu
If you work a bank holiday, your employer may offer TOIL instead of or in addition to extra pay. TOIL gives you an equivalent day off at another time. Whether this is time-for-time or enhanced depends on your contract.
Refusing to Work a Bank Holiday
If your contract requires bank holiday working, refusing may be a disciplinary matter. If you have a genuine reason (e.g. religious observance), you should discuss this with your employer — they have a duty to consider reasonable adjustments.
Bank Holidays in Special Circumstances
On Sick Leave
If you are on sick leave when a bank holiday falls, the bank holiday does not count as sick leave — you retain your entitlement to it. Depending on your contract, you may receive sick pay or holiday pay on that day. You should not lose the bank holiday because of illness.
On Maternity or Paternity Leave
Bank holidays continue to accrue during maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave. You are entitled to take them either before or after your parental leave period.
Zero-Hours Contracts
Zero-hours workers accrue holiday at 12.07% of hours worked. This represents the 5.6 weeks' statutory entitlement expressed as a proportion of the working year (5.6 ÷ 46.4 weeks = 12.07%). Bank holidays are proportional to hours worked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I entitled to extra pay for working on a bank holiday?
There is no automatic legal right to extra pay for working on a bank holiday. Your right to enhanced pay (such as time-and-a-half or double time) depends entirely on what your employment contract says. Many employers do pay a premium voluntarily, but this is contractual, not a statutory requirement.
How many bank holidays are there in England in 2026?
There are 8 public bank holidays in England and Wales in 2026: New Year's Day (1 Jan), Good Friday (3 Apr), Easter Monday (6 Apr), Early May bank holiday (4 May), Spring bank holiday (25 May), Summer bank holiday (31 Aug), Christmas Day (25 Dec), and Boxing Day substitute (28 Dec). Scotland and Northern Ireland have additional bank holidays.
Do part-time workers get the same bank holiday entitlement?
Part-time workers are entitled to a pro-rata share of bank holidays. For example, if you work 3 days a week, you receive 3/5 × 8 = 4.8 bank holiday days of entitlement. You cannot be treated less favourably than comparable full-time workers on a pro-rata basis under the Part-time Workers Regulations 2000.
Can an employer count bank holidays as part of my 28 days annual leave?
Yes. The statutory minimum of 28 days annual leave (5.6 weeks) can include bank holidays. Many employers offer 28 days plus bank holidays on top, but this is not legally required. What matters is that you receive at least 28 days paid leave in total, which can include up to 8 bank holiday days.
What is TOIL and how does it work for bank holidays?
TOIL (Time Off In Lieu) means your employer gives you equivalent paid time off rather than extra pay when you work a bank holiday. For example, if you work 8 hours on Easter Monday, you accrue 8 hours TOIL to take as paid leave later. Whether TOIL is time-for-time or enhanced (e.g. 1.5x TOIL) depends on your employment contract.
Am I entitled to bank holiday pay if I'm on sick leave?
If a bank holiday falls while you are on sick leave, you retain your entitlement to it — it does not count as sick leave. Whether you receive sick pay or holiday pay on that day depends on your contract. You should not permanently lose the bank holiday due to illness and should be able to take it at another time.
Do zero-hours contract workers get bank holiday pay?
Yes. Zero-hours workers accrue paid holiday at 12.07% of hours worked (representing the statutory 5.6 weeks). If bank holidays fall on days they are not rostered, they may not receive additional payment for those specific dates, but their overall holiday entitlement must be met and they must receive paid leave proportional to hours worked.