UK Working Days Calculator
Count working days between two dates, or find a date that is a given number of working days away. Excludes Saturdays, Sundays and UK bank holidays for the region you choose.
Working days (England & Wales)
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Working days exclude weekends and the selected region's bank holidays. If the start or end date is a weekend or bank holiday, it is not counted as a working day.
What counts as a working day in the UK?
In the UK, a working day is typically any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a public bank holiday. Monday to Friday are standard working days, subject to the bank holiday calendar for the relevant nation.
For most employment contracts, service level agreements (SLAs), legal notices, and financial transactions, "working days" means days on which banks and most businesses are open — which excludes weekends and bank holidays.
This calculator uses the official GOV.UK bank holiday data — the same source as the UK Bank Holidays page — so it always reflects the correct, confirmed dates.
Why substitute bank holidays matter
When a UK bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Government designates a substitute (or "in lieu") public holiday on a nearby weekday — usually the following Monday or the next available weekday. Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day are the most common examples where this applies.
For example, if Christmas Day (25 December) falls on a Saturday, the substitute holiday is moved to Monday 27 December. This means the actual non-working day is the Monday, not the Saturday. This calculator handles substitute days automatically because it uses the official GOV.UK list, which always shows the designated substitute date rather than the original calendar date.
If your calculation spans a period that includes a potential substitute holiday, always verify against the official GOV.UK bank holidays list for the relevant year and nation.
Regional bank holiday differences
England & Wales
8 bank holidays per year. Includes New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May bank holiday, Spring bank holiday, Summer bank holiday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day.
Scotland
9 bank holidays per year. Scotland adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November) to the shared set, and does not always observe Easter Monday, giving a different total.
Northern Ireland
10 bank holidays per year. Northern Ireland also observes St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne / Orangemen's Day (12 July), which are not bank holidays elsewhere in the UK.
Common uses for a working days calculator
- Notice periods — employment contracts often state notice in working days (e.g. 10 working days). Count forward from a resignation or dismissal date to find the last working day.
- Legal deadlines — court documents, conveyancing, and statutory responses frequently specify deadlines in working days.
- SLA tracking — many customer service SLAs (complaints, refunds, deliveries) are measured in working days. Calculate whether a response is within the agreed window.
- Payroll and invoicing — payment terms such as "30 days net" or "5 working days after receipt" can be calculated precisely.
- Project planning — estimating task duration or project end dates based on a working-day schedule rather than calendar days.
Worked example
Scenario: A UK employee in England resigns on Monday 28 April 2026 and their contract requires 10 working days' notice. When is their last day?
- Start date: Monday 28 April 2026 (first working day of notice)
- Count forward 10 working days, excluding weekends
- Early May bank holiday 2026 falls on Monday 4 May — this day is skipped
- Result: the 10th working day lands on Friday 15 May 2026
Without accounting for the bank holiday, a naive calendar count of 10 days would give Thursday 7 May — but that misses the bank holiday on Monday 4 May. Using this calculator with the England & Wales region gives the correct date of Friday 15 May 2026.
Working Days Calculator FAQ
How many working days are there in 2026?
In England and Wales, 2026 has 365 days total, of which 105 are weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) and 8 are bank holidays falling on weekdays, leaving approximately 252 working days. Scotland has 9 bank holidays and Northern Ireland 10, so working-day counts vary slightly by nation. The exact number depends on how bank holidays fall relative to weekends in any given year.
Do bank holidays count as working days?
No. UK bank holidays are public holidays and are not counted as working days. Employees are legally entitled to the equivalent time off, either on the bank holiday itself or on a substitute day. This calculator excludes all bank holidays from the working-day count.
Does this calculator include Scottish bank holidays?
Yes. Use the region selector to choose Scotland and the calculator will apply the Scottish bank holiday set, which includes 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November) as well as the public holidays shared with England and Wales.
What is a substitute bank holiday?
When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the UK Government designates a substitute (in lieu) weekday holiday — usually the following Monday or the next available weekday. The GOV.UK bank holidays list always shows the substitute date, not the original, so this calculator automatically handles substitute days correctly.