Christmas and New Year 2026 bank holidays
| Nation | Bank holidays |
|---|---|
| England and Wales | Fri 25 Dec 2026, Mon 28 Dec 2026, Fri 1 Jan 2027 |
| Scotland | Fri 25 Dec 2026, Mon 28 Dec 2026, Fri 1 Jan 2027, Mon 4 Jan 2027 |
| Northern Ireland | Fri 25 Dec 2026, Mon 28 Dec 2026, Fri 1 Jan 2027 |
Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December3.
How much notice for a Christmas shutdown?
An employer can decide to close over Christmas and tell workers to use some of their holiday, even if the business stayed open in previous years. Acas says to give at least twice as many calendar days' notice as the number of days of holiday they need to take, and to check contracts for any terms set by custom and practice first1.
| Closure | Holiday days used | Notice (calendar days) | Tell staff by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December to Friday 1 January | 4 | 8 | Wed 16 Dec 2026 |
| Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 December | 3 | 6 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
| Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January | 7 | 14 | Mon 7 Dec 2026 |
| Thursday 24 December to Monday 4 January (Scotland) | 4 | 8 | Wed 16 Dec 2026 |
Holiday days are Monday to Friday working days in the closure that are not bank holidays, for a Monday to Friday worker. Bank holidays inside the closure are handled by your bank holiday policy.
Do staff get extra pay for working Christmas Day or a bank holiday?
Only if the contract says so. Whether someone has to work a bank holiday is up to the employer and the contract, and there is no automatic legal right to a higher rate14. What the law does require: the hourly pay must not fall below the minimum wage5, and a worker who works a bank holiday must still get their full 5.6 weeks of paid holiday in the year1. A worker cannot be paid in lieu of bank holidays, except for untaken holiday when they leave1.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Normal pay: 8 hours at £12.71 | £101.68 |
| With a 1.5x contractual premium | £152.52 |
| Extra pay for the shift | £50.84 |
| Extra employer NI on that (15%, for an employee already above the threshold) | £7.63 |
The premium is an example of a contract term, not a legal requirement.
Part-time workers and bank holidays
Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks pro rata, and the bank holiday rules are the same as for full-time staff1. Someone working 3 days a week gets 16.8 days a year (3 x 5.6).
If a bank holiday falls on a day a part-time worker does not usually work, the employer cannot make them use holiday for it. Acas's example: two 3-day workers both get 16.8 days including bank holidays; the one who works Mondays uses more of it on bank holidays, because more bank holidays fall on a Monday1.
Swapping a bank holiday and staff on leave
- A worker can ask to work a bank holiday and take another day off instead (a day in lieu). The employer does not have to agree1.
- Where bank holidays are part of the holiday entitlement, they keep building up during sick leave, maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, and other statutory leave1.
- Tell new starters, and anyone moving to part-time or shift work, how bank holidays work in your organisation1.