Bank holiday pay calculator
There is no legal right to extra pay for working a bank holiday in the UK. Time and a half or double time is set by the contract, so what it costs is the employer's choice multiplied by how many bank holidays the business opens.
Pick the nation, enter the shift and the rate you pay, and see the cost of every bank holiday this year and next, with the premium split out.
Free, no signup. Rules from GOV.UK and Acas, checked 22 October 2026.
Bank holiday pay calculator
All 8 bank holidays in 2026
£3,660.48
£457.56 each bank holiday, of which £152.52 is the premium over a normal day. Over the year the premium comes to £1,220.16.
- New Year's DayThu 1 Jan
- Good FridayFri 3 Apr
- Easter MondayMon 6 Apr
- Early May bank holidayMon 4 May
- Spring bank holidayMon 25 May
- Summer bank holidayMon 31 Aug
- Christmas DayFri 25 Dec
- Boxing DayMon 28 Dec
Worked example
A café in England opening every bank holiday in 2027
Three staff work an 8-hour day on each bank holiday, paid £12.71 an hour normally and time and a half on the day.
- A normal day: £12.71 × 8 hours × 3 staff = £305.04.
- At time and a half: £305.04 × 1.5 = £457.56, so the premium is £152.52 a day.
- England and Wales has 8 bank holidays in 2027: £3,660.48 in all, of which £1,220.16 is premium.
That premium is the number to weigh against the day's takings. A quiet bank holiday can cost more to open than it brings in; a busy one pays for itself.
Dates
UK bank holidays 2026 and 2027
As published on GOV.UK. Substitute days stand in for a bank holiday that falls on a weekend.
England and Wales
2026
- New Year's Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Summer bank holiday
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day (substitute day)
2027
- New Year's Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Summer bank holiday
- Christmas Day (substitute day)
- Boxing Day (substitute day)
Scotland
2026
- New Year's Day
- 2nd January
- Good Friday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- World Cup bank holiday
- Summer bank holiday
- St Andrew's Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day (substitute day)
2027
- New Year's Day
- 2nd January (substitute day)
- Good Friday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Summer bank holiday
- St Andrew's Day
- Christmas Day (substitute day)
- Boxing Day (substitute day)
Northern Ireland
2026
- New Year's Day
- St Patrick's Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) (substitute day)
- Summer bank holiday
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day (substitute day)
2027
- New Year's Day
- St Patrick's Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day)
- Summer bank holiday
- Christmas Day (substitute day)
- Boxing Day (substitute day)
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do staff get paid extra for working a bank holiday?
Only if their contract says so. There is no UK law requiring a higher rate on a bank holiday; time and a half or double time is an employer's choice, usually written into the contract or a staff handbook.
Do staff have a right to bank holidays off?
No. Bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and an employer can count them as part of the 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday. Whether someone works them depends on their contract.
How many bank holidays are there in 2026?
England and Wales 8, Scotland 10, Northern Ireland 10. The numbers differ because each nation sets its own: Scotland has 2 January and St Andrew's Day, Northern Ireland has St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne.
What is a substitute day?
When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next weekday usually becomes the bank holiday instead. Christmas Day and Boxing Day on a weekend are the usual case.
How do bank holidays work for part-time staff?
Part-timers get the same holiday entitlement, pro rata. An employer cannot make someone use holiday for a bank holiday that falls on a day they do not normally work.
What does time and a half mean?
One and a half times the normal hourly rate for every hour worked on the day. On £12.71 an hour that is £19.07 an hour; double time would be £25.42.
Sources
Where the rules come from
This calculator follows the published guidance below. It is a guide, not legal advice: a contract can give more than the statutory minimum, and the contract wins.
Keep going
Related guides and tools
- Rota and workforce guidesUK rules on breaks, rotas and pay for small shift teams.
- Staffing a shop around footfallMatching the rota to the busy hours, bank holidays included.
- Holiday entitlement calculatorHoliday hours earned at 12.07% of hours worked, or 5.6 weeks for fixed hours. With the GOV.UK rounding rule.
- Labour cost percentage calculatorWages, holiday accrual and agency cover as a share of sales, checked against published UK bands for cafés, restaurants, pubs, gyms and salons.
- Wavro pricing£9.90/month for up to 10 people, with UK pay rules built in.
- See a sample weekA real rota, clock-ins and labour cost for a small UK team. No signup.
Bank holiday rates, applied on every shift
Set a bank holiday rate per person once. Wavro knows the bank holiday dates, costs every shift that lands on one at that rate, and shows the total while you build the rota.
No card, no sales call.