Working days calculator
Count the working days between two dates, or add working days to a date. Skips weekends, and UK bank holidays if you pick a region.
How this calculator works
In count mode it walks every day between your two dates, including both ends, and adds up the ones that fall Monday to Friday. In add mode it steps forward (or back) one working day at a time until it has moved the number you asked for, skipping every weekend on the way.
Pick a UK region and it also skips that region’s bank holidays. The dates come from the official gov.uk feed for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Worked example. Ten working days after Friday 18 December 2026, skipping England & Wales bank holidays, lands on Wednesday 6 January 2027, because Christmas Day, the Boxing Day substitute and New Year’s Day all fall inside the run.
UK bank holidays 2026 and 2027
These are the dates the calculator uses when you pick a region, taken from the official gov.uk feed. A tick means that region observes it.
| Date | Day | Holiday | England & Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year’s Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 Jan | Friday | 2nd January | — | ✓ | — |
| 17 Mar | Tuesday | St Patrick’s Day | — | — | ✓ |
| 3 Apr | Friday | Good Friday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 6 Apr | Monday | Easter Monday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 4 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 25 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 15 Jun | Monday | World Cup bank holiday | — | ✓ | — |
| 13 Jul | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)Substitute day | — | — | ✓ |
| 3 Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday | — | ✓ | — |
| 31 Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 30 Nov | Monday | St Andrew’s Day | — | ✓ | — |
| 25 Dec | Friday | Christmas Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 28 Dec | Monday | Boxing DaySubstitute day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Date | Day | Holiday | England & Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Friday | New Year’s Day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 4 Jan | Monday | 2nd JanuarySubstitute day | — | ✓ | — |
| 17 Mar | Wednesday | St Patrick’s Day | — | — | ✓ |
| 26 Mar | Friday | Good Friday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 29 Mar | Monday | Easter Monday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 3 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 31 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 12 Jul | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) | — | — | ✓ |
| 2 Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday | — | ✓ | — |
| 30 Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 30 Nov | Tuesday | St Andrew’s Day | — | ✓ | — |
| 27 Dec | Monday | Christmas DaySubstitute day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 28 Dec | Tuesday | Boxing DaySubstitute day | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The substitute days are the ones worth watching. When Christmas Day or Boxing Day lands on a weekend, the holiday moves to the next working day, which is why Boxing Day 2026 is observed on Monday 28 December. Getting those wrong from memory is easy, which is why the tool reads the official list rather than a rule.
Why bank holidays are optional
Public holidays differ across the UK: Scotland has 2 January and St Andrew’s Day, Northern Ireland has St Patrick’s Day and the Twelfth. Leaving the region on “ignore” gives a plain weekends-only count, which is the right basis when a contract defines its own holiday list.
Common questions
Which days count as working days?
Monday to Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are excluded. Bank holidays are only removed if you choose a UK region.
Where do the bank holiday dates come from?
The official gov.uk bank holidays feed, covering England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Dates are checked against the source and refreshed each year.
Does the count include the first and last day?
The between-dates count includes both the start and end date. Any weekend or holiday inside that range is not counted.