Is 28 December a bank holiday in 2026? Christmas and New Year dates
Christmas Day is Friday 25 December 2026 and New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027; Scotland has one more bank holiday, Monday 4 January.
Monday 28 December 2026 is a bank holiday in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to GOV.UK. It is the ‘substitute day’ for Boxing Day, which falls on a Saturday in 2026.
Christmas Day is Friday 25 December. GOV.UK says that if a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, “normally the following Monday”. Boxing Day, 26 December, is a Saturday, so the Monday takes its place. By our count, that is a four-day stretch from Friday 25 to Monday 28 December for anyone who does not work weekends and has bank holidays off.
Christmas and New Year bank holidays, 2026 to 2027
| date | day of the week | bank holiday | applies in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | all four nations |
| 28 December 2026 | Monday | Boxing Day (substitute day) | all four nations |
| 1 January 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day | all four nations |
| 4 January 2027 | Monday | 2nd January (substitute day) | Scotland only |
After New Year’s Day, GOV.UK’s England and Wales list has no further bank holiday until Good Friday, 26 March 2027. Northern Ireland’s list has St Patrick’s Day, Wednesday 17 March 2027, before Good Friday. In Scotland, 2 January 2027 is a Saturday, so the substitute day falls on Monday 4 January, and the next one after that is Good Friday.
Neither 24 nor 31 December appears in any of GOV.UK’s three lists. Both dates fall on a Thursday in 2026.
Do I get the days off work?
Not automatically. GOV.UK says an employer does not have to give workers paid leave on bank or public holidays, and its guide to holiday entitlement says an employer can choose to include bank holidays as part of a worker’s statutory annual leave.
GOV.UK’s bank holidays page also says bank holidays might affect how and when benefits are paid. Our Christmas 2026 benefit payments guide has the payment dates that follow. Dates for Christmas 2027, including the Christmas holidays that move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2027, are in our guide to the 2027 bank holidays.
Questions and answers
Is 26 December 2026 a bank holiday?
GOV.UK’s lists show no bank holiday on Saturday 26 December itself. Monday 28 December is listed as the Boxing Day substitute day.
Is 2 January 2027 a bank holiday?
2 January 2027 is a Saturday. Scotland’s list gives Monday 4 January as the substitute day for 2 January; the England and Wales list and the Northern Ireland list show no bank holiday in early January beyond New Year’s Day.
Where can I add the dates to my calendar?
GOV.UK offers a calendar file (ICS) for each nation on its bank holidays page.
